All About Pocket Knives

I was looking for some handle material that would be large enough for the 5OT handles and then I remembered the faux polyester ivory material that I purchased from Masecraft awhile ago. It was pretty easy to work with, polished up pretty well and looks okay when completed. I put a new blade in this one (you can see the tip of the blade hasn't been shaped or sharpened yet).
I couldn't get the darn pivot pins to disappear so I left them as they are (grrrr!). And although this one went better than the last one there was still just a bit of extra clearance in a small section of the rear liner due to the thickness of the new piece not being 100% (must have been a bit of thickness variation in the spring holder piece that I machined).
But it turned out okay and the new spring should hold up for awhile longer than the stock ones.

I think that came out great.

Jeff, very nice job on the 50T. I'm wondering if you could help me out. I have a 50T that my son gave me to repair. The blade is damaged and needs to be replaced. I found a replacement on ebay and ordered it. In the meantime I tried to remove the existing blade by punching out the pivot pin. It move a tiny bit, but that is all. Obviously I'm not going about this in a correct way. Can you please give me some advise on how to remove the blade. I am new to knife repairing and only have basic tools. I have attached a photo of the 50T. Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide.

Jerry Johnson

Hi Jerry,
You’ll need to disassemble the rest of the knife (drill out the two rear pins and the backspring pin). Once you have those pins removed you can cut through the blade pivot pin with a sharp razor blade using the method detailed by Dale in the tutorial section. Or you can try drilling out the pin. Think of that pivot pin like a rivet, it’s got an expanded head that holds it in place.
I usually go with the pin cutting technique but others may have a different way of accomplishing it.
Jeff

Jeffinn wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 7:58 pm I was looking for some handle material that would be large enough for the 5OT handles and then I remembered the faux polyester ivory material that I purchased from Masecraft awhile ago. It was pretty easy to work with, polished up pretty well and looks okay when completed. I put a new blade in this one (you can see the tip of the blade hasn't been shaped or sharpened yet).
I couldn't get the darn pivot pins to disappear so I left them as they are (grrrr!). And although this one went better than the last one there was still just a bit of extra clearance in a small section of the rear liner due to the thickness of the new piece not being 100% (must have been a bit of thickness variation in the spring holder piece that I machined).
But it turned out okay and the new spring should hold up for awhile longer than the stock ones.
5ot faux ivory (1).JPG

I also think it turned out great.

Jeffinn wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 7:58 pm I was looking for some handle material that would be large enough for the 5OT handles and then I remembered the faux polyester ivory material that I purchased from Masecraft awhile ago. It was pretty easy to work with, polished up pretty well and looks okay when completed. I put a new blade in this one (you can see the tip of the blade hasn't been shaped or sharpened yet).
I couldn't get the darn pivot pins to disappear so I left them as they are (grrrr!). And although this one went better than the last one there was still just a bit of extra clearance in a small section of the rear liner due to the thickness of the new piece not being 100% (must have been a bit of thickness variation in the spring holder piece that I machined).
But it turned out okay and the new spring should hold up for awhile longer than the stock ones.
5ot faux ivory (1).JPG

This turned out really nice.

The white looks nice, Jeff!

Looks great! That faux ivory looks classy on this knife!

Great job Jeff! If you told me that was real ivory I wouldn't have doubted you for a second. I am going to have to try some of that stuff. I have the same problem with the pivot pins. Sometimes, when I least expect it, one doesn't "disappear" and looks just like what your picture shows. I've given up worrying about it, but I really dislike unsolved mysteries, and would love to know what causes that to happen. (Yes, I always taper the holes, use spacers, and give the extra material a thorough peening before removing the spacers.) Maybe over peening? ::tu:

Jeff, thank you for the advise on removing blade from a 50T. I have watched Dale's tutorial, but forgot about the pivot pin having an expanded head. I'm learning. Again, you did a great job on your 50T.

Jerry Johnson

Good job Jeff. That would make a perfect EDC. Would hardly know it's in your pocket.

Jeffinn wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 7:58 pm I was looking for some handle material that would be large enough for the 5OT handles and then I remembered the faux polyester ivory material that I purchased from Masecraft awhile ago. It was pretty easy to work with, polished up pretty well and looks okay when completed. I put a new blade in this one (you can see the tip of the blade hasn't been shaped or sharpened yet).
I couldn't get the darn pivot pins to disappear so I left them as they are (grrrr!). And although this one went better than the last one there was still just a bit of extra clearance in a small section of the rear liner due to the thickness of the new piece not being 100% (must have been a bit of thickness variation in the spring holder piece that I machined).
But it turned out okay and the new spring should hold up for awhile longer than the stock ones.
5ot faux ivory (1).JPG

I commented on this one earlier, but I was looking at it again.
It's probably the best looking 5OT I've seen.

Awesome job!

That is a real beauty Jeff!
I LIKE the handle material. Does that stuff come in slabs or sheets?

I have a hard time getting my pivot pins to disappear also....
I am wondering if the hole in the bolster need to be cleaned out or something?
I know I am missing something in the procedure when putting in a new pivot pin.
.
Recon we can get a little guidance from Dale or kaleb on this matter?
.
I know on thing.... and this is brought out in Kaleb's pinning video,... If you spend too much time hammering on the pivot pin trying to get it to disappear then you will swell the pin inside the blade's pivot hole. That just makes the blade too tight to swing easily.

You can get the faux ivory in sheets or blocks, you should be able to see them here: https://www.masecraftsupply.com/Alterna ... c_268.html
I’m to the point where about 90% of the pivot pins I do disappear without a problem. It’s the other 10% that are making me crazy. I’ve been tapering the pin hole and that seems to help. I’m guessing that there’s a little too much clearance between the hole and pin and the pin just can’t fill the gap. But it could also be a flaw in my technique that I haven’t figured out yet.
Jeff

Jeffinn wrote: ↑Tue May 26, 2020 1:12 pm You can get the faux ivory in sheets or blocks, you should be able to see them here: https://www.masecraftsupply.com/Alterna ... c_268.html
I’m to the point where about 90% of the pivot pins I do disappear without a problem. It’s the other 10% that are making me crazy. I’ve been tapering the pin hole and that seems to help. I’m guessing that there’s a little too much clearance between the hole and pin and the pin just can’t fill the gap. But it could also be a flaw in my technique that I haven’t figured out yet.
Jeff

Just thinking out loud here....
If the hole in the bolster is "cold" and hasn't been "freshened up" could that be the problem?
The edges of the bolster hole would be "dirty" maybe?
When you are tapering the hole, this gives a new fresh surface to blend with the pin....
Once again, just thinking out loud.

Sure, It seems like a newly drilled hole (or on with freshened edges) would make it easier for the pin to blend in.
I notice on the Schrade knives where I removed the Swinden keys and drilled the bolsters for pins, those pins seem to blend in with very little effort. It could be because of the clean edges of the newly drilled hole or because the hole is closely matched (in size) to the pin.

Jeffinn wrote: ↑Tue May 26, 2020 1:52 pm because the hole is closely matched (in size) to the pin.

Yep, that is another big factor. If the existing hole is a little larger than the pin stock then it is harder to get the new pin to disappear.
There has been a couple of times where I had to make a pin so it would fit the hole in the bolster better. It was like a standard pin size just wouldn't fit.

Looks Great !!!

Jeff, the blade I ordered for my 50T came today. It is a blank, so I will definitely need some advise when it comes to puttng an edge on it. In the meantime, I have some more questions about taking the knife apart. Are the rear pins and backspring pin steel or brass? If they are brass, could they also be cut with a razor blade? I do not have immediate access to a drill press (a friend has one). I believe it would be easier for me to cut the rear pins and backspring pin (if that is possible) rather than drilling them out. Thank you for your patience with me and for any advise you can provide.

Jerry Johnson

Jerlin wrote: ↑Fri May 29, 2020 10:48 pm Jeff, the blade I ordered for my 50T came today. It is a blank, so I will definitely need some advise when it comes to puttng an edge on it. In the meantime, I have some more questions about taking the knife apart. Are the rear pins and backspring pin steel or brass? If they are brass, could they also be cut with a razor blade? I do not have immediate access to a drill press (a friend has one). I believe it would be easier for me to cut the rear pins and backspring pin (if that is possible) rather than drilling them out. Thank you for your patience with me and for any advise you can provide.

Jerry Johnson

Hi Jerry,
The pins should be brass. They can be cut but you’ll need to use a sharp blade. I cut pins in most of the knives that I work on. I lay the knife on its springs on a delrin/plastic block, try to get the blade between the liners and springs and tap on the blade until it’s wedged between the layers. Once it’s in position a few good raps with the hammer will cut through the pin. Once you get one pin cut, there will be a gap there for the blade making it easier to cut the other pins. Dales technique works well it just takes a bit of effort to get the blade where it needs to be. If you don’t have a drill press then cutting the pins might be your best option. You do need to be careful, the razor blade could potentially break and pieces might fly off so be sure to wear eye protection. (For what it’s worth, I’ve never had a piece of razor blade fly off at me but it could happen).
Good luck, let us know how you make out. Feel free to ask any questions you might have, we’re happy to help!
Jeff

I have had a few where I had to drill the pin out even after cutting it with the razor blade. I just hit the center of it with a dremel and a ball-burr to create a dimple in it, then use a cordless drill by hand. If I drill through with a bit that is smaller than the pin, the rest of it can be picked or punched out easily.