Removing the scales on a BM330

L

Longden

Joined
Jun 22, 1999
Messages
579
Anyone ever try this before? Or know where to get the shorter screws needed?

In my quest for the ever smaller/thinner (but still useful) knife, I wondered if the thin G-10 scales on my BM 330 could be removed entirely to get a knife with just the thinnest profile possible for a nice 2-3/8" ATS-34 blade.

I imagine the titanium liners already provide the bulk of the structural support and the scales are there just for grip.

This would give me a drop-point ATS-34 blade with a titanium "integral/mono" lock ala Umfaan/Sebenza/Pinnacle, with the added advantage of being pocketable, since the BM330 (unlike the aforementioned knives) has a spacer which would prevent coins from jamming the blade. Possibly the titanium liner could be sanded for added grip?

Is this do-able? Or do I need to get another cup of coffee? Thanks.

------------------
Longden Loo - Ventura, CA
Technology's the answer, what's the question?

 
I like the cut of your gibe. I made a comparison to monolocks when this little number came out, and nobody really got it. But then again, I suppose that any ti-lined knife could be made to function in this way.

My thinking is that the G10 really gives the ti liners rigidity. I'm not sure how rigid it'll be without them; as well, the liners will probably need to be sanded on the edges since the roundness of the G10 slabs are what make for comfortable purchase. You gotta let me know how this works out.

Any screw known to man (almost) can be found at www.smallparts.com or www.halperntitanium.com or
through RB Johnson who advertises in the back of Blade I believe. You'll have to cut them to length with a dremel most likely, but Smallparts has always hooked me up. Hope this helped. Professor.
 
Warning; before you attempt removal of the tiny screws on this knife, be aware that they are treated with Loc-Tite, and stripping the head of the Allen screw is extremely easy to do. To avoid this, touch the tip of a hot soldering iron to the screw for one second, then rapidly insert allen wrench and remove. Hope this helps, Walt
 
Courderoy made custom scales on his bm330.
Come to think of it it seems like a while since he posted.

I agree with your point about the Umfaan, for a knife meant to be carried in the pocket, the lack of a spacer is a big time flaw. Coins will dull the blade unless you carry the Umfaan in its leather sheath.

I kind of like the scales. I don't kike that the back of tang swings out side of the back of the knife when opening it.
 
Turn on a hair dryer and leave it running as you remove the screws if they have loctite on them.

Later,
John
 
I don't knpow about the 330, but some models of Benchmade assemble in such a way that the screws screw into the back scale and not the back liner!
 
Thanks Professor, the ti-slabs are actually quite thick for such a small knife.

On a larger knife, I'd worry about flexing, but given the small size of the knife, the fact that the slabs are almost as thick as the blade itself (hey, like the Sebenza), add to that the rigidity that the spacer confers, and I think a scale-less Gent is structurally feasible.

Frankly, I'd be surprised if the G-10 added much to knife other than purchase and appearance. The latter is of course always nice, and the former makes for a much safer knife. Don't get me wrong, I love the knife as it is with the scales (I got two, G-10 and pearl) ... I just wondered what the ergonomics are like when you take it down to the bare metal, and have a knife that just soooo thin (heck I bet it'd almost give a Spydercard a scare in terms of size).

Walt and John, thanks for the tip on the loc-tite, but I don't think I'd attempt this soon as mine is the most sorry looking workshop you ever seen. This just seems like the sort of hack someone would've done by now just to get the most minimal knife ... unless the lack of purchase just makes for too poor a knife to bother.

Beam, Corduroy is busy at his shop and his new job. In fact he's busy doing another of my hare-brained customizations for me as we speak (on my BF Native) ... maybe I should ask him for opinions on the 330 scale removal.

Yeah, for all the talk about the quality of the CRK's (which I don't doubt), and my willingness to buy a tool with the price tag of an Object d'Art, I'm just a little ticked that I can't drop it in my pocket like my Wegner, Buck or BM 330 without occasionally having loose change scatter all over when I open the blade.
 
I swore off putting coins and a knife in the same pocket a long time ago, if only because it scratches up the knife (same goes for keys, only worse). Whatsamatter, aintcha got more than one pocket???

-Cougar Allen :{)
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This post is not merely the author's opinions; it is the trrrrrruth. This post is intended to cause dissension and unrest and upset people, and ultimately drive them mad. Please do not misinterpret my intentions in posting this.
 
Got two front pockets. Keys/photon/watch in one, coins in the other, and knives in both.

I'm usually not one to worry about scratches on my knives ( the exception being the shiny nickel finish on my new Buck 532MS ... and the shine is just taunting me daily to give it my best shot
smile.gif
).

For cryin' out loud, I thought a knife in a pocket full of loose change was a male tradition!
 
Beam, that's a good thought too. What do you use to hang the 330 on the keychain so you can disconnect it in a hurry. Most connectors I've found are a bit long and/or bulky.

Even so, an all-metal (besides the spacer) 330 would look good on the keychain ... maybe even add some light engraving on the titanium.
 
Longden,

My keychain is an rubber or more llkely plastic covered length of steel cable that has ball and slot lock at its end creating a loop. Its about 5" long opened. I got it at the local Ace Hardware for a couple of dollars. I just thread it through the lanyard hole. Putting the knife on or off is easy and quick.

 
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