Guide to upgrading your Bali:
Ok, so you just got your $20 buck jaguar and proceed to manipulate it. Then,
after a few minutes you notice your pins begin to loosen and the alignment is
way crooked. Finally, the pins snap and you bali goes flying across the room.
So then, your first inclination is to toss the darned thing across the room.
Using better judgement, you decide on fixing the pins yourself. These are the
steps I used to fix as well as upgrade the balisong. By upgrading the bali, I
increased the smoothness (which results in more speed) and the alignment. Ok,
the first step in fixing your bali is to remove the other pin that is still
attached. (assuming only 1 broke off) First, if possible, try to locate a
chisel that has a very thin head. The chisel I used was actually a wood carving
one, but works fine because the metal pins are very soft. Then, using this chisel,
I then placed it right on the side of the cap and GENTLY taped the chisel with a
hammer. (Make sure you tap gently, otherwise the chisel may actually dig into the soft handles) After this, the cap should have cleanly come off and you may proceed
and take a narrow object and push the remaining section of the pin out. If you couldn't find or locate a chisel, the second alternative I used was to take a metal file and manually file the cap off. Note: Doing so may result in scratching the handle badly.
Then, once the cap has been filed to the point where the pin can slide out, just stop and push out the remaining part of the pin.
Ok, now the bali should now be in three parts. If you wish to attain very smooth action,you would sand the whole blade, especially the area around the pins. First, what I did
was sanded the blade with a 400 grit sandpaper. Then, when I completely sanded the blade, I took a 600 grit sandpaper and repeated. Finally, I took a 1500 grit sandpaper and finished it to a mirror polish. This is what my polished blade looks like:
(sorry for the bad scan)
Then, the next step I took was to find the proper size pins to fit in the handles.
Although many sizes fit, the best size I found was 6d finishing nails. These nails
fit all jaguars perfectly with no sliding or wobbling. Then, I took 2 nails out
and made sure they fit inside the handle and blade. Note: I found not all the pins
fit inside the handle, so make sure to check. Then, if your like me, you would want
a fairly good looking cap on the ends of the pins. In order to get a good looking
cap, I took the nail and placed it a vise with the cap of the nail touching the very
bottom of the vise and proceeded to pound the cap until it was flat. Make sure you pound straight on top of the nail or the nail will be bent. Then, I pounded the sides of the cap to get a good looking "normal" pin.
To increase speed even more, I took each of the modified pins and sanded then with the
same process as the blade until I got a mirror polish. Then, I put the half finish
nails into the blade and handles. As Clay and many others say, "Make sure you put in
razor blades in between the handles and blades on both sides." Otherwise, when you pound the other side of the pin in, the pin will close in on the bali and prevent any motion. Ok, then you secure the bali in a vise and flip the knife upside down so the sharp part of the nail is facing up. Then, using a saw, cut all but about the size of this letter "e" or possibly a little more of the nail. Then proceed to pound the nail directly straight until the cut-off section is more flat and is wide enough to not slip out of the handle. Then, pound the sides like the other side until desired look is attained.
Finally, voila, you bali is finished. As an extra, you may want to sand the pins to smoothen it out and oil the pins. I hope you enjoyed it.
------------------
A real knife collector is always broke.
[This message has been edited by David2584 (edited 07-12-2000).]
Ok, so you just got your $20 buck jaguar and proceed to manipulate it. Then,
after a few minutes you notice your pins begin to loosen and the alignment is
way crooked. Finally, the pins snap and you bali goes flying across the room.
So then, your first inclination is to toss the darned thing across the room.
Using better judgement, you decide on fixing the pins yourself. These are the
steps I used to fix as well as upgrade the balisong. By upgrading the bali, I
increased the smoothness (which results in more speed) and the alignment. Ok,
the first step in fixing your bali is to remove the other pin that is still
attached. (assuming only 1 broke off) First, if possible, try to locate a
chisel that has a very thin head. The chisel I used was actually a wood carving
one, but works fine because the metal pins are very soft. Then, using this chisel,
I then placed it right on the side of the cap and GENTLY taped the chisel with a
hammer. (Make sure you tap gently, otherwise the chisel may actually dig into the soft handles) After this, the cap should have cleanly come off and you may proceed
and take a narrow object and push the remaining section of the pin out. If you couldn't find or locate a chisel, the second alternative I used was to take a metal file and manually file the cap off. Note: Doing so may result in scratching the handle badly.
Then, once the cap has been filed to the point where the pin can slide out, just stop and push out the remaining part of the pin.
Ok, now the bali should now be in three parts. If you wish to attain very smooth action,you would sand the whole blade, especially the area around the pins. First, what I did
was sanded the blade with a 400 grit sandpaper. Then, when I completely sanded the blade, I took a 600 grit sandpaper and repeated. Finally, I took a 1500 grit sandpaper and finished it to a mirror polish. This is what my polished blade looks like:
Then, the next step I took was to find the proper size pins to fit in the handles.
Although many sizes fit, the best size I found was 6d finishing nails. These nails
fit all jaguars perfectly with no sliding or wobbling. Then, I took 2 nails out
and made sure they fit inside the handle and blade. Note: I found not all the pins
fit inside the handle, so make sure to check. Then, if your like me, you would want
a fairly good looking cap on the ends of the pins. In order to get a good looking
cap, I took the nail and placed it a vise with the cap of the nail touching the very
bottom of the vise and proceeded to pound the cap until it was flat. Make sure you pound straight on top of the nail or the nail will be bent. Then, I pounded the sides of the cap to get a good looking "normal" pin.
To increase speed even more, I took each of the modified pins and sanded then with the
same process as the blade until I got a mirror polish. Then, I put the half finish
nails into the blade and handles. As Clay and many others say, "Make sure you put in
razor blades in between the handles and blades on both sides." Otherwise, when you pound the other side of the pin in, the pin will close in on the bali and prevent any motion. Ok, then you secure the bali in a vise and flip the knife upside down so the sharp part of the nail is facing up. Then, using a saw, cut all but about the size of this letter "e" or possibly a little more of the nail. Then proceed to pound the nail directly straight until the cut-off section is more flat and is wide enough to not slip out of the handle. Then, pound the sides like the other side until desired look is attained.
Finally, voila, you bali is finished. As an extra, you may want to sand the pins to smoothen it out and oil the pins. I hope you enjoyed it.
------------------
A real knife collector is always broke.
[This message has been edited by David2584 (edited 07-12-2000).]
