Good for you David!
I am living proof that an old dog can learn new tricks!
I was medically retired in 2004 and ended up on B/F in the Schrade forum. There was a young fellow on there who is wondering about learning how to fix knives and I have been kind of wondering about it also. I sent this young fellow named Kaleb a handful of old beat up pocket knives I had picked up at yard sales.
I was amazed with what he was doing with some of those knives and with some he had as well. You seem to have no fear a failure and he was very good at what he was doing. As I recall he was 14 or 15 years old at the time. Being in my 50s I was a bit more cautious but he was an inspiration to me I always figured that if I own the knife and I screwed up, I can throw it away. That was really very freeing to me and allowed me to experiment.
3 things I would advise anybody who wants to start repairing knives-
1- Start with an expensive Parts knives or inexpensive kits.
2- You don't have to keep your mistakes forever. If they're helpful or you might be able to use the parts great, but you're not stuck with them forever, this is a growing/learning process.
3- If you think you've made a mistake because things don't look like the way you had envisioned them in your mind before you started the project, don't despair work with whatever the challenge or the problem is. Often you your mistakes become some of your nicest work when you finish it out. Some handle materials look terrible until you finish them, a little extra sanding and a little extra polishing goes a long way to make up for what you see as a flaw. Sometimes you can shine that flaw and make it a diamond.
One last thing have fun! That's why you're doing this.
To me repairing and working on knives is more fun then collecting them. It's far more addicting, so don't be surprised when you start selling your safe Queens to buy parts knives to work on!
Just like Cody and yourself I've been entertaining the idea 
of buying and building a knife from a kit. The one you posted is one I've been watching, as well as a kit for an automatic that is currently in a member's store, the only thing stopping me is, for the automatic, it would have to go through Customs, and even though it's a kit and not an actual knife, I fear that Customs will just make-up some new rule in order to seize it. 
As for the manual, I really don't need another knife in that style, and, I haven't had much luck with peening rivets either! Please keep us posted with your build's progress! 
Now you can say that you have a one-of-a-kind Rough Rider! 
