Pocket Knife - #3 The Clip Updated

After using the knife for a while I came to the conclusion that for me having the clip was of no use and just got in the way.

Knife With Clip

I did not want to simply take the clip off since that would leave the three holes for mounting on the knife and I thought that would be pretty ugly.

Knife Minus Clip

First thought was to just put the screws back in as placeholders but that did not work as they bottomed out and were not all the way in leaving a gap between the screw head and the bolster.  Next thought was to add something in it’s place as a decorative element like brass or wood accent.  The wood did not seem like a good idea as it would have been too thin and the aesthetics didn’t work.  The brass option was not really practical since that would have a brass piece held on with chrome screws, not a good visual combination.  In the end I decided to try and shorten the screws so they would fully seat without bottoming out in the hole. 

Clip & Mounting Screws

The problem with that is the screws are really, really tiny.  The overall length of the screw is only .156 inches, slightly less than 5/32” and the threaded part is shorter still. 

The question is how to shorten them grinding, filing or maybe cutting and more important how would I hold that little screw?  There was no way I could just hold it by hand and work on it.  If I tried to use a pair of pliers or put in in a vice I was not sure that would hold it securely but was quite sure that it would chew up the screw head and ruin it.  What I ended up doing was to use the clip as a holder since it already had a hole that just fit the screw.  I then held the screw in place with my finger and gently removed material with a slow speed grinder.  The key here is slowly and gently, there are a few reasons why.  First, the screw is small and I need to closely monitor how much material I was grinding away.  Second, the tip of my finger is awfully close to the grinding wheel and if I slipped I did not want to grind the end of my finger off.  Third and what is most apparent when I was working the screw is grinding a piece of steel generates a fair amount of heat.  Since steel is a pretty good conductor of heat and the tip of my finger is close to the heat source it’s really easy to burn the heck out of your finger.

Grinding Screws Down

Now if you have ever cut, filed or ground a threaded screw one thing that’s for sure is without some type of cleanup the threads will be messed up when done and won’t cleanly start.  I really did not want to cross thread the screws trying to force them in and mess up the threaded holes in the knife.  My usual fix is to put a nut or threading die on the threaded part above the cut then after the cut is made run that item off to clean up and reform the threads.  Since neither of those methods were an option here I needed to do something else.  I decided to try grinding a very slight cone on the screw hoping that would provide for a gradual introduction of the threads on the screw into the hole.  Here is the setup, I used the clip to hold the screw in place at an angle to the grinding wheel and the star driver that fit the screws to turn the screw to create the slight cone. 

Grinding Cone to Screw End

There are three screws holding the clip in place and while I could have shortened them I was reluctant to do that for a couple of reasons.  First, if later on I wanted to put the clip back on I needed the original screws.  Second, if grinding them down did not work I did not have a backup plan.  As luck would have it the knife kit had 4 screws for holding the wood handles on.  Because I used epoxy to mount the handles and not screws I could use them.  That kept the originals safe plus gave me one extra screw to use for testing.   Here are the screws; the one on the left for holding the handles on and is what I started my grinding with, the one in the middle is the original screw to hold the clip on which I will keep in reserve and the one on the right is the finished short screw ready to install.

Knife Screws

I don’t know if it was the light touch grinding or the cone or just luck but all three screws started and threaded into the holes perfectly.  Now with the clip off I am happier with the using knife and think aesthetically it is a cleaner piece.  However, if I change my mind I still have the clip and the original screws I can use to put it back on.

Finished

Pocket Knife - #2 Cutting, Shaping, Attaching & Finishing

At this point I traced the knife body onto the cocobolo blanks labeling them so they would get attached on the right side.

Cocobolo Scales Ready to be Bandsawn 

Next it’s back to the bandsaw to cut the blank a little large to allow for some movement when attaching and for a buffer when I do the shaping.  I thought that cutting them to the exact size before attaching while an option was a bad idea.  Here is a test fit to see what kind of play I had.

Test Fit of Scale

With the blanks cut to rough size I could attach them.  The kit suggested three options for attachment – by screws, using epoxy or both.  I elected to just use epoxy.  The cocobolo is such a nice looking wood I did not want the grain to be interrupted by the attachment screws.  I could have epoxied both sides on at the same time but decided that there was too big a chance for something to go wrong.  Things like the first side slides around on the epoxy while I am lining up the second side or there is a little shift in one side or another when applying clamping pressure.  How do I know this can happen?  Let's just say experience is a good teacher.

Scale Epoxied and Clamped in Place

After I let the epoxy cure overnight I removed the clamps and got ready to do the second side.  If you look carefully you can see where the epoxy squeezed out around the liner.  Also, if you wonder what the tape is for it’s there as a reminder.  In the first post I mentioned an omission in the instructions.  Well here is where it comes into play.  The tab of steel the tape is on is the locking mechanism for the blade.  When the blade is open it snaps into place behind the blade locking the knife open.  To close it is pushed sideways unlocking the blade allowing it to close.  Now if I spread epoxy on this whole side like I did with the first side then the tab of steel behind the tape would be fixed in place.  If I had done that with the blade open, I could not unlock the blade and close the knife.  If it had been done with the blade closed it would not lock when open.  All and all not the desired outcome.

Scale Epoxied On

Being very careful not to epoxy the tab in place I spread the epoxy and clamped the scale on.

Second Side Scale Epoxied and Clamped in Place

After letting the epoxy cure overnight, I could start the shaping the scales bringing them down to the steel liners they are epoxied to.  I started out using a drum sander with the large drum in place.  Here I have worked the cocobolo down close to the liner. 

Cocobolo Scales Shaping In-progress and Drum Sander 

The process continues, removing material using smaller drums on the inside curves until I get very close to the liner.  I then change the sanding drum from the coarse grit shown to a fine grit and remove the last little bit of wood until the drum just kisses the liner.  Here the cocobolo has been shaped to exactly match the steel liners.  If you are wondering what the tape is doing on the blade edge it’s so I don’t cut myself to ribbons. 

Scales Matched to Knife

Note that all the edges are a sharp 90 degrees, not comfortable at all.   The fix is to round the edges and soften all those hard 90 degree edges.  I do that using a variety of rasps, files and various grits of sandpaper.  The magnifying headpiece lets me see in much greater detail what I am doing.  And yes, sticking my tongue out while doing the work helps a lot.

Knife Clamped in Vice While I Soften the Edges

The end result of the edge softening is a knife handle that feels good in my hand without any hard 90 degree edges.  The beveled edge adjoining the bolster is a 45 and for the most part is outside the area where my hand or fingers rest.  One other place needed a little help and that was the inside edges of the steel liners.  The edge there was quite sharp and required some gentle work with a metal file to add a small chamfer, just enough to break the edge.

Ready For Finish

Last step is to put a finish on the piece.  Typically, I use a sprayed lacquer finish but that just did not seem right for this item.  I was concerned that because I plan on using this knife versus it being a display piece a film type finish be it lacquer, polyurethane or anything else would not hold up to daily use.  My instinct was to go with a penetrating finish.  One that if damaged could be easily repaired without completely removing it and starting over.  Fortunately for me I know someone who had built many, many knives and has long term experience with various type of finishes.  I contacted him for some guidance and he said that because cocobolo is a naturally oily wood he just sands it smooth and lets it go from there.  I was a little hesitant to provide no protection so ended up giving it three coats of Watco Danish Oil and after curing for a few days buffed it out.

Completed Knife

I am happy with the final product but wish one thing had been different.  There is a clip on one side and I debated about leaving it off, but in the end installed it.  I really like the other side, very clean and simple.  To me the clip, although functional, intrudes on the design and looks out of place.  It would be another thing if I needed it but doubt that I will ever use it.  I would not have put it on except that there would have been three empty holes for the mounting screws.   If I find that after I use it for a while I never use the clip I may remove it and see if I can just put the screws in as placeholders.  My only concern is that with the clip removed the screws could bottom out without going in all the way or conflict with the blade operation.