I'm not a knife maker, though I am a riflesmith. Until recently I didn't consider myself a collector, though with more than 30 knives of varying quality I suppose I qualify.
I have a Smith and Wesson folder I picked up some time back inexpensively; out of the box I didn't care for it a bit and most importantly couldn't trust the liner lock. The 440 blade, however, keeps a nice edge and I like the overall feel and weight of the knife. With nothing to lose I dismantled it and made some modifications, stoning the mating surfaces of the blade and lock engagement, smoothing other areas, removing the tacky plastic commemorative-something side panels and applying carefully cut adhesive-backed 3M abrasive pieces to the aluminum handles.
The modifications worked well except for one glitch--the hex screw/sleeve that serves as the hinge for the blade (sorry I don't know the correct terminology--I'd call it the pivot point for the blade) is soft aluminum and in an effort to get it precisely tensioned I stripped the sockets and dug the holes a bit deeper when I torqued it down. I can't imagine why an aluminum piece was used here, since it seems like a point subject to considerable stress. Now I've weakened it more.
I'm looking for a hardened steel replacement for the tacky screw and its sleeve/nut, and wondered where to obtain generic parts. I can't imagine that individually-tooled screws are used for each knife; there must be general replacements? The only critical dimension is the outside diameter; if I get one the correct O.D. I can cut and file it to fit.
My stoning and smoothing of contact points worked great--it flips open very easily yet there's not a trace of wiggle when the blade is locked open. Best of all, the liner lock snaps into place nearly meeting the outside of the blade's base and is totally solid--even when I thumb it open using very slight pressure the engagement is rock solid. With Arkansas stones or fine emery cloth wrapped around a wood block, fine-tuning the locking mechanism is a piece of cake.
Yes, it was a cheap knife and maybe you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear, but after the tune-up it no longer feels cheap at all--it handles as well or better than my much more expensive Kershaw, SOG and Cold Steel folders (and I won't tear my hair out if I happen to lose it). It holds an edge pretty well and five minutes with a Lansky restores it to razor sharpness; my left forearm is nearly shaved bald, I have to find another way to test blades. It's all metal and for my use the 3.5 blade length and handle shape are close to ideal. All I need is a quality replacement for that crappy Allen screw, pivot, hinge or whatever the damn thing is actually called.
Thanks for any help you can offer this newbie knife enthusiast. For daily use a $100 folder I'm reluctant to use or carry on a job site for fear of damage or loss is kinda pointless, so it's fun finding that with a little elbow grease I can transform a decent mass-produced knife into something nicer. If the blade is acceptable, and S&W's Performance 440 seems like good steel, it's not so much the individual parts that seem make the difference (with the exception of a tacky screw, in my case), it's more the lack of hand fitting and careful assembly.
I have a Smith and Wesson folder I picked up some time back inexpensively; out of the box I didn't care for it a bit and most importantly couldn't trust the liner lock. The 440 blade, however, keeps a nice edge and I like the overall feel and weight of the knife. With nothing to lose I dismantled it and made some modifications, stoning the mating surfaces of the blade and lock engagement, smoothing other areas, removing the tacky plastic commemorative-something side panels and applying carefully cut adhesive-backed 3M abrasive pieces to the aluminum handles.
The modifications worked well except for one glitch--the hex screw/sleeve that serves as the hinge for the blade (sorry I don't know the correct terminology--I'd call it the pivot point for the blade) is soft aluminum and in an effort to get it precisely tensioned I stripped the sockets and dug the holes a bit deeper when I torqued it down. I can't imagine why an aluminum piece was used here, since it seems like a point subject to considerable stress. Now I've weakened it more.
I'm looking for a hardened steel replacement for the tacky screw and its sleeve/nut, and wondered where to obtain generic parts. I can't imagine that individually-tooled screws are used for each knife; there must be general replacements? The only critical dimension is the outside diameter; if I get one the correct O.D. I can cut and file it to fit.
My stoning and smoothing of contact points worked great--it flips open very easily yet there's not a trace of wiggle when the blade is locked open. Best of all, the liner lock snaps into place nearly meeting the outside of the blade's base and is totally solid--even when I thumb it open using very slight pressure the engagement is rock solid. With Arkansas stones or fine emery cloth wrapped around a wood block, fine-tuning the locking mechanism is a piece of cake.
Yes, it was a cheap knife and maybe you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear, but after the tune-up it no longer feels cheap at all--it handles as well or better than my much more expensive Kershaw, SOG and Cold Steel folders (and I won't tear my hair out if I happen to lose it). It holds an edge pretty well and five minutes with a Lansky restores it to razor sharpness; my left forearm is nearly shaved bald, I have to find another way to test blades. It's all metal and for my use the 3.5 blade length and handle shape are close to ideal. All I need is a quality replacement for that crappy Allen screw, pivot, hinge or whatever the damn thing is actually called.
Thanks for any help you can offer this newbie knife enthusiast. For daily use a $100 folder I'm reluctant to use or carry on a job site for fear of damage or loss is kinda pointless, so it's fun finding that with a little elbow grease I can transform a decent mass-produced knife into something nicer. If the blade is acceptable, and S&W's Performance 440 seems like good steel, it's not so much the individual parts that seem make the difference (with the exception of a tacky screw, in my case), it's more the lack of hand fitting and careful assembly.
