TL-29 mods thread... Let's put 'em here

[glennbad]

I like the threading on the bolsters. Nice!

[jerryd6818]

I too am a big fan of threaded bolsters. That's another fine job, Jeff.

[WillyCamaro]

Man Jeffin, you keep on turning out winners, this last one no exception .

[Meridian_Mike]

OK... here is one I finished up yesterday. It is made from an Imperial TL-29.... The quality of those parts left a lot to be desired.
Anyway, here it is.....

Sorry for the crummy pictures.
(I spend most of my time trying to improve my knife mechanic skills.... not picture takin' skills...LOL)

[doglegg]

Mike it looks awefully good. Very warm handles. Does the blade seem to be good steel? You certainly did agreat job.

[Jeffinn]

Turned out great Mike! That bone is beautiful!

[orvet]

Nothing wrong with that one, but there is an awful lot right about it!

Love that bone, what is it?

[Byrd]

Mike, I like! you did a fantastic job on that. I can tell that your'e getting better!

[Meridian_Mike]

Thanks everyone....
The bone is Culpepper Catalina Amber. The color turned out pretty nice.
This is a newer Imperial. I chose it because the blade was nice and full.... (I will know better next time). The blade thickness does not match the spring thickness.... The blade is thicker. SO, there is a larger than normal gap on the back at the spring.
OH WELL.... another lesson learned.

[Doc B]

I like it! Did you do the file work, on the bolster?

[Meridian_Mike]

I like it! Did you do the file work, on the bolster?

I did.... it was a fun learning experience.

[glennbad]

Ding Ding, winner!

[Doc B]

I like it! Did you do the file work, on the bolster?

I did.... it was a fun learning experience.

No one would ever guess it's past.

[Jeffinn]

I picked up this Holub Sycamore on E-bay awhile ago. I don’t know much about the Holub brand but the knife seems well made and solid (like most electrician knives).
I had some smooth black bone left so I did some cleanup, dressed up the bolsters and put some new bone handles on it. I might still inlay a shield in it but for now it’s looking pretty good.
This is the first one that I’ve put the belt loop back on. I’m not a fan of the loops but they seem to be a part of most electrician knives so I put it back on.

[Meridian_Mike]

Beautiful Job Jeff! I love the bolster work. You are a master at bolster work!! (Thanks again for your tutorial!)
That is a first class Electricians knife now! The bone looks great!

2 thumbs up my friend!

[Meridian_Mike]

Here is one I did for my sister-in-law. I put one of these in the "dirty santa" game just before Christmas. She got it BUT then someone stole it from her. I thought she was gonna CRY. SO, my wife told me I should make her one....
Well, here it is......
Culpepper's green smooth bone.
.

.
Dog-gone-it.....
I just noticed in this picture, that there is a crack going across the entire cover at the rocker pin....
Where the heck did that come from. It wasn't there yesterday.
Welllllllll crap.

[doglegg]

Crack or no crack it turned out awfully pretty. Cracks seem to be part of the curse.

[Meridian_Mike]

Crack or no crack it turned out awfully pretty. Cracks seem to be part of the curse.

LOL... yep, the curse sho' got me on this one!

[Jeffinn]

Great job on that one!
That Culpepper green is some pretty nice stuff and I like the threaded and rat tail bolsters!

[Meridian_Mike]

Great job on that one!
That Culpepper green is some pretty nice stuff and I like the threaded and rat tail bolsters!

Thanks Jeff!

[glennbad]

That's dang nice, shame about the crack though...

[Meridian_Mike]

That's dang nice, shame about the crack though...

I am so confused by that dang crack. I could have sworn it was NOT there during finishing....
Then, taking pictures this morning... there it was....CRAP!!

(maybe I'm just about blind.....LOL)

[Reverand]

Green is typically my least-favorite color, but I have to admit it looks really good on that knife! I hate cracks like that, but I would be tempted to Zap-a-Gap it to stabilize it, and keep rollin'. It looks too pretty to tear it apart again!

[Jeffinn]

That's dang nice, shame about the crack though...

I am so confused by that dang crack. I could have sworn it was NOT there during finishing....
Then, taking pictures this morning... there it was....CRAP!!

(maybe I'm just about blind.....LOL)

I’ve had one or two knives that developed a crack after opening and closing the blades a few times. My assumption was that the pin to hole clearance was a bit too loose which allowed the pin to shift when the blades were opened and closed. I drilled the holes to match the pins but maybe they were a bit too snug or too loose? Both of the knives in question were Swinden key knives but I can’t really see how that’s an issue.
For now those cracks remain somewhat of a mystery. I rehandled both of them and re-installed the pins with no issues afterwards so who knows!
Zap a Gap is a great way to stabilize that crack and avoid the disassembly procedure!

[herbva]

After long admiring all the terrific and highly creative work posted on this thread, I couldn't resist giving it a try. Here are my first 2 modest attempts, both in Culpepper's "sunset" smooth bone. The top one is a simple one-blade conversion and I got a little fancier with the second one; added rear bolsters and "wharncliffed" the screwdriver. (Is "wharncliffed a legitimate verb?) I wasn't quite as careful as I usually am, so both have some minor imperfections. Now that I've had a taste of this, I really like these TL-29's. Very sturdy knives with thick liners, blades and springs and I think they take well to thick scales, which I greatly prefer. Because of the imperfections, I am not planning to list these for sale, but if anyone takes a shine to them, a reasonable offer might be considered. (The blades are tight with good snap, but one has a hairline crack next to one of the rocker pins and a there are a few other minor details.) I modified the bolsters off a donor from my parts bin this time, but I would like to find suitable sheet metal to make bolsters for my next TL-29 endeavor. Or, perhaps does anyone know of a good source for bolsters that have already been stamped out?