Ouparator #15 ordered.

Moving right along. :D

Got most of my barrels and screws cut to length. Have my sides done minus the notch to access the lock which I need to cut out and also I need to mill out the lock after marking it.

Haven't made the clip yet or even drilled the holes for that let alone thread them. But its moving forward. All trimmed out just shy of final finish before I get to the lock which is coming up. Still a lot of steps left. Stay tuned.

STR
 
Further progress yesterday and today.

Thumb stud is installed on the blade.
Lock is milled out but I still need to spring it after cutting my relief cuts to thin it a bit.

Got all my screws and barrels cut to length now and the thumb access for the lock release and thumb stud access all mapped and carved out and then I added the faint hint of a choil to the blade that actually works quite well. Its already showing a great feel in the hand. I'll have the next steps knocked out soon and move on the the low rider clip for it and then once all thats done I'll strip it all back down and bead blast everything but the blade.

Its looking and acting like a folder now! Still some work yet though. Now I'm moving on to knock out some smaller projects to take a breather from this one.
Thanks for looking.

STR
 
That's looking great. The lines are very nice. Remember, I actually wanted a regualr clip for a thin a profile as possible. I'm not really a fan of low-riders. The clip you put on the Tarani with the half stop in the action is a great example of what I would like the clip to be.

Thanks for the progress updates. I'm really excited to get this in my hands.
 
Glad you reminded me because no I forgot totally. No problem. That will be done shortly.

In fact the folder should be done shortly.

I expect you'll be carrying this next week providing you're ready to square up.:thumbup:

STR
 
Its all done my friend.

I'll take some better digitals of it tomorrow in sunlight. For now these teasers will have to suffice using my flat bed scanner.

Seen here is the low profile clip I built for it and also a nice view of the lock up and lock cuts which both measure a hefty .066 thickness at the thinnest point in the middle. If you don't absoulutely love it I'll gladly take it back. :D

STR
 
Ok Joe. Here it is shown in some better digital close ups. Its a bit foggy and overcast this morning but I managed to get a few to show up well enough I think.

Pics don't do it justice though. Its not done right until its in the hand but that will be soon enough. Enjoy.

STR
 

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Wow, it looks really good in those pictures. I can't wait after looking at those. Payment coming ASAP.
 
holy schmoly steve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's AMAZING.

nice job,
Brett
 
Joe I recieved your payment in the mail just this morning. Its packed up and ready to roll out of here. You will need to sign for it when it arrives.

Look for it Saturday but don't hold your breath. If not then Monday, Tuesday for sure.

Thanks

STR
 
Like I said, I insured it so you or someone there will have to sign for it when it arrives. It went out around noon today so if it catches the right flight out it could be there Sat. I'd start looking for it then and Monday.

Here is the tracking. 0503 8555 7491 1732 2814

Thanks Joe.

STR
 
It got here today, as you predicted. Thanks for the quick shipping.

This is a very impressive folder. I'm happy to see the thicker blade stock than I've noticed in your other Ouparator pictures. This suits the tank-like feel of the knife well. And tank-like it is. This is, hands-down, the sturdiest, most solid feeling folder I've ever used. Yes, even more-so than a Sebenza. It has all the right ingredients for strength and reliability in a frame lock. The thicker lock relief cut-out, the screw in stop pin, the full contact lock up, screws tapped into the barrel spacers, rather than the scales, the extra blade tang in the handle, etc. This is every thing I had been expecting, and I am very satisfied. I feel that I got a great deal on this knife.

I could go on, and I will, but I'll save it for the review thread coming up.

Thanks, STR. I am very, very impressed.
 
You are very welcome. Thank you for being very patient. I've been so far behind that everyone is waiting longer than ever before so it was very much appreciated the way you allowed some other guys to slip in ahead of you so I could ease some pressure off to continue on your folder with a bit less stress for the other jobs around here.

I'm very glad it arrived early rather than late for you. Now you can sleep this weekend.:D

Seems like for me the more I want the knife I'm waiting on the longer it takes.

Enjoy. I doubt it will give you any trouble. I carried it and used it for three days making sure it was up to snuff and I did go ahead and loctite the pivot and the stop. Its not often I get to hang on to one that long so I can make sure but with yours though I was able to go over it good before shipping.

Just be sure to keep the blade dry and wipe if off after use. I would also recommend a small silicone impregnated gun cleaning cloth to wipe it for longer term storage.

The open design can help to allow it to air good but in the event that you do use it in or around water or when hot and sweaty checking the blade is a good idea.

STR
 
The review thread is up in the review forum if anybody wants to check it out.
 
Thanks for the review Joe. Its funny that you liked the thicker stock blade. Most of my customers have grown used to my thinner blades. When I set out to design a nice modern folder with old world character one of my original intents besides carbon steel blades was to use something along the same thickness as the old Schrade Old Timer and Case CV blades I carried and used as a young man. One of the hardest things for me to get used to going from the old slip joints to the newer more 'modern' one hand opening closing folders and tactical folders was the more obtuse edge geometry and thicker blades. I still find myself trimming them down with major reprofile work to make them more suitable for my tastes and get a bit frustrated with how poorly they penetrate in some materials when trying to cut with them.

I have found the toughness of carbon blades to be quite good even when thin and also felt one of the reasons I liked them so much was because of that 3/32 or thinner blade that just could not help but slice and perform well when flat ground.

Here I was worried that you'd maybe somewhat reject the thicker than normal blade for something out of my shop.

Glad it went the other way.

STR
 
Well, I came into pocket knives well in to the tactical era, so I'm quite used to the thick blade stock/full flat grind combination, being that I've bought mostly Spydercos in that configuration since I was legally able.
 
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