Dale, I'll be looking at kits but I've also seen small sets (5-15) of slip joint knives on ebay that should provide practice knives.  I'd like to get a few of the same model to use the good parts from each to make good knives.  Well, usable anyway.  It'll probably take me two weeks to develop the skill to create works of art. :)  Ok, maybe three. lol

Here's a little scale job I did.  AND I MEAN LITTLE!  lol

Start:

I put the dots on it with a Dremel and hated it.

Finished with AZ ironwook scales

Oops, sorry.

This is a Spyderco bug.  I inclused a pic of it with a Spyderco Bradley Folder (previously called a Gayle Bradley) for some scale.

Nice job, Jack . Ironwood is some hard & pretty wood. The pattern resulting from the grain is sweet ..and.. if you drop it, the ironwood dents the floor. 

That is really a good job Steve.  Looks like a different knife.  Excellent.

Jack

Nice looking Ideal Knife Co. example Nice work. I have an Ideal from probably the same time period, yellow celluloid scales. Mine is a single blade and it has a chisel grind. (one side only) It's very sharp as a result. I made a large bowie with a chisel grind, It digs into a limbs and saplings one way and tends to lift out the other way. Like some antiques axes for removing bark or close work where you don't want a glancing blow to get you.

Steve,

Looks good!

How did you go about removing the rust?

@STEVE... the blades look good on that ... i would have ued brasso .... i love brasso always have... and i use a series of papers... but i stay on thehigh end.. 600 at firt,thn 1000,1500,3000,5000 then either hand towel or buff out a little.

ANYBODY -REN WAX-?? and if so do you use it on all materials even sheaths??

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-chisel-ground-blade.htm

hey steve..i never studied brasso and knife cleaning and any after effect so heads up?... but it has alway s worked for me...

what you want to look out for is what i call leaching. this is where when you use brasso or something similar and it leaks into the material on the handle...normally wood.. TUNRS WHITE..after years it builds in cracks and looks bad.{ i have even used BRASSO to get scratches off DVD's..{learned it online,it WORKS!} 

..and just like this acticle im posting a link to is about using and removing  the brasso from what you have cleaned.

my own use tips are-

1.a bottle of brasso can go a long way!!..dont over use what you have. a bottle can last and last!!

2.if working around materials like wood...and your not taking knife apart.TAPE up the knife on all the parts you wont be cleaning with the brasso.on all of the knife that YOU DONT WANT BRASSO to get on cover in tape!

LINK- http://www.ehow.com/how_6453762_remove-brasso.html

the rest of the things in this article are great for using brasso.

IF ANYONE KNOWS OR HAS HEARD OF ISSUES WITH USING BRASSO ON KNIVES PLEASE TELL US! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I am thinking of modding my Kershaw JYD2. I want to install Titanium liners. I have the 6AL 4V Ti plate and I have the equipment to machine it. Just have to find the time.

Clipped off a piece Titanium Plate and drew the liner pattern for a the JYD2 & a Schrade LB7.

That should be sweet, Brad! Do you have a CNC machine to do something fancy on those handles? I'm presuming you do?

Ron,

These are liners for the knives noted. I do have access to a CNC machine for everything.

What are you planning to use for the scales?

I am having a hard time drilling out the pins in some slip joints.  The drill bit keeps breaking.  What is the best way to remove the pivot pins, backspring pin, and handle slab pins?

And what are the best drill bits to use?

Vance,

I use a center drill because it is sturdy and will not drift. I go just deep enough to clean out the peened pin then press it through. You can follow my step by step process on a balisong, Hope this helps. http://www.iknifecollector.com/photo/albums/how-to-repin-a-balisong

Thanks for the reply.  I will get me some center drills. I just finished the handle repair.  Instead of drilling out the pins, iI cut off the scale pins and sanded the backspring pin to where it would fit through a hole.  I was able to get the new slabs on but I have a couple of questions.  My biggest problem was that the epoxy did not hold in the middle of one of the slabs.  Did I not put enough epoxy on?  The epoxy I am using is several years old, is there a shelf life?  Secondly, what is the best way to cut out the hole for the shield inlay? I kind of eye-balled it and made it too big.  I am happy with the way the red bone jigged scales from Culpepper turned out.  I ended up drilling the handle pins all the way through, then cutting off the pins on the inside with the dremel and filed them down.  Is there an easier way to pin the slabs on without taking the knife apart, or do most people take the knife completely apart?  

HEY- first of hope all is well!!!

TO ANSWER your question - about drilling out the pins. i have taken apart knives only to restore them and im far from a professional and still will send them out when i want the knife done very well. so this might be a crude way of doing it but it works very well fpor me.... plus in HOW TO BOOKS-by some of the great makers - i have seen the RAZOR method work ... and it works very easy.

1.align razor {yes like a gillette razor ,just the blade of course. i have a home made razor mount that i use so you can easily swap out the razors.. and packs and packs of old razors from ebay cost less the drill buits{remember boken drill bits make excellent pins themselves-dont waste them!} ...so first off you want to make sure the razor blade is not going anywhere.so lock it down good somwhere sharpened edge facing UP!.. i have seen some just place razor between the liner and spring and with just a few taps sperate enitre knife but the razor blade goes flying ...lol..not good...

as well as i have seen folks use HAND HELD razors for opening boxes-this can work sometimes pretty well as you just tap on the back of the BOX-CUTTER..

now i would just take the knife ,slip the edge of the raozr between the liners and whatever else you want to seperate and just tap your way though. the razor will cut the pins on the way down...y0u will of course know when you hit another pins. you will need to tap a litlle harder but through the entire process you want to tap slowly ..even when you hit the pins..the razor blade will after a few taps cut the pin and continue down the liner.

2. after you tap the knife down the raozrs edge all the way-and you do it through the rest of the knife the knife will almost just fall apart.the bolsters will still be on the liners.if you need to take the bolsters off-{small other lesson for that.}

3.just use a TAP to knock out the rest of the pieces of pins.{i have never had to drill out a pin dues to the fact that their are only small pieces of pin material left after doing it this way.} some will tap at once.some may get stubborn...you may need to file it a little ... their are so many tricks to restoring knives.. i dont have much time now and im just getting back into taking some CELLULOID knnives apart {that i can handle} and others im sending out.

i have one question. this is just me and the hafting job looks good- but i see that the bone is jigged from end to end. when using bone i always go with leaving the jig from bolster to bolster.. was their a reason you didnt...just a prefernce?..just wondering thats all. reagrdless keep it up...restoring knives is another entire part of the hobby that i love. also can save ya tons of money!!...when i was restroing i bought mostly junkers and eventually you will have parts that you can mix and match.. alsywas good if your gonna really get into retsoring as a hobby to mark with a sharpie on any exces pieces/if you make single blade jack knife out of a TL-29..which makes a great jack!..you might wanna mark on the screwdriver blade .which knife and mayybe which year it came out of -so later down the road if you need to repair a TL-29 that needs a screwdriver blade you all set!...i still have a baggy of just all liners...LOL!

KEEP UP THE AWESOME WORK VANCE!!

Thanks for the reply Peter.  The razor method sounds awesome.  I can't wait to try it on another jack knife that I have.  To answer your question about the jigging, I tried to get the joint between the bone and the bolster to be where you couldn't feel it.  I was using a large diameter wheel on the grinder.  I though it would also clean up the pin.   I don't know.  This is the first time I have tried to repair a pocket knife.    I appreciate all of the advice.  I need all I can get.   Thanks.

Thoughts on this one?

http://www.iknifecollector.com/forum/topics/to-refinish-or-not-to-r...

Received this from Premium knife supply. 440C Guthook skinner, hardened, tempered and sharpened ready for a handle. Why didn't I think of this 2 years ago.

Because you have a whole shop out there you thought would come in handy ?  LOL!

I am glad your liking working with them Brad!  I like what your doing with them

Oops, I forgot to type words. :)

Spyderco Dragonfly 2 handle with ironwood scales and birch backspacer. I think I'll carry this for a while. It works really well.  Perfectly in fact. Even if a knife looks nice I hate carrying it if it has a performance problem.  This one opens/closes great.  Lockup is solid and when it closes it has a lot of pop to it and more than enough springiness holding it closed.

Jack

Jack

Donnie's newest project.  He will make a pattern of this before putting it back together.  This is actually the only celluloid we ever had gas off, may as well put some new handles on it since we caught it early

Jack,

That ironwood is beautiful!  Great Job!

The rebuild on the Barndoor is complete.  Blond Buffalo seemed the right choice

Jan, A beauty of a knife! Great choice of handle materials!!!

Thanks Bob I am pretty proud of him.  This is the first one he has taken apart and put back together.  

He should be proud also. It's hard to believe that was first. Fantastic!

Kudos, Donnie! Nice job on the pins ~ Overall it looks great!

Really beautiful.  Great work.

Nice scale material .. amazing first project .. major kudos to Donnie !!!!

anyone have projects in the works?

New life for an old Kinfolks!!

http://www.iknifecollector.com/forum/topics/kinfolk-knife

I dug out this old corn knife that I found quite a few years ago and thought I might try to clean it up and re-handle. I think it will make a great display. It will be awhile before I get to start this project though. Anyone else collect harvest style knives?

   I just acquired a 4 line Camillus sunfish from an Ebay seller.  It was an advertizing  handled in clear celluloid, with a paper backing.  Barely readable, it advertized Star Brand Seeds.  The cell was gassing out. and was causing oxidation and rust damage to the double pull master blade, back spring, and one bolster which are steel.  The blades have never been used or sharpened, and look very nice.  I immediately removed the handles to avoid further damage.  I bought the knife for the purpose of re-handling it.  I have never taken a folder apart, but have seen it done on YouTube.  I have ordered nice stage scale material for this.  The steel bolsters are thinner than I would like for a stag handled sunfish, and I really prefer nickel silver.  I've ordered pin material from Jantz, but I'm thinking about getting nickel silver bar stock to make thicker bolsters.  Now that all of you know my intentions, I want to get as much advice as I can before doing the work.  I have a bunch of tools, being a retired home builder and remodel contractor.  I've also built a lot of furniture and cabinets.  I even built a nice flame maple 5 string banjo neck for a 90 year old banjo that originally had a 4 string neck.  However, I need help on finding or making more of the tools necessary for folding knife repair.  I would like to get my hands on one of those little stepped anvils, or stiddys.  Also, do folks buy those slackners, or does everybody make them?  If they are hand made, what material is used, and in what thickness?  What kind of knife makes the best shearing knife?  Any advice about peening hammers?  The stag scales I'm getting are really for fixed blades, and are too thick for a sunfish.  Do folks use a band saw to cut them to the proper thickness?  If so, how do you then make them perfectly flat on the side toward the liners?  I cold use some sdvise on cutting the scales to perfectly fit between the bolsters.  In general, I'm just fishing for any and all tips, tricks, and sage advice I can get about doing a project like this, from all of you experts out there.  I'm as confident as I can be about my own skills, having done fine close work on furniture, banjo necks with pearl inlays, etc..  I think being a life long musician has always helped me be a better craftsman.  I just need more specific help in the field of knife repair, having never been around anyone who dose this work.  I've always learned quickly and well by watching and listening, and then doing.  I also have a smaller, cheaper jackknife i could re-handle first for practice if that would be advisable.  So if anyone has advice or comments about the work, or where to find tools, how to make them, and from what materials, or how to use them, Please just let 'em fly.  I'm looking for all the help I can get.  Thanks for having the patience to read this, and I hope to see many responses to my rambling bushel basket of questions.                

   I've always wondered why pocket knives were never handled in briarwood.  Briar is used to make tobacco pipes because of it's toughness, and its crack resistance.  A pipe stem is wedged very tightly into the rather thin extension of the briarwood bowl without cracking it.  Briarwood used in pipe making is a burled block of the root of briar, taken from under the ground.  It is then boiled and dried for as long as 27 years in some cases.  I bought a couple of these briar blocks for the purpose of trying it for knife re-handling.  The briar blocks I bought are Algerian briar, and the type of block I got are called plateaux.  They have the rough surface or the briarwood burl (the skin).  I thought the result would be a look similar to genuine stag.  I've always admired the look of briar tobacco pipes with this natural gnarled surface.  I also watched a YouTube video showing how briar pipes are finished, using special cotton buffs combined with rouge at first, then carnauba wax.  I also bought the buffs and wax.  I already have the right polishing compound.  I can't see any reason that briarwood would not make an excellent knife handle material.  Any ideas or comments?

Hi, heres a project Im working on, its a well worn Imperial that has had a bad set of grips put on it many years ago, the blade has been sharpened many times but seems to have been well used and loved, now I plan to put new scales on it and a new guard. Brass for the guard and black walnut for the scales. here is the before pic.

Pulled apart.

Mike,

I think in 40 years I have seen 1 maybe 2 done in a briar.  I have to agree it is magnificent wood and should work well. I am still looking through the contacts to see if a stiddy can be located.  Gotta tell ya guys if someone can make these things, it would probably pay off

Michael,

That is quite a nice project!  I love it when a knife gets a new life!

Michael, I have some of those tools you're looking for, including 2 stiddys, one is homemade from a short piece of railroad track and one is machined to a drawing given to the machinist. I have punches, peening hammers, etc. I acquired these to begin knife repair like you a few years back, but took on a second job as a pastor, so don't have time to pursue the hobby. Would be glad to send pics of the tools I have for sale. Would love to see them go to someone who could put them to good use. 937 205 2603

New brass guard made, scales cut getting closer.

Scales pins fitted.