switchblade rescale

[milian]

i have a frosolone style stiletto made for the campolins i believe by renzo pascotto that is coming aoon to me, and the handle scales are abalone which i am not a fan of, so my question is how hard of a job is it to put new material on the handles? i would like to attempt it myself, i have some nice ebony wood, are there any important tips i meed to know? i have made a few knife handles before, but not on a switchblade, i have a dremmel with lots of attachments. any tips would be helpful, thanks

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Hopefully, Bill DeShivs will post soon

 

[Bill DeShivs]

A Renzo Pascotto knife with abalone handles is a top-tier knife. Changing to ebony will devalue it-even if a pro does it.
That said, you can do it with a saw, files, a Dremel, and sandpaper.

Removing the pins will be your first hurdle. Routing for the button assembly is straightforward. Cutting the button hole might be tricky. It has to be relieved below the surface-especially toward the rear of the handle.

The safety slot is a pain to cut- but it can be done if you are very careful and very good with the separating discs. Once the handles are fitted, they must be drilled, sanded and polished before installation.

You will need the exact size brass pin stock to repin. Generally knives use a smaller size for the handle pins, and larger for the backspring pin. You have to be very careful when peening the pins-it's easy to crack the handles.

If you aren't sure you can do all of that, I suggest you sell the knife, and buy one to your liking.

 

[milian]

A Renzo Pascotto knife with abalone handles is a top-tier knife. Changing to ebony will devalue it-even if a pro does it.
That said, you can do it with a saw, files, a Dremel, and sandpaper.

Removing the pins will be your first hurdle. Routing for the button assembly is straightforward. Cutting the button hole might be tricky. It has to be relieved below the surface-especially toward the rear of the handle.

The safety slot is a pain to cut- but it can be done if you are very careful and very good with the separating discs. Once the handles are fitted, they must be drilled, sanded and polished before installation.

You will need the exact size brass pin stock to repin. Generally knives use a smaller size for the handle pins, and larger for the backspring pin. You have to be very careful when peening the pins-it's easy to crack the handles.

If you aren't sure you can do all of that, I suggest you sell the knife, and buy one to your liking.

maybe i will keep it for a trade, the frosolone is so hard to find, but thanks bill im going to use the tips on a frank b to practice