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Scale Replacement

I'm putting different scales on a lever-lock.

Thought I'd post some pics

This is the starting point.

Leg bone of an Elk .. purchased from Moscow Hide & Fur .. cut roughly in half .. then slit lengthwise .. for the above result. Note: About a quarter inch of material was removed from the center in the slitting process.

Initially purposely cut oversize.

Provide's an idea of where this is headed.

Old scales removed .. new ready to be fitted.

Exploded overview shot.

A scribe line loosely indicating how much of the frame will need removed is visible in the top frame half.

The holes are present @ the knuckle. One hole was carefully placed in one scale ..then.. the 2 scales were clamped together & the hole transferred to the second half. Initial holes were undersized .. leaving room for adjustment if necessary.

I desired the knuckle fastener centered within the knuckle. This hole placement was determined first ..THEN.. the scales were trimmed to length.

Loosely assembled to provide a visual on progress. It's beginning to take shape.

Need to determine hole placement for the 3 remaining scale fasteners.

The frame mounting point for the knuckle was tapped with # 4-40 threads. Fasteners with "fancy heads" will be implemented toward the end of the project. Ace's slotted head 4-40 X 1" suffice during development.

The three remaining holes were transferred

With the scale butted against the bolster & tightened in place with the one existing fastener .. threaded fasteners were inserted from the "inside" of the frame .. until contact was made with the bone. Everything was dis-assembled .. permanent marker was applied to the appropriate areas .. things were re-assembled & the process repeated. The hole transfer marks are evident.

The three remaining holes per scale have been implemented .. as has some of the machining required for the lever-lock mechanism.

.................... Sat 28 Sept ....................

I've progressed since posting last .. but .. hadn't any pics. This should bring me up to date.

The fitted parts have been once again disassembled .. this time .. for masking before the etching process. I used simple masking tape for the frame parts .. as can be seen here. I'm using nail polish for the blade .. haven't gotten there yet.

I used readily available ferric chloride. This is a VERY CAUSTIC acid. I'm not suggesting anyone else use this. Ketchup is safer & works fine ..albeit.. a little slower.

This is after being submerged & agitated in FeCl3 for 10 minutes. The masking has been removed ..from the back-spring assembly & one frame half .. for this pic.

An unadulterated new unit is pictured atop with the modified unit below. The lever of the leverlock mechanism has been profiled / contoured from it's original stamped shape & stands at ~ 90 deg to the frame in it's open position. The blade is NOT in the frame of the lower unit .. the finger nail polish is still hardening.

Another view .. original on the bottom this time. I beveled the frame @ the base / butt of the knife to better blend with the bone.

I do need to etch the visible spring of the leverlock mechanism. The bone .. that should be covering it .. became quite thin, fragile, & failed. I'll etch it & the head of the pivot pin when I do the blade.

Sun 29 Sept

Etched the blade.

I masked the areas I did not wish to be etched with fingernail polish .. inexpensive ($1/bottle) & opaque .. and baked it on with a hair dryer. I masked the bearing surface for the pivot pin, the locking surfaces mating with the sear pin, and the area confined within the frame.

The actual 1 of 1 etch resulted from removing the bulk of the masking .. hence my choice of opaque .. leaving only the 1 of 1 .

I placed my initials on the spine .. again .. by removing the bulk of the masking & leaving only the DAD . Clear nail polish works fine for general masking .. is simply more difficult to see what's removed down to clean metal & what isn't .. for the finer detail.

That's the current progress .. slow but sure.

I'm happy with the way it's turning out.

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Will post more progress pics .... when there's more progress.

D ale

Sun 09 Feb 2014

... here are the "as shipped" pics ...

Threaded fasteners .. Titanium Torx # 10 socket head @ knuckle, SS Torx # 6 socket head remaining three. Bearing surfaces polished .. sear pin, sear pin locking surface in blade, pivot pin, pivot hole in blade, contact surfaces of spring & blade, & all surfaces of the blade retained within frame. I introduced oilite washers between the frame & blade @ the pivot point. The best fit off the shelf size were 0.020" thick .. I recessed them 0.015" into their respective frames. Most exposed surfaces were etched for corrosion resistance .. i.e. missed the inside of the liners.

My daughter found the transformation pleasing .. I smiled .. end of story.

Thanks for viewing.

4 members like this

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jack Haskins, Jr. on August 18, 2013 at 12:07

Looking good. Eager to see the progress.

I had no idea why one end of the new scales was so large when comparing them to the original. It wasn't until the last two pictures I realized it was the joint. If you are going to leave them alone (except for finishing) I'm thinking that will be a really interesting handle. Can't wait to see more.

Jack

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on August 18, 2013 at 12:59

Jack .. I make these for my daughter .. she's an interest in bones .. anthropology major. As such .. retention of the natural bone's characteristics is a design priority. It also results in a surprisingly comfortable & ergonomic fit to the human hand.

The naturally bulbous portion of the knuckle joint helps secure the hatchet within one's grasp during use in a manner analogous to the end of a baseball bat.

The curved surfaces inherent in the bone leave no rough angles to fatigue the palm when the camp knife sees continuous use over an extended period of time.
The hatchet was first .. followed by the all purpose camp knife .. kinda / sort of got a family of them going @ this point. The hatchet .. being the first .. was the crudest. Improvements can bee seen with the second attempt .. the camp knife. An even higher skill level will be required here. Experience is a good teacher.

There's been some discussion around here lately about how to learn this kinda schtuff. Just jump in & do it .. knowing some destruction will occur .. chalk it off to learning .. 'n keep going !!!

Jack Haskins, Jr. said:

I had no idea why one end of the new scales was so large when comparing them to the original. It wasn't until the last two pictures I realized it was the joint. If you are going to leave them alone (except for finishing) I'm thinking that will be a really interesting handle.

Jack

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on August 18, 2013 at 13:06

Best advise I have heard

There's been some discussion around here lately about how to learn this kinda schtuff. Just jump in & do it .. knowing some destruction will occur .. chalk it off to learning .. 'n keep going !!!

Permalink Reply by Jack Haskins, Jr. on August 18, 2013 at 14:16

That is good advice Jan. However some of us neen a littl more help. Like how to hold our mouth. With out that info there's no telling what the handle will look like. lolJ

Jack

Jan Carter said:

Best advise I have heard

There's been some discussion around here lately about how to learn this kinda schtuff. Just jump in & do it .. knowing some destruction will occur .. chalk it off to learning .. 'n keep going !!!

Permalink Reply by Ron Cooper on August 18, 2013 at 14:18

Great work! Thanks for taking the time to show us mere mortals a step by step photo illustration of exactly how you Knife Gods work your magic.

As someone who is scared and reluctant to even adjust a pivot screw for fear of literally screwing something up. I am in absolute awe of someone, such as yourself, who would dare to disassemble, fabricate, and then reconstruct an entirely new and different knife. Amazing!

I do have a question, however. Will you be reshaping the liners, which reflect a swell center, to conform to the shape of the new bone handle that you are installing? Also, will the new scales be dyed or left natural?

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on August 18, 2013 at 15:41

Ron ............................ the liners will be modified to conform to the natural curvature of the bone. ... the scribe line resulting from superimposing the bone's resident curvature onto it's corresponding liner .. roughly defining a minimum of material to be removed ...

A black or dark grey would be OK .. as I intend to etch the frame & blade. However, I'm afraid the scales would warp if boiled or otherwise saturated with a fluid @ this stage. Also, I've zero experience dyeing bone & believe I'll save that lesson for another knife.

Permalink Reply by Ron Cooper on August 18, 2013 at 17:54

Thanks, D ale! I see the scribe line now.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Robert Burris on August 18, 2013 at 18:02

Great, info D ale.

Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on August 18, 2013 at 21:52

Incredible pictures and process Dale. You have way more patience than I do for that! But its really coming together well.

Permalink Reply by Daniel Howland on September 17, 2013 at 6:14

Dale,

No bones about it! That is different.

I love the step by step photos.

Looking forward to the finish!

Best always!

Permalink Reply by Daniel Howland on September 17, 2013 at 6:30

D ale said:

Ron ............................ the liners will be modified to conform to the natural curvature of the bone. ... the scribe line resulting from superimposing the bone's resident curvature onto it's corresponding liner .. roughly defining a minimum of material to be removed ...

A black or dark grey would be OK .. as I intend to etch the frame & blade. However, I'm afraid the scales would warp if boiled or otherwise saturated with a fluid @ this stage. Also, I've zero experience dyeing bone & believe I'll save that lesson for another knife.

I use potassium permanganate to dye my antlers. Might work on bone??

Video of process.