Hello I am in Australia but I have made 3. The last was about 1995.
They are very simple to make now that I have been makeing for a number of years at the time. I used all the wrong tools. I gave up after 3 because of the time it took.
Now I know better. A fellowby the name of Jim STEEL Has made a couple in the last year. He was the guild president for some time and does a great job.
If you want to buy one new from him it would be expensive compared to a ebay version. If you just want to see how it works look for one with a worn out blade and put a new blade in it. They normally go for a lower price.
You will see the originals made the end caps by joining sheet metal with a seem. I made mine buy using some home made punches and dies. I started wirh a flat square of sheet mettal and punched it into a cap. Lots of tapping out wrinkles. I would need to show you , but thats not going to happen with me over here. SO trial and error or just go the original way and cut the strips and roll them around into a collar for one end and silver solder or oxy weld a flat onto the other end.
I used some ater pipe for the die, ground the head of a large bolt for the punch took about 4 hours for each cap after I stopped ripping the ends out with the punch. The process is punch a bit tap the wrinkles punch a bit tap out the wrinkles. The caps did not come out with the same look the seem way will be more authentic.
AT the time I had a machanical hand drill a couple of files a lump of railway track for the base to hit my punch and die on. I made a very small pair of chisels out of 3/16 wire and chiseled and files out the inside. That is the hard way.
Drill a 3/16 hole down the center of the handle and use a keyhole saw to get rid of most on the wood. It will cut you time right down.
Hope that helps the re blading is probably a good idea. The other major problem I had was getting the pivot hole in the center if you are half a mill out it will not line up while both open and closed. And if you don't drill the pivot hole perpendicular the blade will not turn all the way through.
