kit knife? I have lot"s of mother of pearl shells and want to cut some scales for this knife and plate the screw heads gold and and some gold inlays. But I am new to kife making and unsure about changing to screws.
Changing to screws on my Mikov kit!
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Changing to screws on my Mikov kit!
Do anyone have suggestions about changing to screw on my second Mikov
kit knife? I have lot"s of mother of pearl shells and want to cut some scales for this knife and plate the screw heads gold and and some gold inlays. But I am new to kife making and unsure about changing to screws.
kit knife? I have lot"s of mother of pearl shells and want to cut some scales for this knife and plate the screw heads gold and and some gold inlays. But I am new to kife making and unsure about changing to screws.
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BennytheBlade
- Posts: 2023
- Joined: Wed Dec 18, 2002 2:22 am
- Location: The United States of Texas
- Contact:
dont know... but as always when it comes to mikovs... I tell everyone to talk to nemo
http://www.nemoknives.com
if it can be done w/ a mikov, he can tell you how.
http://www.nemoknives.com
if it can be done w/ a mikov, he can tell you how.
Hi Howard,
I think it's a good idea to use screws. I'm working on a mutated stiletto myself presently, and having reinvented just about everything there is about the knife; if it wasn't held together with screws, I'd never have been able to take it apart the last 1000 times or so to fix my foul ups, make adjustments, etc. Also they look good, and you're less likely to mess up those expensive scales by hitting your rivets once too many times with one of those sissy little hammers.
I chose to use 1-72 size screws to hold the scales on (and the bolsters, and pillow blocks & spring for the low profile push button mechanism I designed) and found out that they look clunky, next time it has to be 0-80 size, which is smaller. The blade pivot and the screws that go through the spring are 2-56, which works out pretty good.
If your kit knife or take-apart has holes for rivets already, you either have to use the existing holes, which means you're stuck with a large size screw, or, if you're making your own scales, just locate the holes somewhere else on the liner.
To thread for a screw, you use a tool called a tap, which you turn into a pre-drilled hole, and it cuts the threads as you twist it in. To thread a liner so that you can screw a scale to it, you need to drill a hole through the scale which is large enough to pass the screw through with out binding. This is called a clearance hole. In the liner, you drill a smaller diameter hole, one that is about the size of the minor diameter of the thread. Then you twist the tap into it, and you have a threaded hole for the screw. The clearance and tap size drills are of established diameters; If you get to the point where you really want to try this, I'll look them up for you.
This is a pretty simple process, but some words of caution; taps are made of a hardened, high carbon steel, generally, and are prone to break off in the hole if you get heavy handed. I've busted the chops of more apprentices than I can remember on this issue. You should always use a drop of oil on a tap when threading with it, and proceed with care. Also, the material liners are made of is usually rather thin, around .035" or so, and this doesn't give you a lot of material for the screw to engage into, so they would strip the threads if you torque too hard on the screws when installing them. The liners I made for the knife I'm working on are made from .060" brass instead of the thinner stuff, for that reason.
By the way, not to make this seem too difficult, you will want to countersink or counterbore for the screw heads, to get them flush.
In spite of my warnings, though, I'd go ahead and try it if you want to. Practice on some scrap material, the worse that can happen is you break a tap or two. If, after you've read this you want to go ahead, let me know, and I'll let you in on all the dark mysterious secrets of the tool & die trade regarding tapping. I think you'll be satisfied with the results, and when you need to take that knife apart to fix it or clean it, you'll probably be glad you did it this way.
Regards,
TR
I think it's a good idea to use screws. I'm working on a mutated stiletto myself presently, and having reinvented just about everything there is about the knife; if it wasn't held together with screws, I'd never have been able to take it apart the last 1000 times or so to fix my foul ups, make adjustments, etc. Also they look good, and you're less likely to mess up those expensive scales by hitting your rivets once too many times with one of those sissy little hammers.
I chose to use 1-72 size screws to hold the scales on (and the bolsters, and pillow blocks & spring for the low profile push button mechanism I designed) and found out that they look clunky, next time it has to be 0-80 size, which is smaller. The blade pivot and the screws that go through the spring are 2-56, which works out pretty good.
If your kit knife or take-apart has holes for rivets already, you either have to use the existing holes, which means you're stuck with a large size screw, or, if you're making your own scales, just locate the holes somewhere else on the liner.
To thread for a screw, you use a tool called a tap, which you turn into a pre-drilled hole, and it cuts the threads as you twist it in. To thread a liner so that you can screw a scale to it, you need to drill a hole through the scale which is large enough to pass the screw through with out binding. This is called a clearance hole. In the liner, you drill a smaller diameter hole, one that is about the size of the minor diameter of the thread. Then you twist the tap into it, and you have a threaded hole for the screw. The clearance and tap size drills are of established diameters; If you get to the point where you really want to try this, I'll look them up for you.
This is a pretty simple process, but some words of caution; taps are made of a hardened, high carbon steel, generally, and are prone to break off in the hole if you get heavy handed. I've busted the chops of more apprentices than I can remember on this issue. You should always use a drop of oil on a tap when threading with it, and proceed with care. Also, the material liners are made of is usually rather thin, around .035" or so, and this doesn't give you a lot of material for the screw to engage into, so they would strip the threads if you torque too hard on the screws when installing them. The liners I made for the knife I'm working on are made from .060" brass instead of the thinner stuff, for that reason.
By the way, not to make this seem too difficult, you will want to countersink or counterbore for the screw heads, to get them flush.
In spite of my warnings, though, I'd go ahead and try it if you want to. Practice on some scrap material, the worse that can happen is you break a tap or two. If, after you've read this you want to go ahead, let me know, and I'll let you in on all the dark mysterious secrets of the tool & die trade regarding tapping. I think you'll be satisfied with the results, and when you need to take that knife apart to fix it or clean it, you'll probably be glad you did it this way.
Regards,
TR
Is it...Tomorrow....Or just the end of time?
Changing to screws on my Mikov kit
Thank You!
I was a little unsure becaues of the softness of the Mikov metal compaired to the China made Darrel Ralph kits that I bought that comes with some neet little torx screws.
I was a little unsure becaues of the softness of the Mikov metal compaired to the China made Darrel Ralph kits that I bought that comes with some neet little torx screws.
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mrbigg
- Posts: 4140
- Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:41 am
- Location: you talkin to me? you talkin to me? you talkin to me?
- Contact:
welcome to the forum mr howard!
i agree with mr tr4252, using screws is advantagous for future modifications and repair, but it can add to the work, and involve using more tools.......for an italian stiletto you would need 4 different sizes of screws and 4 different taps, some quite small...also a thicker liner is needed to hold enough thread to be safe (not sure how thick mikov liners are) i use 1/16".
this process can be problematic and can easily lead to disaster, so i'd suggest practice on a cheapo first....
good luck!
i agree with mr tr4252, using screws is advantagous for future modifications and repair, but it can add to the work, and involve using more tools.......for an italian stiletto you would need 4 different sizes of screws and 4 different taps, some quite small...also a thicker liner is needed to hold enough thread to be safe (not sure how thick mikov liners are) i use 1/16".
this process can be problematic and can easily lead to disaster, so i'd suggest practice on a cheapo first....
good luck!
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thegreatone
- Posts: 39
- Joined: Thu Oct 02, 2003 1:09 pm
Here's a link to cheap tap and die set if you need them. Only $9.99.
http://www.homier.com/default.asp?page= ... asp?dept=1 Look in hand tools about half way down
http://www.homier.com/default.asp?page= ... asp?dept=1 Look in hand tools about half way down
$30.00 is a lot to pay. I get the majority of taps and drills from a local tool supply place, or McMaster-Carr, a mail order outfit in New Jersey. They're the ones with the huge yellow catalog; they've been around for many years. They also carry all the screws you could imagine, plus anything else relating to tools, industrial stuff, etc. Taps in the #1-#2 range are under 10 dollars, I think the smaller ones can run a bit more. I order online at the shop, and usually the order shows up the next day by that carrier with the brown trucks.
Another major source for real small taps and screws would be any hobby shop which caters to model railroad enthusiasts. I don't know what they use them for, but the model train guys always seem to carry them. Their selections are often limited to brass flathead, hex head, and phillister head, but this can be handy as hell in a pinch. Small tools and supplies are also carried by these places.
TR
Another major source for real small taps and screws would be any hobby shop which caters to model railroad enthusiasts. I don't know what they use them for, but the model train guys always seem to carry them. Their selections are often limited to brass flathead, hex head, and phillister head, but this can be handy as hell in a pinch. Small tools and supplies are also carried by these places.
TR
Is it...Tomorrow....Or just the end of time?