Working on SS scales

S

sc_rebel1957

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Aug 19, 2002
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After doing the Cricket in MOP I'm working on some other SS Spydies now adding scales made of various natural and man made materials, it increases the grip alot and solves the problem of the scales getting scratched.
Doing A SS Dragonfly now in stag, I'll post pics when finished. Ron
 
Working on those is fun, isn't it... :)

I have no stainless Spydies (except my trusty Police) in the house anymore, so I have nothing to play with. Making fixed blades again, slightly boring but a lot more flexible, creativity-wise...

Just finished a damascus knife with deer horn handle. My first knife with horn (used to be a deer crown, but I cut that off), and so far I like it. Making a really pretty sheath for it now... :)
 
Hi Vess, my friend, have you ever tried using a torch on antler scales?
I vary the amount of heat I use in different spots to give it a more natural look, it adds something to drab pale whitetail antler with the contrasting colors, it also stays on after the final polish stage.
Maybe you already know this old trick, but I love sharing info back and forth.
I've learned most of what I know from watching other makers and listening to clients suggestions.
:) Ron
EDITED FOR SPELLING after a few sips of Crown Royal :rolleyes:
 
Yes, I think I heard about using peroxide to darken horn, but I wasn't sure about the heat. Not enough data about this online. But I do have a small chunk that I cut off, so I can practice on that.

Unfortunately my piece of horn, which used to be a crown, was extremely ugly on the crown end, so I just cut it off completely and put a few layers of spacers and a buttcap instead. Plus, this piece has no real relief, it's mostly smooth, without a lot of peaks and ridges. But I'll definitely try darkening it up a bit, and then polishing off all the parts that stick out to shiny white.

So far I only did wood, but I actually like horn/antlers. Too bad I can't buy the stuff locally, or see what it is I'm buying if I do it online. This piece I ordered "blind", seller chose a piece and mailed it with some other knifemaking supplies, so I had no say on shape, size, etc. But from what I've seen so far, horn gives a much more sturdier feel to the knife than the wooden handles, which are usually much lighter and feel less "solid"...

I'll probably start combining wood and horn on some handles, using exotic burls as spacers or inserts. Could be fun... :)
 
Ron,

Ya know, I never did get the pocket clip of my Police model changed over to the "left-side" (I'm a lefty), so maybe I'll try putting some G-10 scales over the stainless scales, and bolting the pocket clip to the "correct" G-10 scale before I glue it on...Think that'd work?
 
Dann G-10 scales on your Police will look great, would be very easy to do and there's a wide range of colors to choose from.
That would be a project you could do with simple hand tools also, G-10 is very easy to work with, just remember to wear a good mask when sanding or cutting it.
If it were me I'd go with longer clip screws that would tap into the SS for a better hold.
I have seen tons of folders work just fine using only the G-10 drilled and tappped, a trick I have used was to use a size smaller tap than the screw size and loctite the hell outta the screrws.
Vess, Jantz supply carries a wide selection of handle material I'm kinda POed at em right now because of a mix up with the UPS.
As you all know UPS won't accept cash now under any circumstances and this delivery was marked bank M/O only when in the past I've paid by a personal check many times, and I haven't had a bounced check in 19 yrs :mad: . Ron
 
Yeah, I've been on their site, even almost ordered from them once, but in the end went with Knife & Gun Supplies instead. On Jantz website it really bugged me that sometimes pics show, and sometimes they don't, so I never could determine if the product was right for me. Ah, well... :)

About G-10 as handle scales: how thick are they usually? I've been thinking about making something Chinook-like out of my SS Police. I was thinking about adding the screws to hold in like on the Military, and then inserting a "dummy" pivot pin into the G-10 scale (but not touching the original pivot, just for the looks), and I also wanted to add a lanyard hole. And finally, I was thinking of using green G-10, not black.

One thing I noticed about my G-10 Military, is that under pressure the scales loose their grippy texture and go flat. Wonder if I can stamp G-10 like leather using something real heavy. Could be a fun project to do...

Soooo, what's a good place to order green G-10 where they won't ship it by UPS? :)
 
Originally posted by Vess
...About G-10 as handle scales: how thick are they usually? I've been thinking about making something Chinook-like out of my SS Police. I was thinking about adding the screws to hold in like on the Military...
Click to expand...
Copy cat, copy cat...:D.

I'll soon have a couple pieces of .25 thick black G-10 on the way to me from Oregon (as a gift), and rather than hassling with screws, I'm going to glue the G-10 to my stainless Police model, using some 2-ton glue. I plan on deeply rounding the edges of the G-10 (to reduce the edge thickness), and am only going to fit it to the inside bevel-line of the stainless scales in-order to prevent any chance of the G-10 "hanging over the edge" and catching on anything. Now I need to find a couple small screws (with bolts) to attach the pocket-clip to the G-10 with...

(Edited, 'cause I just realized that I can't spell very well.:D).
 
Well, I thought about it some more, and I am still leery of using anything with fiberglass in it. Woods are just so much more user-friendly... :)
 
Dann .25 is a great thickness to do this in, 1 idea that popped into my head when I read your last reply ws thinking about the threaded rings that are used on B/M AFCK scales. (the 1s that you pass the spacer screws through) if you can get 3 of those from W/R @ B/M ask Angie, place them on the inside of your G-10 scales I bet you could use your original clip screws.
You would have to recess them from the inside but I don't think that would be a big deal to do.
A trick I've used to get the size of the scale correct taking the edge bevel into account is to use dark construction paper and smear the SS scale with some form of marker (I've used vasoline OR a finger print pad) and press it down on the dark paper, it leaves an impression of the correct size, from there you can cut it out and make a master pattern for both sides.
Good luck and we wanna see pics when you finish it. Ron
 
:o And I've been doing this wrong all this time!

When I make scales for a Spydie, I usually attach the rectangular scale to the knife, and then cut it down to the basic shape and only then sand it down to exact size by hand. The upside is a perfect fit, and the downside is having to polish the scratches out of the metal spine on the knife...

I'll have to try making a scale separately if it works for you guys. I tried it with a Delica once, but didn't like the accuracy of the fit. Maybe it's time to try it again, it's been a while... :)
 
Vess,try it with that buffalo horn I sent with the Cricket.You should be able to get 2 for a delica out of it and its easy to work with.
 
Now all I need is an SS Delica... ;)

The Cricket and the horn are still not here, but with the whole Blackout-2003 mess the mail even within the province is not moving much, so it might still be a while... :(

But I must admit going back to the "stone age" for a day was pretty fun. Had to eat everything in the fridge, stayed up all night stuffing myself... More fun than I had in years... :D
 
I figure it will be a few more days at least.Ussally takes about 10 days.
 
Originally posted by Vess
:o And I've been doing this wrong all this time!

When I make scales for a Spydie, I usually attach the rectangular scale to the knife, and then cut it down to the basic shape and only then sand it down to exact size by hand. The upside is a perfect fit, and the downside is having to polish the scratches out of the metal spine on the knife...

I'll have to try making a scale separately if it works for you guys. I tried it with a Delica once, but didn't like the accuracy of the fit. Maybe it's time to try it again, it's been a while... :)
Click to expand...
Vess...I thought about trying it your way; Getting the rough shape, then gluing it to the scales for final fitting, but then I don't want to deal with getting the scratches out of the steel, and with the mess inside the knife, and a possible gritty pivot.
 
Originally posted by sc_rebel1957
Dann .25 is a great thickness to do this in, 1 idea that popped into my head when I read your last reply ws thinking about the threaded rings that are used on B/M AFCK scales. (the 1s that you pass the spacer screws through) if you can get 3 of those from W/R @ B/M ask Angie, place them on the inside of your G-10 scales I bet you could use your original clip screws. You would have to recess them from the inside but I don't think that would be a big deal to do...Ron
Click to expand...
Due to the thickness of the G-10 scales (that's about 1/2 an inch right there!), and of the knife itself, I'm thinking about leaving the pocket clip off and carrying the Police model in a belt-sheath...That way, I can carry the Police on either side, and tip-up or tip-down as I want.
 
Has anyone tried using screws instead of, or with epoxy on the scales? For those that have, any pics? Is a step drill bit all that's needed for this? Also, has anyone had any problems with scales falling off? Using screws sounds more secure to me (you guys have got me thinking about a project, although it'll probably be a good ways off at this point) and also better looking with certain materials. Any other thoughts on the matter? Thanks for the help.
 
Why bother with all that drill & tap stuff (at LEAST 4 for each scale) when a little 2-ton Devcon glue will do the job just as well, and if done right, will not leave ANY gaps between the (G-10 slabs) and the stainless scales?
 
Epoxy even by itself is good. When I was starting out, I glued scales to the blade of one of my old kitchen knives, and then tossed it against brick walls, dropped it on cement floor from about 2m, and did my best to "accidentally" pop the scale off. Well, the scales stayed on, even when the tip of the knife was gone, and scaler were all banged up from hitting sharp corners. Since I don't think any sane person will try doing THAT to a cherished customized Spydie, I think epoxy by itself will do fine.

However, I think I'll try to do it with screws sometime, just for the looks of it. I really like the look of the rivets on the old G-10 Police, so I was hoping to do that sometime. Oh, and a lanyard hole with a thong tube too. Want that too.

I just need to find a place to buy green G-10. I'll settle for black G-10 too, but olive drab or green would be better... :)

Oh, and yes, scratches on the metal are the bane of my existance. I mean, once I mirror-polish the metal handle when I am finishing up it looks real nice, and small hairline scratches sometimes even help the look, adding character. But sometimes I want a flawless metal back, and that takes effort.

Sheaths work. They work well. I've been carrying a Millie in a moulded pouch with a flap, and a metal clip on the back, and it's just great.
 
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