SAK Mods! Post your pics, questions and ideas

Barbababa said:
I also did the hidden pin for the springs. Why did Victorinox do that back in the day?
Click to expand...

My suspicion/theory is that the 4th pin made the scale too ‘crowded’ once the shield inlay was made standard. The somewhat rare 4-pin with shields, have the two very close together.

like this:
s-l1600.jpg


After these were made, the shields generally stayed in the same place and the 4th pin was hidden on most models going forward. My feeling is that it’s also somewhat easier to do, and arguably cheaper. Until the bushings were used, the 4th pin was typically just flush cut. Two fewer holes to cut through the scales and two fewer rivet heads to finish. Seems very Victorinox to me.
 
kamakiri.knives said:
My suspicion/theory is that the 4th pin made the scale too ‘crowded’ once the shield inlay was made standard. The somewhat rare 4-pin with shields, have the two very close together.

like this:
s-l1600.jpg


After these were made, the shields generally stayed in the same place and the 4th pin was hidden on most models going forward. My feeling is that it’s also somewhat easier to do, and arguably cheaper. Until the bushings were used, the 4th pin was typically just flush cut. Two fewer holes to cut through the scales and two fewer rivet heads to finish. Seems very Victorinox to me.
Click to expand...
You are probably right about The Shield and the over all design. From what I have read, they are very proud of The Shield logo :)
When I did this build, I found it offered a little bit extra work to assembly. First with all 4 pins long and uncut thru only the liners (without the bushings), then peen the spring rivet flush before putting the scales on, with a bit of glue on them (and not making a mess while pressing together with all tools sticking out). I usually have all the pins 30mm while assembling, and then peen a head on one side before cutting the other and doing final peening. I guess when doing it in a machine like Victorinox do, it does not make a difference ;). Since I usually use the liner as a template for the scales (and glue them on and shape them before assembly), I also needed to only make a shallow drill mark on that 4th flush pin while drilling all holes, and then make a sinking for the rivet head before assembly. Not really any difficulties, but som extra work :)
 
Yeah, definitely one more thing to deal with for modders and restorations. Locating the recess on my last restoration of a 1930’s was a bit more work than popping another through-hole. Because the modern 91mm scales have a different pin layout than anything pre-1951.
 
Coming back to my previous post about celidor and acetone… I did a experiment trying to save, and reuse, the shield from scrapped scales. Looking from the inside, there is a tiny hole in the scale where one can se the metal of the shield… I put a drop of acetone there and waited a few seconds and then poked the shield thru that small hole. I used a dull needle. After putting another drop of acetone and some more poking, the shield fell out in perfect condition. A little red on the sides from the celidor, but that cleans off nicely with a q-tip and some acetone. Now that I managed to save a few shields I’m experimenting with ways to attach the shield in a nice way, without doing a sinking in the scales. I will get back to how that works out 😉
 
Barbababa said:
I put a drop of acetone there and waited a few seconds and then poked the shield thru that small hole. I used a dull needle. After putting another drop of acetone and some more poking, the shield fell out in perfect condition.
Click to expand...
Smart use of acetone. Nicely done. :cool:

Isopropyl (a.k.a. "rubbing alcohol") disolves the scales too, so may also work for this method of shield removal. Acetone is used as a nail polish remover, so it's pretty common to have some on hand, but isopropyl is even more common since it is used for sterilizing cuts and scrapes. It comes in different concentrations, with the consumer grade usually ranging from 70-90%. It would be interesting to see if the concentration impacts its effectiveness in freeing the shield.
 
Guy McVer said:
Smart use of acetone. Nicely done. :cool:

Isopropyl (a.k.a. "rubbing alcohol") disolves the scales too, so may also work for this method of shield removal. Acetone is used as a nail polish remover, so it's pretty common to have some on hand, but isopropyl is even more common since it is used for sterilizing cuts and scrapes. It comes in different concentrations, with the consumer grade usually ranging from 70-90%. It would be interesting to see if the concentration impacts its effectiveness in freeing the shield.
Click to expand...
I have chemically pure gasoline and pure acetone in my cabinet for different cleaning jobs, my wife have acetone with oil for nail polish removal. I don´t know how fast Isopropyl vaporizes, but acetone is pretty quick, wich is kind of good in this case ;)
 
https://imgur.com/g3Gdv9H
this is how the first scale looked after it took a swim in acetone
https://imgur.com/dRml43K
And this is the *first try to attach the shield with epoxi.
I first drilled a 1mm hole in the scale, just about 1mm deep. Then I put a drop of epoxi in it. I then had the shield on a piece of tape and put glue on it with a needle under a magnifying glass. Once attached I removed the tape and cleaned off the glue that spread outside the shield with a soft cloth with water and soap. It looked good, but I was not sure that small amount of epoxi would be "safe", so I filled the shield with epoxi. Now it looks like the shield is glass filled :)
On the *next try I want to make a 12mm round epoxi cover of the shield, I just need to make a good enough template before I give it a try ;)
 
Barbababa said:
https://imgur.com/g3Gdv9H
this is how the first scale looked after it took a swim in acetone
https://imgur.com/dRml43K
And this is the *first try to attach the shield with epoxi.
I first drilled a 1mm hole in the scale, just about 1mm deep. Then I put a drop of epoxi in it. I then had the shield on a piece of tape and put glue on it with a needle under a magnifying glass. Once attached I removed the tape and cleaned off the glue that spread outside the shield with a soft cloth with water and soap. It looked good, but I was not sure that small amount of epoxi would be "safe", so I filled the shield with epoxi. Now it looks like the shield is glass filled :)
On the *next try I want to make a 12mm round epoxi cover of the shield, I just need to make a good enough template before I give it a try ;)
Click to expand...
how on earth did you cut the inlay for that shield to go in?
 
Barbababa said:
I don´t know how fast Isopropyl vaporizes, but acetone is pretty quick, wich is kind of good in this case ;)
Click to expand...
Isopropyl is actually pretty well known for its rapid evaporation. I would be surprised if it wasn't faster than acetone, depending on the concentration. I'm pretty sure isopropyl is also less toxic. It's certainly a lot less odious.
 
EngrSorenson said:
how on earth did you cut the inlay for that shield to go in?
Click to expand...
That´s it, I didn´t. I realized I will not be able to make a cut out that will meet my OCD for perfect fit, so it´s sits on top of the scale. Glued on with epoxi and then filled with epoxi. The shield is super thin, only 0.15mm, so you can barely feel it when glued on (but you can :rolleyes:)... That is why I would like to make a 12mm round epoxi cover of the shield next time, making it more like a Böker shield
 
Hello everyone. I usually lurk here and don't post mods. I have a question though. I have this little Executive that I purchased from a well known SAK modder on Instagram. I had a screw that kept backing out on this knife. I had the bright idea to unscrew it and add some Loctite to it and screw it back in. BAD idea ! The knife basically exploded when I backed the screw out. I therefore had to disassemble it to get the springs back where they belong. I have contacted the maker, but no response yet and I'm pretty bummed out that I destroyed one of my favorite SAKs. Question is, where is the best place to purchase replacement screws that are longer than the ones in the knife in order to pin it all back together again and screw the back side scale back on? Apparently. the screws were cut and filed after it got screwed together, because reinstalling the old ones and trying to screw it together doesn't work due to the spring tensions.. Any help is appreciated.
Gerald

dFwpSElm.png

HsXxmhnm.jpg

HsXxmhnm.jpg

SW6OUebm.jpg
 
GallenR said:
Hello everyone. I usually lurk here and don't post mods. I have a question though. I have this little Executive that I purchased from a well known SAK modder on Instagram. I had a screw that kept backing out on this knife. I had the bright idea to unscrew it and add some Loctite to it and screw it back in. BAD idea ! The knife basically exploded when I backed the screw out. I therefore had to disassemble it to get the springs back where they belong. I have contacted the maker, but no response yet and I'm pretty bummed out that I destroyed one of my favorite SAKs. Question is, where is the best place to purchase replacement screws that are longer than the ones in the knife in order to pin it all back together again and screw the back side scale back on? Apparently. the screws were cut and filed after it got screwed together, because reinstalling the old ones and trying to screw it together doesn't work due to the spring tensions.. Any help is appreciated.
Gerald

dFwpSElm.png

HsXxmhnm.jpg

HsXxmhnm.jpg

SW6OUebm.jpg
Click to expand...
In order to order replacement screws, you need to know the thread diameter, thread pitch, thread length, material, head style, and tool style. I doubt that the screws were filed to length after assembly. It messes up the scales. There are some assembly videos on YouTube.
 
tiguy7 said:
In order to order replacement screws, you need to know the thread diameter, thread pitch, thread length, material, head style, and tool style. I doubt that the screws were filed to length after assembly. It messes up the scales. There are some assembly videos on YouTube.
Click to expand...


Thanks. Yes, they are filed/sanded off after assembly. This knife was done by Andy @ Beaver. His photos show the finishing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top