Old, worn, broken Boker shell puller

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millern
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Old, worn, broken Boker shell puller

Post by millern »

I recently acquired this old “H W Boker” shell puller that has a worn, chipped blade, no kick spring and worst of all, a broken back spring. Since I believe the tang mark is rare and it has nice stag scales and nickel silver bolsters and liners, I’m going to attempt to restore it using a donor “springer” from the same era with the same dimensions. (The donor knife has a working mechanism. But it has a very poor blade that a previous owner had mangled with a bench grinder.)
I’ll post results and possibly a sequence of my progress when I get going on this project. (I thought folks would like to see my recent acquisition anyway.)
Attachments
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IMG_2977.jpeg
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IMG_2979.jpeg
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Pile Driver
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Re: Old, worn, broken Boker shell puller

Post by Pile Driver »

i'll be checking in, seems interesting
doglegg
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Re: Old, worn, broken Boker shell puller

Post by doglegg »

A sweet old knife worth saving.
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btrwtr
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Re: Old, worn, broken Boker shell puller

Post by btrwtr »

Still presents very well. Hope you can breath some new life in this old warrior.
If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.

Wayne

Please visit My AAPK store https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/catalog/btrwtr
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: Old, worn, broken Boker shell puller

Post by Bill DeShivs »

Unless the backspring is an exact fit, you will be better off making a new one.
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler

Factory authorized repair for:
Latama
Mauro Mario
LePre
Colonial
KABAR
Hubertus, Grafrath, Ritter
Schrade Cut. Co., Geo Schrade, Pressbutton, Flylock
Falcon/AKC/AGA Campolin
Puma
Burrell Cutlery
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Madmarco
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Re: Old, worn, broken Boker shell puller

Post by Madmarco »

Nice project knife, Mill, good luck on the restoration and I'll be watching for the finished product. ::tu::
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millern
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Re: Old, worn, broken Boker shell puller

Post by millern »

Thanks for the advice, Bill! I’ll measure carefully and go from there!
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herbva
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Re: Old, worn, broken Boker shell puller

Post by herbva »

I'm quite interested in seeing how it goes. Best of luck! ::fc::
"Better to do something imperfectly, than to do nothing flawlessly." ~ Robert H. Schuller

Herb
millern
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Re: Old, worn, broken Boker shell puller

Post by millern »

Here’s the Boker shell puller that I was able to repair to working order. The project was more involved than I thought, but I had a good parts knife that provided a good back spring and kick spring. The processes included:
1. Grinding the kick spring to accommodate blade action.
2. Drilling the blade pivot and bolster to accommodate a new pivot pin.
3. Turning a new pivot pin from a nail using my drill press and a mill file.
4. I “delicately” welded the blade sear hole in the worn area to create a smaller opening.
5. Using needle files, I carefully filed the hole to the size of my sear. This step included lots of “trial and error” fitting.
6. I then reassembled the knife and cut and peened the pins.
7. Finally, I profiled the damaged tip.
Attachments
Disassembled shell puller with broken springs
Disassembled shell puller with broken springs
Disassembled “donor” knife
Disassembled “donor” knife
Finished repaired knife. Blade “sits”” deeply against the spring tension.
Finished repaired knife. Blade “sits”” deeply against the spring tension.
IMG_3011.jpeg
IMG_3012.jpeg
IMG_3014.jpeg
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Pile Driver
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Re: Old, worn, broken Boker shell puller

Post by Pile Driver »

looks pretty cool
doglegg
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Re: Old, worn, broken Boker shell puller

Post by doglegg »

Pile Driver wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2023 12:04 pm looks pretty cool
Agree.
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Madmarco
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Re: Old, worn, broken Boker shell puller

Post by Madmarco »

Nice save, Mill! ::tu::
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Reverand
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Re: Old, worn, broken Boker shell puller

Post by Reverand »

Great job! I have a Springer that I need to repair, but have not had the nerve (or the time!) to start it yet.
Yours gives me hope!
Jesus is life.
Everything else is just a hobby.

~Reverand
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: Old, worn, broken Boker shell puller

Post by Bill DeShivs »

Nice job!
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler

Factory authorized repair for:
Latama
Mauro Mario
LePre
Colonial
KABAR
Hubertus, Grafrath, Ritter
Schrade Cut. Co., Geo Schrade, Pressbutton, Flylock
Falcon/AKC/AGA Campolin
Puma
Burrell Cutlery
millern
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Re: Old, worn, broken Boker shell puller

Post by millern »

Thanks for the compliments! I was a bit apprehensive to tackle this one, but the stag and the nickel silver were nice, plus the tang mark was a bit unusual. This was my second attempt to actual try to spot weld he sear hole smaller. (I practiced on an old lawnmower blade to get the correct setting on my cheap little welder. )
I’m happy with the result. It’s not good as new, but it’s better than it was!
Thanks to all who have contributed switchblade repair tips to various forums, especially Bill DeShivs!
stockman
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Re: Old, worn, broken Boker shell puller

Post by stockman »

That was really a nice job. Nice old knife. Harold
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