Need help with screws.

[Midgetje93]

So I want to get into modifying, customizing.. then slowly ease into possibly knife making. But that said. I’m relatively low on the tinkering tier.

I bought a cheap swisstech fixed blade from Walmart. I want to play with it. My idea is to strip the coating on the blade to polish it out. (I plan to use paint stripper? Maybe?)

And try my hand in forming custom wooden scales.

I know it’s a cheap knife. But I do like the size and shape. So I like the knife. But also it’s $40 to replace if all else fails.

But the scale screws only have the torx on one side. Causing the other side to spin freely. Any recommendations how to get that off?

 

[killgar]

There might be thread locker on them, which would require heat to loosen (like sticking a soldering iron tip in the screw).

Also, sometimes when dealing with a free-spinning fastener, pressing the handle scale hard to the side, as if you were trying to forcibly slide it sideways off of the tang (or liner in the case of a folder), the handle scale pressing on the fastener will grip the fastener just enough to allow the screw to be removed.

And then there's the "nuclear option"- use a dremel with a cutting wheel to cut slots across the heads of the posts so you can use a screwdriver to hold them. But of course that will ruin the posts, and possibly damage the surrounding handle scale, depending on how deep the post head is set in the handle, and ones skill with a dremel.

 

[Midgetje93]

There might be thread locker on them, which would require heat to loosen (like sticking a soldering iron tip in the screw).

Also, sometimes when dealing with a free-spinning fastener, pressing the handle scale hard to the side, as if you were trying to forcibly slide it sideways off of the tang (or liner in the case of a folder), the handle scale pressing on the fastener will grip the fastener just enough to allow the screw to be removed.

And then there's the "nuclear option"- use a dremel with a cutting wheel to cut slots across the heads of the posts so you can use a screwdriver to hold them. But of course that will ruin the posts, and possibly damage the surrounding handle scale, depending on how deep the post head is set in the handle, and ones skill with a dremel.

It’s a cheap knife made for Walmart. I’d be surprised if it has thread locker. But I’ll try that.

 

[eKretz]

You could make or buy a split/forked c-clamp that would work to get those out. Put a small piece of rubber (that is about the same size as the head of the post) over the post and clamp down, forked part of the clamp on the Torx side. Should hold the post well enough to get the screw out even if it's Loctited.