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Scale replacement of a factory pinned knife.

My Sweetheart asked me for a knife .. made my day !!!

Specifically .. she wanted a Doctor's Knife .. for the inherent pillbuster feature.

I showed her the ones I have .. a Kinsfolk (by Queen for Case) .. a couple Queen std # 96 .. a Case Baby Doc ..&.. the 2 A.G. Russell Small Doctor's knives. The A.G. Russell came out on top with the Case Baby Doc a close second.

However, she has a preference for natural wood scales. Which .. it turns out .. is not readily available in a small Doctor's Knife. There do exist some ..but.. an extremely limited selection .. at best. I and a couple members here (Thank you , Jan & Doug) verified this. SO0oo .. I decided to simply buy one with bone scales & replace the scales with Mahogany. Hence .. this project.

My wife chose a Remington R73 Mini Doctor's Knife as the starting point. Remington's knives are currently manufactured & private labeled for them by Bear & Son. She already has a Bear & Son Peanut as an EDC & is happy with the blade steel.

Also, the price vs quality is a deal.

I used a 0.125" end mill to remove the head of one side of the center backspring pin.

Which actually began forcing the pin out.

The pin (measured dia = 0.081”) was completely removed by using a 0.078” drill bit as a punch. The wooden mallet is one I constructed using the end of a little league baseball bat & a 0.750” dia wooden (oak) dowel.

This is the first time I've replaced the scales of a factory pinned knife. I've replaced scales before ..but.. always in a knife that used threaded fasteners & allowed complete disassembly of the knife. This will be a learning experience for me, i.e. FUN !!!

I'll document the process along the way by adding pics & comments as I progress.

Enjoy

D ale
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VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV ... end result ... VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

4 members like this

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Derek Wells on July 5, 2016 at 20:31

Really enjoying the whole step by step progress photos - thanks for posting ( got to make myself one of those little wood vise/press thingys look very hand for that sort of work.)

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 5, 2016 at 21:37

I used to use a small machinist vise ..but.. it was HEAVY. This is lighter duty ..but.. much handier for the purpose !! Actually .. absolutely wonderful for small projects like this.
@ under $12.oo .. it's been a worthwhile investment.

I've since added a # of additional hardwood inserts / spacers. Some of various thicknesses & some w/ mating 1/2 circle cut-outs of various diameters for holding round objects .. etc. Pretty versatile & much lighter than the all metal machinist vise I was using .. which now stays in the basement w/ the mill .. where it should.

Derek Wells said:

... ( got to make myself one of those little wood vise/press thingys look very hand for that sort of work.)

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 5, 2016 at 21:55

Derek .. if you fabricate it yourself .. I highly suggest pinning the corners with metal through rods. Mine has them .. only visible from the btm side. It adds considerable strength .. structural integrity !!

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 9, 2016 at 10:22

I've attained the laborious stage of hand sanding. To minimize this stage .. I milled as much of the scale material away as was safely / wisely possible. Now .. it's hand sanding to finish the project.

I am currently still “roughing it out” using a 400 grit diamond whetstone. While a wonderful tool .. it is only 0.042” thick ..&.. therefore requires FLAT backing support. I am using a portion of a table leaf left over from a previous project. It consists of laminated wood surfaced with a formica type material. Most importantly .. it's rigid & flat.

I've found NONE of the pieces of the knife to lie in the same plane. This is not a flaw in the knife .. as it is common to all of my factory knives … Case, Queen, A.G. Russell, Chinese, Bear & Son, Kabar, Camillus, CRKT, Canal Street Cutlery, Schatt & Morgan (Queen), …, etc.

I will state .. the finish on Queen's Schatt & Morgan line is very good, followed by A.G. Russell, followed by my Chinese knives .. in that order. Note: That statement is based solely on my personal observation / evaluation of the knives I have in my possession.

I will eventually finish the knife out using a 2000 grit diamond whetstone for all the flat surfaces ..followed by.. 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper over the entirety of the knife ..as.. there will be some curved surfaces. First .. I'm striving to get all of the components to lie in the same plane .. using the 400 grit. And .. quite frankly .. my fingers are sore at the moment. I'll be continuing to work on the knife ..but.. not as tirelessly as I have to this point. Given the tedious nature of this stage .. it will stretch out for awhile.

Will post pics & comments as I progress.

Enjoy

D ale

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 9, 2016 at 11:20

well it is certainly beginning to look pretty fantastic! Has Ms Abby seen it at this stage yet?

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 9, 2016 at 12:21

Oh yes .. Ab's been involved from the initial purchase .. to the choice of wood .. to the shape of the "handle" .. through the entirety of the process.

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!!! .. It's her smile that keeps me motivated .. !!!

Jan Carter said: