"Big Time" modernization - Project 51OT-S

[Darksev]

It would not be an understatement to say I LOVE Schrade knives. Anyone who's seen my posts over the last 8ish years would not be surprised by that statement.

One of my favorite patterns is the 51OT, a love affair that was started by a rebuild Kaleb did years ago. At the time, my carry knives were all smaller (sub 2.5" folders usually) and It was a big (4.75" closed), FFG drop point (3.25" cutting edge), carbon steel lockback. Pretty, but scary!

Tastes change, and the pattern grew on me, not only as a showpiece (I've rescued and repaired a few 51's before and they're a blast), but for carry purposes. Something about the "lockback" mechanism these days, in the age of super slick framelocks, feels... I dunno, archaic... steam powered. This isn't a knock on them, not at all. In fact it's a solid endorsement. Something so well designed that it can stand the test of time, and a well built lockback will out-perform just about any lock made, even now.


Now I've had this particular 51OT, with a damaged/melted scale sitting in my parts box for a few years now (before they got all crazy expensive on ebay). I got a bug in my brain about big-ish lockbacks not to long ago when I saw a picture of the new Boker PM-3 and I figured, why drop $150 bucks on a new knife when I can spend the same on an old knife!

I decided I wanted to carry it, which means it's time to dust off the ol' skills and get to work. EDCing something like this meant I needed to make some changes. I chose to build up a "hybrid". It's be put together with a combination of traditional pin and modern pivot screw construction, eschewing the old-school sheath in favor of a recycled Emerson clip I had in the parts bin, and drop the vintage Nickel and Delrin "Old Timer" duds in favor of Phosphor bronze liners (trying something new, why settle for just washers, right?) and contoured Black G10 scales.

Step one was stripping it down to the bones, cleaning things up and putting it onto a layout jig, and enlarging the pivot hole from 1/8 to 3/16 to accommodate a beefier, modern pivot (temp pivot in the photo)

Step two was to get my new G10 slabs roughed out to shape and drilled to match

Step 3, I decided to utilize the stock spring holder and tap it for some 2-56 screws. The awesome folks at AKS have their own screws made to SERIOUS precision specifications, so these are made from Beta phase Titanium. They are literally strong enough that you will strip your bit driver before you twist a head off the screw

[Darksev]

So once I got that far, I threw all the hardware into my tumbler with some medium ceramic media. Stonewashing gives a matte finish to the blades, hides scratches, and cleans up any surface damage.

Post tumbling test fitting:

It was a few days while I waited for the rest of my parts to show up, but eventually I was able to glue, pin and shape my Phosphor bronze liners, and get the inside mirror polished (because why not). I'm pretty sure nobodies done PB liners before because it's not exactly what I would call cost effective, but at spring hardness, it's similar to Nickel Silver in toughness, but with better lubricity (which is why we use it for washers on folding knives, right?)

More test fitting:

Once that was done, I added some texture to the "active" part of the lockbar, got the scales contoured, and finished up the general fitment of all the parts

Deciding I needed to add some additional grip, I mirrored the lockbar texture down the sides of the knife

Now all that was left was to bead blast everything, pin it all together, spot blast the pins and the AKS pivot hardware and call it a day

[Darksev]

I checked my fit one last time, then peened everything together with some stainless steel pins. I flush finished the pin heads, then masked off and (like the handles) hit them with 80/100 ALOX media, then some glass beads to blend everything everything together. I cleaned everything up, wiped it all down with WD-40, sharpened up the blade (18 degrees per side, 3.5 micron stropped finish) until it will cut you if you look at it wrong, threw a coat of Renwax over it, stuck some Nano-oil into the pivot and attached the clip. Without further ado, here's the finished 51OT-S!

I'd like to think, if Schrade was still around, that this is the kind of "evolution" that would be feasible for some of the "traditional" patterns, to draw in the modern knife crowd and let them experience the benefits of a traditional knife. With this guy, maintenance is a breeze: the blade will drop free of the frame if you remove the pivot, the liners are mirrored and easily wiped down, the clip is removable and aside from the spring itself, the rest of the parts are all captive thanks to the pins. The whole package, clip and all, comes in a dozen or so grams lighter, and better balanced than the original 51, thanks to the omission of the bolsters.

[muskrat man]

That's spiffy!

I've done a few "featherweight" mods to buck 110's 112's and other heavy clunky lockbacks to make them more pocket friendly. I usually nixed the liners altogether though.

[rangerbluedog]

Holy crap, Adam!
That is downright sexy!
It's never too late - even for the old geezers.

[philco]

Adam you certainly haven't lost your touch.

That looks like a knife anyone would love to tote.

Well done.

[FRJ]

Very nice looking knife. Good job.

[SteelMyHeart85420]

Make another post, Adam-----just to get off your current count. Very well done, btw!

[Darksev]

Make another post, Adam-----just to get off your current count. Very well done, btw!

Mwahaha!

[glennbad]

Amazing ingenuity on this one!

[TripleF]

Very impressive!!

[orvet]

An excellent example of thinking outside the box Adam!
Brilliant execution and extraordinary use of your own design to make it an entirely new knife!

I too love the 51OT, but don't carry one because of the weight...

Now ya' got me thinking ...

[PCwizard]

I don't know what to say other then WOW.
You did one great job.

[Darksev]

I too love the 51OT, but don't carry one because of the weight...

Now ya' got me thinking ...

Subbing washers for liners could have easily shaved off another couple ounces, but it was an artistic choice for me honestly more than a practical one. I like the copper and black look. Changing the spring holder to titanium could probably drop another ounce or two (titanium being 45% lighter than steel) The pivot, aside from the barrel itself, is Ti, and if I source a Ti clip, there's another few grams.