Rivets, To Add or Not to Add

BuckShack

BuckShack

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Jul 19, 2015
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I am constantly on the Buck website going through the motions of customizing my next Custom Shop knife. One of the hardest decisions I have is whether or not to add Rivets. I like Rivets. I have Rivets on most of my Buck knives. They come standard most of the time. I even added Rivets on my last Custom Shop 110 with Waterbuffalo handles. But I must admit, given the choice, I struggle with the decision to Add or Not to Add Rivets each and every time.

Am I the only one with this problem? I would love to hear your opinions on Rivets.
 
I ordered rivets on all my wood ones but I just ordered a ram horn 110 and I thought it would look better without
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Its personal preference. This oldie sorta sold me on no pins. I still prefer the older two pin knives. Its all good. As far as trusting pins and adhesive, there is always the Buck Warranty should you manage to hurt one. I never have. Of course talking about a 110.

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My opinion - rivets aka pins, are all about the skill of the craftsman or assembly method. Perfect pins are good, but leave them high, not flush with the surface or grind a circle around them in the scale material as they are pressed and rounded over and I am disappointed. Also a custom maker hopefully picks stag or rams horn so that rivet heads are not on a slope of a groove. This can even be a issue in heavy jigged bone.

Glued on materials are cleaner in look, but if a knife is being used in wet conditions or subject to being dropped often and/or on to concrete floors I would want the security of pins.

The old 300s made on contract by Schrade and Camillus had pins in their Delrin. The shield was inletted in and glued on. Current black sawcut models have scales that are hot pressed onto the side plates and plastic goes thru holes and is hot pressed to form a sort of plastic headed rivet on the inside of the liner. The shield is a pillar of metal and 'pressed' up thru a hole in the scale.

In old classic folding knives I like the look of "good" brass rivets. Especially on good jigged bone scales 300
 
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I ordered my CKS 501 without rivets; I liked the look, and modern adhesives provide a pretty damned strong bond, in my experience. And if something ever happens it'll just go back to Buck for a repair.
 
While playing around on the Buck Custom shop web page, ("playing around" because I'll never be able to afford to use the order now button) I try each handle material with and without the rivets. To my old eyes, a 110 just does not look ... right ... without them.

I wish they offered a (smooth) yellow G10 as an option to the black G10. Wish the 301 was a custom shop option, too.
 
afishhunter said:
While playing around on the Buck Custom shop web page, ("playing around" because I'll never be able to afford to use the order now button) I try each handle material with and without the rivets. To my old eyes, a 110 just does not look ... right ... without them.

I wish they offered a (smooth) yellow G10 as an option to the black G10. Wish the 301 was a custom shop option, too.
Click to expand...

:D I'm with you on that. I think the only configuration I wouldn't do rivets on is if I was to get the 110 with the black blade, black buffalo horn handle and nickel silver bolsters. Which I've stared at quite frequently...
 
You can now also order the 110 with the drop point, so you have to throw that option into the mix also :)
 
I struggle with this decision as well. It's funny reading how many others go through all the configurations on the website like I do. For me it's the 501 that haunts me. Eventually I'll figure out which one to order but for most handle materials I think I like the rivets. More classic looking IMO. Your mileage may vary.
 
I wish all the options for the 110 were available for the 112. At least the nickel silver bolsters. If that was the case, I'd spend even more time looking at knives that I can't afford...
 
Yeah, I like rivets on some materials and and not on others. I am pleased with the rivets on the last 110 I purchased.
 
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