Sunday, July 12, 2009

Jon's Emerson Horesman HD


Update: Be sure to click refresh once the page loads because sometimes new posts do not load up until you do that manually. On this folder shown here, I've loaded some new pictures after hearing back from the owner of this fine folder and addressing the pocket clip question I had which is solved nicely by bead blasting it. Then I corrected the overhang and reblasted the slab and since I unfortunately did end up having to modify the non lock side liner to make this all go together as smoothly as possible I bead blasted that to match the new slab lock and pocket clip in effort to prepare this one for shipment home this morning. Its now completed.




Seen here is an Emerson Horseman combo edge that I have rebuilt the lock side on. Its now a beef cake frame lock folder compared to the thin liner lock folder it was from the factory. The new slab lock sides like you see done here and by other guys building them similarly to convert them from the original thinner liner locks steps these folders up so much more than a mere notch it ain't funny! From all indications this is nothing other than a mini CQC8 true hard use folder now which is why I used the HD after the listing (heavy duty) and what a sweet heart model! I find that I have really taken to this particular model from Emerson and see one in my future. I've always liked the 8 model but the size kept me from getting one. The general styling is quite nice on this model and the 8 and I really like the sleek lines.

As shown here the folder weighs in at a nice round 5 ounces. I still see a couple things I need to touch up on this one in some overhang in one spot so I'll be taking it apart one more time to fix that up and I want to check with the owner about the scratches on the clip to see if it was like this when it arrived here or if I did that. If I did it I'll swap it out with one of my models or perhaps he'll decide that I should just bead blast this one. Otherwise this guys ready to travel tomorrow.

Action is nice. It Waves out wonderfully and the lock up is like a bank vault. Sometimes first models of any of the folders I work on can bring surprises. This one was no exception. I learned a lot on this one and that will improve future models for anyone else and its a good thing because I have two more coming up right behind it. Thanks for looking.

STR


Friday, July 10, 2009

Nick's Emerson HD14 Conversion

Wow! Another in a super long line now of these CQC14s mailed to me to convert into as close an example of an HD folder by Emerson that I can muster. This one turned out right nice and is ready to ship back to its home.

This is another one done with no permanent modifications to it so it can be reverted back to factory condition if the owner so decides. Original liner, this one a purple anodized one tweaked a little by the owner and scale, and the original stop pin are in a separate baggy to ship home with it tomorrow morning when it heads out.

You may notice another upgrade the owner did to this model before I got it here and that shows quite well in the spine shot on the rear spacer with the glow in the dark inserts to give a personal touch. Thanks for looking.

STR




Wednesday, July 8, 2009

South Paw Frame Lock Conversion Emerson Mini A100


Update. Be sure to click on refresh once the page loads to be sure you are viewing the current postings. It sometimes does not show you the new posts or at least it has done this to me. I guess for most coming to visit here it goes without saying but for those that don't know, these Emersons most always come with the lock set up for a right handed person. Many lefties carry Emersons of course and just flip the clip, and quite a few don't even change it at all but being left handed myself for so many things in life you learn at an early age that you just have to put up with certain things in a right handed world. One of those things of course has been in folding knives and how they come from manufacturers. Some manufacturers offer a true lefty set up for a premium or by a special order and many south paws out there chose lockback style folders just for the ambidextrous nature of the use. This owner of the right handed Mini A100 decided to go a different route and contacted me.

What I've done here is take the folder apart. Then I reground a new contact on the blade angled for a true lefty. As a result I had to custom make the lock side washer so it would work with the new lock, which also had to be cut longer than a stock lock from the factory. Things got a bit tight there near that washer/pivot area with the 3/8" recess that has to be engineered into the design for the pivot barrel but I pulled it off flawlessly. You can see just how close it has to be to be spot on and still work in the picture coming up next showing the folder closed on the pocket clip side. Just click the picture and once it zooms to full size look to the left of the non screw side of the black pivot barrel. Thats some tight tolerance there to get this one right. I must admit I thought for a bit there that I was going to run into a problem in that spot. Fortunately it worked out.

Also requested by the owner of this folder was a titanium back spacer with some jimping, and a glass breaker/flat head screwdriver combo built into it. I was a bit nervous on this part too since I had never done anything like this before. I've incorporated that best I could and feel it will certainly do the job. The screwdriver will work quite well in all his other Emerson pivots also. So that should be good for all but this one anyway. I wish I could have refined that a bit more to make it better looking but I must admit I was shooting from the hip with that particular part. Anyway, its all done now.

Final weight on this folder shown here in a bead blasted finish on .110 slab side construction for the lock side and non lock side of 6Al-4V titanium is 3.2 ounces. Also done is my replacement stop pin using a screw type hardened barrel construction. It all went together quite well. You may also notice no thinned down lock cut to spring the lock. I've always called my locks a 'he man's lock' because they are made to be tough, strong and reliable. Most of you that know me know I have always hated the way so many otherwise massive and impressive frame locks in the industry are wimped out terribly in this one spot to bend the lock. Those really thin ones just always bugged the crap out of me, almost as much as makers going to so much work and trouble to built a flawless artistic folder from scratch spending countless hours on it only to slap a generic $3 pocket clip on it that takes away from the whole and doesn't even look like it goes there! Arrrgh! Don't get me started.

Back to topic. :-) This one has a lock cut but I didn't bring it all the way down to the bottom or go in all that deep really. Its does go in to about .095 total thickness for 3/4 of the width of the lock and then I left it solid across the bottom so I didn't even have to interfere with the jimping for some better grip. As a result I feel this maximizes the potential of this little giant .110 ti slab side folder shown here. Oh, and if you are thinking something like, 'yeah but I bet the lock is super hard to work', well think again. I believe you'd be surprised just how easy it is to manage. Go over to my forum and ask one of the guys carrying one done like this and see if you hear a complaint. I still contend that there is no reason for a maker to take the lock cuts so thin. My other contention is that most folks that chose a 'hard use folder' for their carry knife should expect a hard use lock and so what if its a bit stiffer but the truth is my lock is the result of several years of experimentation and testing getting it to where it is now. I think I've found something that is working and working quite well. My own EDC (the orange RIL folder shown in older posts below) is one done in .095 thickness slabs and it has no lock cut whatsoever. Well, enough rambling on that.

You can see the baggy full of the original parts in some of these pictures although none of those will ever work for this folder again now that I've permanently modified the blade. Perhaps the owner can donate these or sell them to someone wanting extra parts for their mini or keep them for himself in the event he gets another one down the road. I did something on this folder I've only done a couple of times and that is I told the owner that should he ever decide to sell this or trade it off that I would like first refusal on it. Its one that turned out quite well and surprised me for the way I took to it. Its kind of funny really, because at first when this little folder arrived I thought it was fugly ugly! :-) Its one of those that just grows on you though.

Thanks for stopping by. Comments welcome.
STR





Friday, June 26, 2009

Emerson CQC8 Frame Lock Conversion


This one just up. I also did a CQC13 frame lock conversion for this same customer but forgot to take digitals before shipping that one off this week. This folder here got delayed a bit due to some difficulties I had with my tap matic breaking off taps trying to thread this .160 thickness beast. I finally won out stubbornly and got it done though and it turned out sweet if I do say so myself. Nice balance on these 8s when they are converted. I really like the feel of this one. Actually, truth be told I like the feel of the stock versions of this one also. Its a 'sexy' model and the only fault I ever found with it was the size which is a bit large for me personally. The Horseman coming up here in a few that will be posted is a very appealing folder much the same in its lines as the 8 but smaller and I see one of those in my immediate future. :-)

Thanks for looking. Hopefully I'll get some pictures of the 13 to post here before too long if I can talk the customer into taking some shots of it for me. If so I'll post it also. I shipped both separate when this one hit a snag so I guess that threw me off.

By the way, if the screw there in the stop throws you I have gone over that and how its done by me in some detail below in the Waveless CQC14 conversion posted here on the next page. Simply scroll down to older posts and go to the next page to read more about how and why I have done this when asked by customers. Contrary to popular belief this is not my 'default' way of doing these. I still do them with the original pin also. In fact most have been done that way. Its just something folks kept bringing up with me so I came up with something to offer those asking about a solution for what they saw as an issue.

STR




Friday, June 12, 2009

Gritter's CQC14 frame lock conversion


Update. Be sure to click on refresh once the page loads. Sometimes it does not bring up the new posts automatically since your last visit so you have to kind of remind it to do so. Thanks



I did this one just the other day. Packed it up forgetting to take pictures of it.

Gritter contacted me here after seeing one of the other 14s I did for someone else. He took a lot of pictures and these are not all of them but the ones I liked a lot. He also did a review with his youtube account here and another slide show which he posted the link to in the comments. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1tJTki7DmA

Anyway, there are some great comparison shots of the thickness differences between what I am using on most of these (.160) vs the stock thickness most often seen in production folders (.125) which in these shots is the Emerson Comrade 12 model.

Thanks for looking and thanks to Gritter for the great pictures.

STR




Friday, June 5, 2009

Three BUSSTR folders ready for a new home



I managed to knock out all three of these today. I wasn't sure if I could get all four done this week for folks but somehow the nice weather gave me a second wind so I got after it big time today.

The two shown in the second picture lef and right top are black and tan G10 and red and black G10 models. The red one is a red linen BUSSTR about like one already posted earlier in the first run of these BUSSTR folders sporting the wonderful little Cobbler blades. All of the four made here lately turned out quite well.

These high carbon blades are some kind of awesome! I know I've said that over and over but they really are great users.

Anyway, the two G10 models are 3.3 ounces each and the red linen one here is 3 ounces even up.

I've got to say that the pictures here don't do the black and tan and black and red G10 justice. These look really cool in the hand almost sparkling from the glass pack in the way they were made. Its the first chance I've used it and put some anatomy on the handles to bring out the layering.

Thanks for looking folks

STR


Thursday, June 4, 2009

BUSSTR in black linen with thin Cobbler blade







This BUSSTR folder is yet another of more to follow from the second run of them using these thin Cobbler blades long discontinued from RagWeed forge. You can see the others throughout the first couple pages here as you scroll back in time. Its finished up and ready to go off to a new home.  

As shown this folder weighs in at 2.9 ounces but I'm sure it will be 3 ounces even with the clip mounted here soon. Like all the others this one is 4.5 " closed with a slightly over 3.125" blade. 

Thanks for looking. 
STR