The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
No, those bits haven't been taken out of their packaging yet. I'm in a bit of a lull at the moment because I'm still waiting on some parts donor SAKs to arrive. There are some 2.5mm rods on the way too. The 5 layer Ranger is going to be 6 layers when it's done. There are also some 1.5mm rods on the way for the 58mm SAKs that I want to do.
I meant the 5/64” one.
So…one of the last things I need to decide is wether to use a kinda rare slide lock stainless metal saw donor Workchamp or an older case hardened version.
I can report that this way works too. Even if it’s not the correct guess. Zero damage to the bushings. Took me a minute, because I didn’t use hand power. I’ll edit and post pics later.
I've had that old thing for ages.
I'm worried that other people might be finding this annoying. If it isn't getting old already, eventually it will.
I guess I forgot the original parameters mentioned.
I’d unfortunately also call it unadvisable for how easy it is to permanently deform aluminum. When you reassemble a knife like that, you might reconsider depending how it operates.It´s always interesting to hear how things are done, and what can be done. But I don´t understand how all the work of saving a pin is worth the effort? Saving the bushing i understand, but why not just peen a new in the old bushing?Guy's(?) Disassembly Method
As a quick refresher, these were the criteria:
-removes the pin without drilling or cutting it
-preserves nearly the entire length of the pin all the way up to the rivet
-has a guaranteed 100% success rate to save the bushing
-does not require destroying the SAK parts (ie: the liners, sideplates, springs, spacers, and tools) to accomplish
-does not involve sawing between the layers
-always works regardless of which layers are present
-only works on the center pin; does not apply to the outside pivots or the back tools pivot
It looks like nobody else knows this method and nobody else figured it out in time based on the criteria that were given. Maybe that means it's my own method? So then, here is the description for how to accomplish both variations of it.
Variant 1: the pinch approach, moderate difficulty
1. Start by filing down the rivet on one side of the back tools pivot and then drive that pivot out with a punch or a small nail. This pivot has no bushings, so we don't need to worry about saving them. You can drill this pivot out if you really want to, but why risk damaging the sideplate?
2. With the back tools pivot gone, you can either push or rotate out the springs. You may also want to open the tools from the two outside layers to get them out of the way. Typically the outside layers are the knife layer and the bottle/can opener layer, but it doesn't matter just as long as you make sure that their tools aren't in the way.
3. Now pinch the aluminum sideplates so that they bow inwards. This will not damage the sideplates; they won't stay permanently bent unless you inexplicably decide to use enough force to crush the SAK for some reason.
4. Pinching the sideplates will free the center pin to move up or down, which allows you to move one of the bushings away from its pin head.
5. With the bushing out of the way, you can now file around the edges of the pin head until its diameter is small enough for the bushing to slide past it, thus freeing the entire pin. Alternatively, you can simply file the whole pin head off. It's quicker and easier, but it will preserve slightly less of the total pin length.
Variant 2: the last pin approach, easy level
1. Save the center pin's removal for last. With all 3 of the tool pivots gone, the only remaining parts still attached will be the sideplates and the liners, with the center pin holding them together.
2. Push the sideplates and liners over to one end of the pin so that they all rest on top of each other like a stack of pancakes. The opposite end of the pin is now completely free for you to work on.
3. On the free side of the pin, move the bushing away from the pin head. You can now file around the edges of the pin head until its diameter is small enough for the bushing to slide past it, thus freeing the entire pin.
And it's that simple! I have to say that I'm really surprised nobody else thought of this.
So in my opinion, here's the most significant thing about this method of SAK disassembly: it allows you to avoid having to drill out both of the small pins, which makes causing damage to either the sideplate or the bushings incredibly unlikely, since the other two pins happen to also be the largest ones. The larger size of those two pivots makes them a lot easier to drill without causing damage to anything else.
Well, at least that's true on a 91mm SAK... On an 84mm SAK, all of the pins are the same size! But this disassembly method will still let you remove up to half of the pins without drilling, which still effectively decreases your odds of making a mistake. The fewer pins you have to drill, the lower your chances are of messing something up.
Have a great weekend, everyone! Stay healthy and stay safe!
I don't understand why you would throw away perfectly good 2.2mm brass rod when it's not exactly an easy thing to acquire here in the states. I hear it's easy to find If you're in Europe, but I have to buy 3/32" rod and sand it down until it fits. Decent American made 3/32" brass rod costs more, too. At least I haven't found a cheap source.
That explains it
Here in Sweden (Europe) I can buy brass nails in the right size for $1 /25 nailsFor me, the effort is mostly worth it for vintage knives…especially ones with original nickel silver pins. It’s also time saving compared to turning my own from 3/32”.
Main thing I do is use a lever or the tool itself to bend the backspring. Posted about that earlier in this thread. There’s some other examples I wanted to put in a separate thread.
Generally, I assemble in the order that the factory does. Front (awl and openers) first to back (blade layer) last.
The alox bits didn't pan out. They work fine on brass but they are too fat.
I’m coming around to think more like this. Even when speed is a primary consideration, un-riveting is outright faster for me. Why not save 100% of the whole pin instead of just 100% of the length.
Sharpen that sucker and put it back to use! If you’re using it for hand work anyway, symmetry doesn’t matter as much. A fine diamond hone can make it cut better than new.
When I reassemble a 91mm SAK, I start with the can opener side scale on the bottom and stack up from there; the bIade side comes last. I do this because the can opener side of the knife will sit flat on a pounding surface, but the corkscrew/Philips prevents the blade side from sitting flat.