Pics of a Trapper with a spey to pen conversion?

T

TrapperJack

Joined
Feb 14, 2014
Messages
23
Hello,

Have any of you ground the long spey down to a shorter pen on a Case full size trapper?

I am considering maybe trying it and am generally just curious how it went. I would appreciate knowing what you used, if you shortened it enough to need a new nail pull nick and just in general how it went and what it looks like now.

Thanks!
 
Jack, I didn't reshape mine into a pen, but did reshape it into a wharncliffe. It was rather easy to do, the most difficult thing was regrinding the nail nick in the blade. Don't have a pic at the moment, but will try and get one when I get home.

Regards,
Ron
 
Here is a GEC Scout trapper jack that I did some reshaping of both blades on. It started out with a large spey blade main, and a pen secondary (photo 1). I reground the spey into a more useful drop point (photo 2). Lastly, I turned the pen into a sheepfoot, and gave it a protective vinegar patina (photo 3). The burnt arrowhead jigged bone used on this 2009 jack is unique to this knife, a run of 70 knives.

73jackBfore_zps30ec901c.jpg~original

73JackOpen_zpsb07dad6d.jpg~original

73JackModOpen_zps9076e4de.jpg~original


I would be hesitant to remove the nail nick on a blade, as I have no good way to regrind one. This makes the placement of the nail nick of primary importance on any blade I would regrind. Case's trapper has the nick way out on the end of the spey, which takes it out of my league for reshaping. The GEC #48 traditional trapper has a mid-point nick on the long spey, so it's a good one for reshaping. On this one in bocote, I reground the spey into a slightly longer sheepfoot. (This photo is from an earlier thread where I showed how I open a pile side nick secondary blade with my right thumb.)

PileNickOpen_zpsb6e112af.jpg~original
 
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It's not a expensive knife, but Rough Rider makes a nice tobacco bone handled copperhead that is easy to mod the skinner blade to a pen shape as the nail nick is further back on the blade. I did it to mine with no trouble at all.
Rich
 
Thanks for the advice. Good pictures and nice mods. I think I had better not mess with this trapper conversion until I get something better than a dremel to put in a new nick. On a trapper there is no chance of making it usefully shorter without needing a new nick on the pile side.

It might be fun to try that Rough Rider Copperhead and to practice some mods since it will not need a new nick.

I guess I would be better served time wise and end product wise to just rustle up a decent swell end jack or a Vietnam/Copperhead and call it good.

What I really want is a jack pattern on the pocket friendly but good sized serpentine round bolster frame that the 6347 stockmans come in. Does/has this ever existed?
 
There are some serpentine jacks out there that have a clip and a pen. Just a trapper with a pen blade.--KV
 
I really don't like having to long equal length blades ( I can live with it on real small knives ) and have thought about cutting the spay blade into a much shorter sheep's foot on a rr trapper I had, but I think it would be too hard to open. With the stout back springs that trappers usually have, they're easy enough to open due to the long blades but half the length and I think the force to open would double.
 
Our moderator Frank (knarfeng) has one in olive wood made in Germany that is a 4" stockman, minus the third spey blade, so a clip main and a sheepfoot. I can't remember if it's Boker or Hen & Rooster, but it's nice. Message him if you're interested.
 
black mamba said:
Our moderator Frank (knarfeng) has one in olive wood made in Germany that is a 4" stockman, minus the third spey blade, so a clip main and a sheepfoot. I can't remember if it's Boker or Hen & Rooster, but it's nice. Message him if you're interested.
Click to expand...
Boker in 440C. Special short run a couple of years ago and no longer available.

But, you, Jeff, are the Meister of changing blade shapes. Show him your modified Saddlehorn. It's frickin' awesome.
 
That's very cool, Jeff. Makes me want to try it on my Case Saddlehorn, although me + perfectly good knife + Dremel tool is an equation frought with peril...
 
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