- Joined
- Apr 19, 2005
- Messages
- 5,533
OK,
First thing is I was going to wait for Sunday show but am going to type more than I like for that.
Back a spell Arkknives made up a few Vantages in stag. The price was enough I didn't think I should get one. I thought, I know, I will buy some jigged bone scales and make my own. Right at this point I should have emailed Jerad....The sad tale begins.
Recently I was feeling good about a 301 burl scale replacement, I decided to jump in on the jigged bone vantage. I find the regular size vantages too large to suit my EDC. I had a Avid small vantage so I carefully took that baby apart trying to watch where all the stuff was hooked and what was under tension, etc. Thought, maybe I can do this......so got out the 5 inch by 1 1/2 jigged bone slabs in dark brown. "I thought" they were dark brown when I bought them but the first cut showed them to be bright red under the surfaces. ( Here is the first spot I should have stopped.) I cut them to length and then ran them on belt sander to thin them, more bright red. Those things get hot holding them carefully on a running sander. Sanding and drilling bone makes for a unique smell, my little shop area is attached to the house so......she says what on earth is that smell........ I wanted some thickness, at least a little more than the dymondwood Avid stock scales. I got them to a WAG level of thickness and then started very carefully drilling screw holes to put them on the liners. That is very critical and a drill press is necessary. I ended up thinning the scale somemore because the screws were so short. I should have stopped and ordered some new screws from a knife supply. (Stop number two) That took a lot of back and fourth adjustment but have them attached. So I saw the excess off on a bandsaw and dremel grind the edges down to near the liners. After that I use a dremel sanding wheel with fine silicone sandpaper to get them as close as posibble. Now the real work starts and I have to drill blade pin hole and make a slot in each side for the "lock" pin to float in a half circle in. This was a multiple hour part and the most frustrating of all events. With a proper machine made scale it would have been much easier. I also had to grind the divots for the screw heads holding the liner together and grind the slot for the pocket clip to go. Speaking of which, the thickness of the scale makes the smaller distance under the clip harder to catch on loose denim. I skipped telling about the frustrations of getting the bronze washers on each side of the blade by pushing them, or attempting to, under the liners pressing on the blade. About the time you think you had it the blade would move.
Well, to make a long story short, I got it together but its not right. My blade is off-center and rubs one liner on closing. The jigged scales I think were just painted brown and one edge shows white bone that the red dye didn't reach. Not to mention I have had to tighten the pivot pin so tight that you have to manually open the blade like a folding knife. On purpose I am not showing you photos of all these happenings
BECAUSE I SAY DO NOT DO THIS YOURSELF.....I may take this one apart and put the dymond wood scales back on. I just do not like the color bright red.........The screws are not seated fully in the liners, the blade is crooked, it opens hard, the screw heads are set in deep holes, there are a couple of chips and you can't hardly clip it on your pocket. If someone offered to make a nice matching stag small vantage with a clip for $150 plus shipping, believe me it would be worth it........It actually is made interestingly, I can see why there are some with rubbing blades, those have to be late Friday afternoon assemblies........ I am NOT proud of this one, and danged that red is ugly.......No you can't have it.............300
Here is pic of the inside of a scale of the paperstone select vantage. You can see the necessary cutouts. Since they are pressed out by the hundreds, both sides have the screwhead divots but only one side uses them. I wish I would have gotten longer screws and only drilled my scale holes deep enough to put the screw heads below the scale surface. But once again let me caution you on starting this without carefull consideration. It might be better to walk the highways picking up beer cans till you have enough money just to pay a pro knife mangler to make you one.........no might about it, it would be better. Where is my broom handle with the nail in the end.........
First thing is I was going to wait for Sunday show but am going to type more than I like for that.
Back a spell Arkknives made up a few Vantages in stag. The price was enough I didn't think I should get one. I thought, I know, I will buy some jigged bone scales and make my own. Right at this point I should have emailed Jerad....The sad tale begins.
Recently I was feeling good about a 301 burl scale replacement, I decided to jump in on the jigged bone vantage. I find the regular size vantages too large to suit my EDC. I had a Avid small vantage so I carefully took that baby apart trying to watch where all the stuff was hooked and what was under tension, etc. Thought, maybe I can do this......so got out the 5 inch by 1 1/2 jigged bone slabs in dark brown. "I thought" they were dark brown when I bought them but the first cut showed them to be bright red under the surfaces. ( Here is the first spot I should have stopped.) I cut them to length and then ran them on belt sander to thin them, more bright red. Those things get hot holding them carefully on a running sander. Sanding and drilling bone makes for a unique smell, my little shop area is attached to the house so......she says what on earth is that smell........ I wanted some thickness, at least a little more than the dymondwood Avid stock scales. I got them to a WAG level of thickness and then started very carefully drilling screw holes to put them on the liners. That is very critical and a drill press is necessary. I ended up thinning the scale somemore because the screws were so short. I should have stopped and ordered some new screws from a knife supply. (Stop number two) That took a lot of back and fourth adjustment but have them attached. So I saw the excess off on a bandsaw and dremel grind the edges down to near the liners. After that I use a dremel sanding wheel with fine silicone sandpaper to get them as close as posibble. Now the real work starts and I have to drill blade pin hole and make a slot in each side for the "lock" pin to float in a half circle in. This was a multiple hour part and the most frustrating of all events. With a proper machine made scale it would have been much easier. I also had to grind the divots for the screw heads holding the liner together and grind the slot for the pocket clip to go. Speaking of which, the thickness of the scale makes the smaller distance under the clip harder to catch on loose denim. I skipped telling about the frustrations of getting the bronze washers on each side of the blade by pushing them, or attempting to, under the liners pressing on the blade. About the time you think you had it the blade would move.
Well, to make a long story short, I got it together but its not right. My blade is off-center and rubs one liner on closing. The jigged scales I think were just painted brown and one edge shows white bone that the red dye didn't reach. Not to mention I have had to tighten the pivot pin so tight that you have to manually open the blade like a folding knife. On purpose I am not showing you photos of all these happenings
BECAUSE I SAY DO NOT DO THIS YOURSELF.....I may take this one apart and put the dymond wood scales back on. I just do not like the color bright red.........The screws are not seated fully in the liners, the blade is crooked, it opens hard, the screw heads are set in deep holes, there are a couple of chips and you can't hardly clip it on your pocket. If someone offered to make a nice matching stag small vantage with a clip for $150 plus shipping, believe me it would be worth it........It actually is made interestingly, I can see why there are some with rubbing blades, those have to be late Friday afternoon assemblies........ I am NOT proud of this one, and danged that red is ugly.......No you can't have it.............300
Here is pic of the inside of a scale of the paperstone select vantage. You can see the necessary cutouts. Since they are pressed out by the hundreds, both sides have the screwhead divots but only one side uses them. I wish I would have gotten longer screws and only drilled my scale holes deep enough to put the screw heads below the scale surface. But once again let me caution you on starting this without carefull consideration. It might be better to walk the highways picking up beer cans till you have enough money just to pay a pro knife mangler to make you one.........no might about it, it would be better. Where is my broom handle with the nail in the end.........
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