Kiridashi Frame lock

Take a Japan Woodworkers Kiridashi folder, a little scrap titanium, some left over Micarta and a little hardware along with some time and you just never know what you can come up with to update a good hammer forged blade into a better more modern user friendly handle format. The first one turned out so nice I ended up getting requests for more. The 64 Rockwell hardness Japanese White steel blades are quite sharp, lethal really but taping them off helped to keep them from biting me while working them down to fit the new bodies.

In the end they turned out so well that one can't help but be drawn to them. There is something about the primitive and the modern coming together I think. These are old jobs but its high time I stuck them up here for old time's sake if nothing else. Of the two different knives shown here, one has a stainless steel insert inlayed on the inside of the lock to make the contact for the blade. I did this as an experiment to see if it would work and I guess it did as that knife was built back in 2006. Today I own a Military M4 folder by Spyderco done like this with the insert installed in the lock. I passed this idea on to Sal years back for his compression lock trying to talk him into making more compression frame locks from titanium using inserts of hardened stainless for the lock contact. This would make lock adjustment repairs a snap by simply replacing a part.  I never heard back from him that I recall on this suggestion and I don't know that he listened to me or that I had anything to do with the M4 but when I saw it I did grab one because I recognized the idea immediately from when I presented this idea when I did it. The idea works and the lock becomes the best of both worlds after the insert. You get the wear and impact resistance of steel and the outer shell durability of the titanium and lighter weight to boot than if the whole knife was stainless steel. Anyway, the old posts from when I made this folder were recorded on my old forum on Knife Forums from start to finish and are probably still up over there if one wanted to do a search in the backyard mechanic section of their forums.

To get an idea of just what I've done here just look at the two knives in the very bottom picture. You can follow the progress via the pictures seeing it step by step by scrolling up from the bottom. The one on the left in that last picture is the Kiridashi folder as it ships from Japan Wood Worker. These two blades shown are right hand grind models. You can buy left hand grind blades too from Japan Woodworker. Either way the knife is exceptionally large for the blade length and uncomfortable in the hand also with the lock lever sticking into your palm. To be honest I didn't trust the lock that much either after using it a bit.

These knives as they come from Japan Woodworker give the impression that they lock up very solidly. But you learn right quick that the first time you really lean into one to cut that it develops up and down play in no time and it just gets worse with use. Eventually, even with continued 'normal' uses, nothing extreme, the blade develops side to side play as well as up and down play. Before converting this first one the blade wobbled in the handle with lots of side to side play by the time I got to cutting the blade out and started making it into a modern frame lock. The knife shown in that bottom picture with the factory version as shipped from JWW is the first of my conversions equipped with a modern titanium bank vault frame lock in .125 thickness and one of my custom made low rider clips screwed down to the handmade ti slab lock side and .125 thick teal canvas Micarta for the non lock side.

Eventually I took that other original knife shown as it came from the catalog and turned that one into the one with the stainless insert in the lock. You can see the hammer forge marks on the blades and use the patterns to tell the two blades apart to discern the two models but you can also see the screw that secured the insert into the lock on the inside. There is also a second screw not seen that comes in from the inside on that one. The idea here was to have a pop in lock contact replacement to make adjustments easier in the future. I'm not sure it was really necessary looking back on it though. Also, after carrying one and using it a while the teal micarta darkens from being in the sun and from your finger oils during use. You can see that darkening starting in the very top picture on the teal micarta. Eventually that top one that is lighter in the picture when it was taken, ended up darkening to look just like the first one below it. Thanks for looking.

STR

Pocket clip flip and other knife modifications

Seen here are three knives I bought for myself recently that simply surprised me at how nice they each are for the money. Top folder is a Sanrenmu 939 as it comes from the factory. Next is a Sanrenmu 710 which I've modified. Middle is a Boker Anti MC Plus with ceramic blade and last is the Sanrenmu 939 after modification. All of these came with just one mode of carry for the pocket clip. I prefer tip up carry so my first order of business with each one was to proceed to the shop and change some things to suit me.

As you can see from looking at these folders, there are some other things besides pocket clips that I did before I was finished with them. Once these folders arrived I might have had each out for an hour before I was in the shop changing things to suit me better. First thing I did was make a custom titanium pocket clip to fit them for tip up carry. By the way, you can click any picture to enlarge it out to full size to get a better zoom shot of the details.

So once that original clip was off I was mapping out a new pocket clip design of my own on some scrap titanium right quick. I drilled some holes for a 2-56 threaded screw sizes after marking where I needed the holes on each model and then threaded them into the stainless handles to create my new mount areas. These handles are hardened stainless on both the Sanrenmu knives and titanium on the Boker Anti MC Plus model.

I used a number 46 drill size as opposed to the normal number 47 I would use in most everything else. I normally select the 46 for slab threading jobs. It seems to bind less the deeper it goes but you still have to be very careful. This slightly bigger diameter number 46 drill bit size improved my chances of successfully threading the thick slabs and reduced the chances of breaking off a tap and getting it stuck in the hardened stainless steel handle. Another way to do this is to simply drill the hole too large for the threader 3/4 of the way through the thickness and simply thread the last 1/4 of the slab only. I opted to simply thread the entire thickness with weaker threads. In my tests doing this on junk knives the clips break long before the screws pull out. Come to think of it. I've never pulled the screws out so to me it seems to hold just fine using a number 46 and a thread forming tap.

Once the new clip was done I simply cut the original clip for that 939 so its mount plate could still be used on the knife. I did this by zipping it off at the first bend. I did this using a thin kerf cut off disc to give the original mounting plate a new purpose. Now its a lock stop to prevent over travel of the lock or hyper extension of the lock out the wrong way which can cause the lock to lose spring tension.

Sometimes in the heat of a moment like during an adrenaline rush in an emergency its easy to over extend the locks on these open frame designs. The fact that so many manufacturers take the lock cuts to thin the lock slabs down so thin makes this scenario that much more plausible. While not common I've read of it enough to warrant this preventive device. I felt since the original pocket clip is no longer there to serve this purpose after my new one was installed that I still needed the benefit of a physical block for the lock travel. In the end I did another plate making one up from scrap titanium to fit the Boker for the same job.

Without some block there to prevent over travel out the wrong way when the lock is released you just never know when you might accidentally take the lock out too far one day. This is easier done than you might think when a lock sticks and binds on the contact on the blade. If it requires a bit of force to release the lock, as this Boker does, its very easy to envision a situation where spring tension could be lost. This physical block will prevent that from happening.

Now move to the rear of the folder looking at it on the outside as shown in the first picture. Having the lock cut in the rear of the folder on the outside as opposed to the inside where it is not as easily seen can create a challenge for flipping a pocket clip to tip up carry mode on these open frame lock style folders.

The lock cut is the dished out part of the handle in the slab where its thinned down. Look at the first picture of the 939 model. Note at the tail end of the original pocket clip and you can see that the original pocket clip shown there almost curves and points right to the lock cut or dished out area I'm speaking of if you look right at clip tail. This lock cut is there to thin the slab to allow it to be easier to bend the lock to put spring tension on it so it blocks the blade from closing and to allow the user an easier operating lock since the thicker slab would have too much resistance. Its these cuts that can be taken down to extremes at times.

I have a Strider PT folder with .125 slab lock thickness that the lock cut is taken down to .032 on. This Boker shown here is .034 from .100 thickness. Both the stainless Sanrenmu knives shown here are .039 plus or minus from an original thickness of .100. So you can see they take them down pretty thin at times. This makes the actions work easier but unfortunately it can also make hyper extension of the lock out the wrong way that much easier also.

That spring tension must remain in the memory of the lock or you cannot rely on the blade to be secured safely for use. Whenever these lock cuts are on the outside I have to really be careful where I put the new pocket clip. That lock cut, when on the outside can catch the rim of the pocket if the clip is positioned wrong and if the clip is sitting in the wrong place where it can pinch the pocket rim into the lock cut as you extract the folder for use it can cause the knife to catch and snag getting hung up on the pocket and cause one to drop their folder.

Looking once more that the Sanrenmu 939, once I figured out how I wanted to handle both the overtravel issue for the lock and the new pocket clip positioning I simply reprofiled the blade shape and made it so it had a better splinter picker point for my own tastes> You can notice the original blade shape in the very bottom (last) picture. Compare that to my new reprofiled shape and you can see that its hard to tell its even the same blade. In the end I'm quite happy with this knife. So happy I'm ordering more of this model just to have a few in the safe for in case I beat this one up or lose it one day.

These San Ren Mu knives are quite nice for the money. I also bought two of the 710 model. One in black. These are great travel knives for when crossing state lines just to have something on you that is little to fuss over should it be lost or taken at a traffic stop. Something I've had to endure once before unfortunately and it was a much more valued knife then. After shipping I have about $20 in this 939 and about $12 each for the 710's. I won't cry over that if its taken as my last one was. .

As stated earlier, the Boker shown here is one equipped with a Ceramic blade. Ceramic is good for straight cuts only as it is a very brittle material. Lateral stress can snap one of these blades quite easily so I'm not sure just how much it can take but I liked the sleek lines of the design and figured I'd give it a try for $50 plus shipping. Ceramic is suppose to cut for a very long time since it is so hard. Edge keeping was my primary reason for wanting to try this but also the price made it easy to get into one compared to ceramic blade knives I've priced in the past. Thanks for looking.

STR

Personalizing a Ka-Bar Phat Bob

Seen here are two of the new Bob Dozier designed Phat Bob folders. I bought one of these recently because when I first saw it I thought it sure reminded me a lot of the actual Bob custom that I have drooled over for some time. I liked it so much that after that I immediately ordered a second one for a back up. I'd love to have the real thing but I just don't have several hundred bucks laying around to spare at the moment so this inexpensive alternative will have to do. The blade steel is AUS8 and the knife is made in Taiwan. Don't let that sway you though because these are actually built quite well.

Some of the nicest knives in the world are coming out of Taiwan these days. I've seen and handled several and even some recently from China in that little Sanrenmu 710 that have absolutely blown me away for the quality of the work, fit and finish, and overall feel.

Anyway, I did find some things I wanted to improve on with this model with the main issue for me being the weight. It came to me weighing in at 5.3 ounces from the Cheaper Than Dirt web site where I bought it. My second one weighs in at exactly the same weight as the first. First thing I noted after the weight issue was the thumb stud being a bit hard to grab with my thumb as I kept missing it feeling like the handle scale was blocking my access to it or that the stud was just a little on the short side. So, as shown I cleaned out a better thumb ramp on the green micarta scale.

That helped but not as much as I had hoped so I ended up replacing the thumb stud with one easier to get a good hold of when I wanted to use the knife. Being that I was a long time Kabar repairman doing some contract work for them when needed I had some spare parts from other Kabar knives laying around. So, I simply grabbed up one of the spares from another busted Kabar knife and installed that one on my Phat Bob user.

Now moving on I had to figure how I was going to handle the weight issue. Little by little I got all my measurements together and finally figured I'd have to remove the original phosphorus bronze washers and replace those with my own in a thicker washer. This way I could bump up the pivot measurement to the same height as the new fancy stand offs in the rear to allow me to rid the knife of a lot of the weight problem in the way of that solid metal spacer.

The alternative was to simply drill holes in the spacer. I like this better. I reduced the weight from the 5.3 ounces from the factory to a nice 4.6 ounce weight that is noticed quite easily in the hand. I could easily reduce the weight even more by drilling some holes in the solid liners in selected spots and I may do that later on at least on the non lock side liner just to see if I can get it down closer to 4 ounces. With some properly placed lightening holes in a good size I may actually be able to get it there. Time will tell.

Next step for me was ridding the knife of the tip down carry. Being a tip up fan myself I prompty made a custom titanium clip for it and flipped that after drilling and threading some holes right quick. Two of the 2-56 size screws fit right in and now I have me a lighter weight easier to open, properly equipped Phat Bob to suit me personally for use and another for the safe as a back up. I always buy two when I find something I really like. One is none and two is one as they say. :-)

Being that these are just under $50 each from Cheaper than Dirt and thats after shipping, I figured I could afford it. Anyway, the folder is much more to my liking now. Just one of these things would have made a difference for me but at this point its a real nice user. The spacers gave it just a bit more of a wider stance but I rather like that trade off for a few tenths of an ounce weight loss. I don't mind a meaty folder in the hand and that ample handle gives you plenty to hold on to for some serious work. The blade so far seems quite capable and although I have not had the opportunity to really run it through the paces just yet I've had plenty of experience with AUS8 steel and can kind of figure that it will more than handle anything I want to use it for. Thanks for looking.

STR

One Sweet Gerber Folding Sportsman I Folder.

One of my favorite models of all time from any production knife company has always been this very model of slimline folding Sportsman by Gerber. This is a knife made sometime in the 80's based on the color of the box it came in. (blue) I bought it a few years back on ebay and after having it in the safe for quite a while I finally got around to doing something to it I've been wanting to do ever since I did one for a customer at his request years ago this same way.

Some have asked since I made changes to what I'll do in the way of work if I still do these mods shown here. EDIT: Feb-2013. Unfortunately for those wanting this model converted as well as others including the Buck 110 also shown here on my blogger the answer is no I do not offer knife modification any longer. All I do now are my routine made to fit factory knife pocket clips and my mini ti pry. I do appreciate the old jobs though and these are posted for nostalgia only.

I have five of these folding Sportsman I models by Gerber, all new in the box just the way they shipped from them and thats not counting this one I picked to modify. I picked this one because I have another in a blue box just like it and because I thought it was the latest one done. In other words its the newer of all my models.

Anyway, the Gerber safety pause (basically a 'half stop' on the lock back) has little affect for how easy and convenient this little gem of a folder is to open now after I upgraded it to one hand opening by adding a thumb stud to the blade and installed a custom made pocket clip on it to make for more convenient lint free carry. It opens quite nicely and since I've rounded off the edges with a bevel unlike the sharp crisp corners from the factory its more comfortable in the hand now also. One of the issues of the Sportsman line in it's day as well as the Gerber PK knives was that they were long, skinny, heavy and sharp edged. This meant they had this tendency to eat their way right through pocket seams. I lost two of the slip joint slimline PK knives as a youth that very way. Those sharp crisp corners took their toll on fabric over time. One day I reached into my pocket and my knife was gone! Years later that same thing happened again. I later discovered that other fans of this model also experienced this and that led to some seeking me out to do pocket clips for their folders. I figured hey it is about time I do one for myself so this is it here! 

This is right up town here folks and much more conducive to everyday carry for a knife this small for foot print size yet that weighs this much. @ 3.6 ounces here! Compared to the Buck 501 at 2.4 ounces that is actually a longer blade model this is a chunky folder. Anyway, this model is from back when Gerber still did things right  here in the USA. A knife from yesteryear brought up to present day standards! Love it!

STR