Smaller Electricain's Knives and Franken-mods?

DeadFall27

DeadFall27

Joined
May 18, 2011
Messages
1,476
Evening everyone!

I have a few questions that have been driving me crazy all morning and need to be asked to satisfy my curiosity.
****I would post this in the Maintenance Forum and or ask this in the modifies traditionals thread, but I do not think that this belongs in either.



I have been using my Brantford Cutlery Co. Teardrop(?) Jack religiously since I dropped the point and put an edge on her, but I have not been able to be 100% happy with her due to the fact that the small pen blade has been so over sharpened (and the spring so strong) that it cannot be opened without the aid of pliers. I sat at the counter today this morning rubbing the mark side cover with my thumb like a worry stone, as I often do, playing around with ideas as I am accustom to when I am alone in silence.

I began to ponder sending out the knife to have the pen removed because it is useless (it would be perfect for packages if I could open it...). After using it for a while redoing the kitchen the past few days, I began to ponder what I felt like the knife was missing.

I thought, "Well, I wish that I could pry a little and scrape without breaking a tip or mucking up a blade, I wish I could use it for screws when the tool box is eons away and I hate carrying my Leatherman all the time...".

Then it hit me, I'm thinking of electrician's knives! Now, don't get me wrong, I love electricians knives (I own two), but they are too big for my liking. Now, going back to my schemes that always run through my head; What if I were to take a smaller screwdriver blade from a TL-29 and replace the pen on my Jack with it? It would be lighter, thinner, smaller, classier and sexier than a TL-29, but can still do everything a TL-29 can do without that annoying bail. I mean come on, haven't you always dreamed of an Electrician's Teardrop Jack with Ebony covers and a long pull? Don't freakin' lie to me :D




So this leads me to get on with the questions, sorry for the rant:
-Do smaller-sized TL-29's exist where the blade would fit on my Jack? (It is a tad larger than the Case SBJ)
-Would a TL-29 blade even fit?
-Does something like this sound like a good idea to you? (The blade wouldn't lock, which could be a safety issue)
-Is it ethically right to do something like this? (Should I just leave it and preserve the history and respect it for what it is?)
-Have you guys ever done any Franken-mods like this before? How did it work out?




Just to show you what I have to work with here:
IMG_2544.jpg


IMG_2548.jpg



Thanks for looking everyone,I appreciate anything you have to say and all types (even harsh criticisms) of posts are welcome here.
Take care!!

-Deadfall
 
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Personally, I'd leave it as is. Maybe buy a Tl-29 and have a professional customize it to your specs.
 
Hi Deadfall,

I'm not sure of the vintage of the electrician's knives that you own, but the pre TL-29 versions are comparable in size, if not smaller than your jack.

Here's a picture that may interest you:

IMG_4331Small.jpg


IMG_4332Small.jpg


The knife is a Schrade Cut Co, Walden NY.
 
greg c said:
Hi Deadfall,

I'm not sure of the vintage of the electrician's knives that you own, but the pre TL-29 versions are comparable in size, if not smaller than your jack.

Here's a picture that may interest you:

IMG_4331Small.jpg


IMG_4332Small.jpg


The knife is a Schrade Cut Co, Walden NY.
Click to expand...

Well, I know what I am searching the 'bay for now; that is perfect!
 
Though Greg C's pic has me exited, has anyone else done any blade swapping mods before? I saw a lot of regrinds and cover modifications, but no swaps that I can
remember.
 
I agree with Vanguard41xx. I'd leave it as is. If you want a FrankenKnife, search for "mint" or "rare" on eBay... or look for a red felt backdrop in the photos. ;)

The Schrade is a nice example of a knife with an electrician's blade that's less bulky than the TL-29. The Remington R4548 is another example. Although not of the same quality, there's also a cheap barlow with an electrician blade... I think it's a Camco but I don't remember for sure.
 
Oh man, I had to laugh for a minute since I know the exact seller you are referring to...:D

*Sigh* I did have to laugh when I saw an axe that I know darn well was recent (~10 years old at the very most) listed as a vintage felling axe. Is that what sells for vintage, rare, old or mint these days? :rolleyes:

I'll start looking at the models that you have mentioned. Thank you very much!
 
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Here are a few...

Remington R4548 with a sliding lock release on the back.
T2eC16RHJHwE9n8ihqbyBP6HtRNu1Q60_3.jpg


Here's another radio tool that has some additional blades.
morley-radio-tool.jpg


Unfortunately, those two were "cleaned" before I rescued them.

This Remington doesn't have an electrician blade but it does have a screwdriver... and adds a much more functional ;) bottle opener. It's quite small.
Remington-EO.jpg
 
It's sad to see when dealers re-finish the blades, but it is better that the patina is gone than to have them be completely trashed I suppose...Very cool little blades you have there, thank you for sharing :thumbup:

Now, out of curiosity, would that Radio Tool constitute an engineers knife? The oldies always steal my heart, but I really need to take some initiative here to learn to figure out what I am looking at. That EO Remington looks mighty fine too, I must say. I'm glad to see that you saved it before it was 'cleaned'!
 
According to the ad copy (c 1929), they're fine practical tools for the professional electrician or mechanic and for every man or boy who tinkers with a radio or other electrical equipment. I have an original catalog scan for the Morley Radio Tool but I don't have ad copy for it or the Remington Easy Opener. I'm pretty sure the Morley radio tool had the same marketing.

PopularScienceApr1929-1.jpg


Here are a couple comparison photos with a Case Swayback Jack and BackPocket for scale.

electrician-size-comparison-1.jpg

electrician-size-comparison-2.jpg
 
Here is a odd duck Imperial:
e0e3bb89.jpg


Lots of utility, with the two screwdrivers & sheepsfoot blade.
 
I found a photo of the barlow on the web. It is Colonial, not Camco. I've only seen them with advertisements on the handle.

ColonialElectriciansBarlow.jpg
 
of note blade swaps with a donor knife of the same pattern are one thing, another pattern or manufacturer alltogether is quite another thing... Anything is possible and it might make a fun project or end up with 2 broken knives, slipjoints are deceptively tough little things, i know a few people who managed to take them apart only to never get them back together correctly, back together sure but they never were quite right.
Gene
 
Jake, that add and comparison shots were a really great start to my morning. As for the Barlow, I do not mind adds on slippies, I think that it makes them look pretty good 9 times out of 10. I appreciate you digging around the 'net for a photo of one!

Stitch, I remember when you posted that Imperial a while back; it is a cool little guy! The sheepsfoot blade makes me grin every time I see it :D

IvanKerly, I honestly do not think that I will be doing any sort of modification in the near future regarding blades swaps for just that reason. If at all, I would only ever try something like that with knives that are both for parts/repair of the same model. Fiddling around with SAK's and modifying tools to fit was frustrating enough for me :o
 
if you could find, say a trapper style (dunno if its doable in the size you need) where the secondary is rather long, that would give you enough material to grind on, thickness might be an issue here though as the blade is ground thinner than a screwdriver on a TL 29
Just a thought
Gene

as an aside i have a beatup BSA Knife i may try taking apart to see for myself just how much of a pain it can be, should set me straight on ever doing it again:D
 
IVANKERLEY said:
if you could find, say a trapper style (dunno if its doable in the size you need) where the secondary is rather long, that would give you enough material to grind on, thickness might be an issue here though as the blade is ground thinner than a screwdriver on a TL 29
Just a thought
Gene

as an aside i have a beatup BSA Knife i may try taking apart to see for myself just how much of a pain it can be, should set me straight on ever doing it again:D
Click to expand...

Very true, but the hollow grind (on mine) would be too thin, IMO, to do such a thing. Besides, my trapper is too big anyway...that's why I don't carry it very often! I like your thinking though...hmmm....dang it IvanKerly, you have me thinking again! And we all know how that ends!

Good luck on the scout knife if you ever end up taking it apart; I hope you don't have too much trouble! I love taking things apart and playing with them, it's just the pins that I despise the most about taking apart or rebuilding any knife...blah, I despise the pins, it's a good thing that I can pay someone else to do it!!
 
DeadFall27 said:
Very true, but the hollow grind (on mine) would be too thin, IMO, to do such a thing. Besides, my trapper is too big anyway...that's why I don't carry it very often! I like your thinking though...hmmm....dang it IvanKerly, you have me thinking again! And we all know how that ends!

Good luck on the scout knife if you ever end up taking it apart; I hope you don't have too much trouble! I love taking things apart and playing with them, it's just the pins that I despise the most about taking apart or rebuilding any knife...blah, I despise the pins, it's a good thing that I can pay someone else to do it!!
Click to expand...

yeah its an ulster, i'm fairly sure its got the swinden key bolster like schrades had. which the only way ive read to tighten up the knife is to get it apart remove the swinden then do a standard pin, etc.
dunno if i got it in me to try, but hittin it with a mallet aint helped:D
gene
 
IVANKERLEY said:
yeah its an ulster, i'm fairly sure its got the swinden key bolster like schrades had. which the only way ive read to tighten up the knife is to get it apart remove the swinden then do a standard pin, etc.
dunno if i got it in me to try, but hittin it with a mallet aint helped:D
gene
Click to expand...

If it has a swinden key bolster, I'd go for it! From a link in a thread thread I saw, deconstructing them is very simple; the poster used a razor blade and a mallet to seperate the knife into two parts. It was very neat!

Does anyone know how one can tell if a knife has a swinden key bolster by just looking at one?
 
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