- Joined
- May 24, 2010
- Messages
- 536
After carrying a large classic micarta for a couple weeks I was ready to downsize and get a small. Once I had a small to compare it to, I was really torn. The large just felt way better as far as the "action" was concerned (ie- opening, locking and closing) but was getting me all kindsa weird looks on the job. I know I should be used to this by now...but, if given a choice, I'd rather not be receiving worried looks from female co-workers every time I open a bale of towels 
.
Enter the small classic with ironwood inlays.
As I was used to the larger model, right out of the box it seemed a little too small. My biggest concern was the lack of real estate between the cut-out and the thumbstud. I don't think my thumbs are very big and I was having a heck of a time opening the knife without poking the #$%@ out of my thumb pad (I'm aware of the correct way of opening it without pressing directly on top of the thumbstud).
Enter the thumbstud mod.
I took the thumbstud down to the middle of the second ring (dremel and wet/dry paper) and what a difference! No more pinched thumb and very few missed attempts at opening.
After disassembly, polishing of the sandblasted bits for a more uniform look and lubeing with CR grease, I noticed that the blade seemed not as smooth as I expected.
I then did what I'm sure I'll catch some flack for: I bent the lockbar back just a touch....just enought to ease off some of the pressure it puts on the detent ball. Again, it made a world of difference in the knife's action and it's still at a decent (50%) lock-up.
Last was the lanyard. I added a newer silver lanyard pin and tied a leather one on.
Then I dipped the tied layard in boiling water for a few seconds, then hit it with a hair dryer for a few minutes to accelerate the process. This makes the leather shrink, making the whole thing much tighter than otherwise. After a full day of air drying, I applied snow-seal to waterproof the leather. I love how it darkens the leather to match the ironwood scales.
Well, that's about it. Thanks for looking.
.Enter the small classic with ironwood inlays.
As I was used to the larger model, right out of the box it seemed a little too small. My biggest concern was the lack of real estate between the cut-out and the thumbstud. I don't think my thumbs are very big and I was having a heck of a time opening the knife without poking the #$%@ out of my thumb pad (I'm aware of the correct way of opening it without pressing directly on top of the thumbstud).
Enter the thumbstud mod.
I took the thumbstud down to the middle of the second ring (dremel and wet/dry paper) and what a difference! No more pinched thumb and very few missed attempts at opening.
After disassembly, polishing of the sandblasted bits for a more uniform look and lubeing with CR grease, I noticed that the blade seemed not as smooth as I expected.
I then did what I'm sure I'll catch some flack for: I bent the lockbar back just a touch....just enought to ease off some of the pressure it puts on the detent ball. Again, it made a world of difference in the knife's action and it's still at a decent (50%) lock-up.
Last was the lanyard. I added a newer silver lanyard pin and tied a leather one on.
Then I dipped the tied layard in boiling water for a few seconds, then hit it with a hair dryer for a few minutes to accelerate the process. This makes the leather shrink, making the whole thing much tighter than otherwise. After a full day of air drying, I applied snow-seal to waterproof the leather. I love how it darkens the leather to match the ironwood scales.
Well, that's about it. Thanks for looking.
All joking aside, I think if I were gonna do that to my thumbstud, I wouldn't have gone down as far as you did. Just seems a bit too flush with the blade, but since I open mine "the correct way" without any pressure on the stud, it would still work. As for the blade being not as smooth as you expected, are you sure you didn't pinch your washer after reassembly? I would be very hesitant about bending my lockbar.