Buck 500, Adding Deep Fitted Finger Grooves In SS A PAIN, But Worth Effort! :-)

[joejeweler]

A few days ago my NEW Buck 500 with stainless steel bolsters arrived in the mail. Overall the best $40.00 (shipped) I think I'd spent in a long time. I'd never considered this model before because I'd had a 112 and 110 for so long I didn't think I needed another Buck folder. I was wrong!

The 500 Duke has a much thinner profile than my previously favored 112, and goes virtually unnoticed in pocket carry. The plumper 112 shows through a little, not that THAT ever stopped me from carrying it! lol

However, first impressions of my 2014 vintage 500 revealed a few issues for me, which I knew I needed to address before I could really enjoy this one. On this recent manufactured example the outer edges were pretty "sharp" and uncomfortable in the hand. Some folks like sharp there perhaps, but I'm not one,.....so that had to change.

The only other issue was the blade had about a millimeter or so of lateral play in it. I'll admit it,....I'm a bit fussy and nitpicking here,.....but 35 years as a bench jeweler/diamond setter made me that way.

For SURE we're looking at a great "canvas" here, and I certainly can't expect a huge amount of custom finishing be done on such a bargain priced and practical knife,.......straight out of the box. On sale at $40.00 shipped on ebay,.....a no brainer.

So OK, I look at some forum posts here and decide the blade play removal is something I can do myself. So I grab a piece of 1/8" thick scrap leather and fold it to pad the jaws of my small jewelers vice, make sure I'm centered over the blade pivot rivet (and not catching some of the rosewood scales), ....and slowly tighten the vise until I felt a hint of movement.

Removed the knife from the vise and could see just one side of the blade rivet was now protruding a smidge, and ALL of the lateral play was now gone! I used a steel staking punch to carefully tap down the rivet after padding the back side with just a business card against a scrap steel piece that I added a slightly cupped surface to match the surface contours of the bolster/rivet area. Some light sanding and crocus cloth followed by a 1" muslin wheel polish and that was done. The blade was actually a smidge tighter than I preferred, but opening and closing the knife a few hundred times made it about perfect. (and still no play in the blade)

I decided to get rid of all the sharp corners next, and that was pretty simple using a 1/2" rubber backed cylinder sanding disc using 120 grit disc. I finished up with a few finer grits by hand, and finally used the small polishing wheel until it felt S M O O T H

So OK, smooth corners and tight blade lockup,....but something was still missing in my mind. Most of my other Buck folders I have added custom fitted finger grooves. But those were all done on brass bolsters,....and THIS one had stainless steel to contend with!

I'd remembered reading on the making of stainless steel bicycle frames the time it took to make was about DOUBLE that of chromoly steel ones. AND,...the stainless had a tendency to wear out cutters a lot quicker!

So OK, most of my jewelers diamond burs I'd long ago abused cutting out a frozen bottom bracket on a bike rescue buy of a Serotta road bike frame. But I DID have lots of sanding discs and stone cut off discs at hand. I decided to put 3 thin stone cutoff discs on the spindle to increase the surface area to be removed on my Foredom Flexable shaft machine (a glorified Dremmel).

That worked fine,...but also VERY SLOW in this monster metal! Grind a few seconds, dip in water to keep cool, repeat. Folks, it took me about THREE HOURS to get where I wanted to be on this knife on just the finger grooves! (blade tightening and edge rounding an additional 1/2 hour or so)

Once I got close with the tripled up cut off discs, I finished up with the rubber backed 1/2" sander and 120 grit, followed by hand finishing to about 800 grit to a final polish. The outer corners of each finger groove has a comfy taper to them, and each groove placement was centered over my own hand. I suspect this will fit the majority of users in any case as my hand is about average.

I'd like to add that "maybe" the reason these stainless bolstered 500 Dukes aren't in constant production might be because this knife is NOT profitable for Buck to make! Sort of like a loss-leader to get you in the Buck family, but a dog for them to produce due to the tough metal to machine and the abuse on their cutters. Just a feeling mind you, but I can tell you this stuff is a LOT harder to work than Brass! That may also be the reason you don't see many SS Buck 500's with finger grooves! (tough on the tools

Anyway, I'll include some pics below that I think will show the result. An added bonus is the knife dropped about 1/2 ounce in weight, and feels great in the hand. It's become one of my favorites to carry in my pocket. I quickly stitched together a small leather dust cover to help keep the works clean for pocket carry. An added hole will allow for neck carry under a T-shirt or tie to you belt for added security on a fishing boat and such.

Oh,...I later perfectly leveled the top of the locking bar flush with the frame, and added a little love on top of the blade,.....just felt like it.

All gone over and she got a good cleaning in dish detergent and heavy streaming water and brushes, followed by about 80 PSI of blowing out with my air compressor followed. I used a light oil on the blade pivot and lock bar pivot, and some moly paste at the blade lockup and where the post spring meets the lock bar areas.

.....I think I'm done with this one now,...and she feels sweet in hand! Yeah Baby!!!

NOTE: One wish is that Buck would offer this knife optionally WITHOUT a nail cutout. It's a beautifully shaped blade, and with the added finger groves there is no need for the nail groove There is PLENTY of blade to grab onto to open her up. The old 2 dot 112's look so much better without that groove,.....but the clip point not a favorite of mine. The 500 Duke drop point blade is mighty fine otherwise.








The index finger groove stops right at the bottom of the blade structure that tensions the blade in the closed position. Do NOT cut into that area!















A good fit and the knife placed in the cover this way (blade pivot DOWN) keeps most of the dirt out while pocketed:

 

[Badhammer]

Not a big fan of finger grooves in general and on a knife this size I don't know that I would care for them at all but, be that as it may I applaud your talents. Like it or not you did an outstanding job adding those finger grooves. If I didn't know better I'd think they were factory applied. The filework on the spine is another matter entirely. I actually like that type of blade embellishment and again you did it beautifully! Congratulations on a very well done job of making that Buck your very own.

 

[EagleIH]

Are the bolsters and liners on the 500 stainless or nickel?

 

[Stumps]

Very nice!

I like the looks of those deep grooves and I'll bet it feels great in your hand.

I have a fairly nice touring bicycle and a friend that went on a bunch of long tours got tired of people admiring my bike. She bought a Serrota and people started admiring her bike. You don't see many of those around.

Thanks for posting your custom Duke pictures.

 

[joejeweler]

Not a big fan of finger grooves in general and on a knife this size I don't know that I would care for them at all but, be that as it may I applaud your talents. Like it or not you did an outstanding job adding those finger grooves. If I didn't know better I'd think they were factory applied. The filework on the spine is another matter entirely. I actually like that type of blade embellishment and again you did it beautifully! Congratulations on a very well done job of making that Buck your very own.

Thanks, and like anything the end result is what you put into it. By the way, my factory applied finger grooved 110 from about 15 years ago has MUCH shallower grooves, but it's a bit much for me to carry everyday so I haven't changed them.

In some ways on a knife this size the deeper finger grooves actually HELP to keep the blade from slipping around when wet, or bloody cleaning fish or game. The original factory polished bolsters were pretty slick in hand, and the sharp edges didn't help either as you really didn't want to grip it all too tightly! The added finger grooves sort of lock the knife in position to your hand, and for me at least a big preference on this knife that I plan to carry regularly and use under all conditions.

I liked this 500 so well, I actually ordered a few older 500's (Script "B" ) that I will play with a bit, but most likely try my hand at adding stag to the grips and leave out the finger grooves. (more stag to see The stag will serve a similar purpose to better the grip, although at an increase of thickness for sure. The top side of the 500 tapers pretty good to a thin edge, so I may deepen the base to allow more stag thickness, even if the frame base is tapered a bit. Not sure though,...until I see them when they arrive,.....later today!

 

[joejeweler]

Very nice!

I like the looks of those deep grooves and I'll bet it feels great in your hand.

I have a fairly nice touring bicycle and a friend that went on a bunch of long tours got tired of people admiring my bike. She bought a Serrota and people started admiring her bike. You don't see many of those around.


Thanks for posting your custom Duke pictures.

Yep,...feels wonderful in hand,......might get me arrested fondling it sometime!

Serrota's are nice, sadely now out of business and they were quite close at about 20 miles from me. I have an another old 1980's model with Columbus SLX tubing that had a repaint by Joe Bell that's fabulous. At $500 on ebay for the frame it was less than the Joe Bell Paint job was in 1996 (over $600 including resetting to 130mm the rear dropout width. I saw the receipt)

Oh,...and Stumps, Thanks for posting your recent TWO stag applications! Really,...Now I've bought TWO script B's 500's and will put some nice stag on at least one of them. Thanks a LOT buddy!

Are the bolsters and liners on the 500 stainless or nickel?

On my 2014 edition the bolsters are DEFINATELY Stainless. Some were Nickle Silver though, and would be much easier to work on. BUT,....also easier to scratch......

 

[Peter Parker]

Joe between you and Stumps we're getting a lot of modified Buck eye candy! Great jobs to both of you, and I sure can' t wait to finally get a 500 for my self next month if nothing else crops up!

 

[joejeweler]

Joe between you and Stumps we're getting a lot of modified Buck eye candy! Great jobs to both of you, and I sure can' t wait to finally get a 500 for my self next month if nothing else crops up!

You'll find the 500 of a useful and practical size,......and very "tweak-able" A great all around user as it comes too, but the sharp edges at least had to go for me. I've put aside (for now my 112's as the much slimmer Duke avoids a lot of questions. (like what's that big lump in your jeans,........ pocket?

I actually got stopped several years ago at the entrance to a mall out of town, as the Buck 112 gave a pronounced bulge in my slim cut dress pants, and it was a hot day so no coat. I told the guy a Buck folder, and he insisted I leave it in the car prior to entering. Geeze,.........bet I could have brought in a hammer or screwdriver though!

I also still carry my modified (to a drop point & added filework) Buck 55 as a "backup" , as it's handy for light tasks and great for sliver removal without raising alarms around you! Sits nicely in my pancake style belt worn credit card and cash "wallet" I had made several years ago. But the 500 D U K E is a nice EDC.

........Shame I waited SO long to pick one up myself! (make that FIVE now)

 

[Peter Parker]

I also still carry my modified (to a drop point & added filework) Buck 55 as a "backup" , as it's handy for light tasks and great for sliver removal without raising alarms around you! Sits nicely in my pancake style belt worn credit card and cash "wallet" I had made several years ago. But the 500 D U K E is a nice EDC.

........Shame I waited SO long to pick one up myself!

I have my much liked 501 for that, as I carry it both in the pocket and in the sheath! You say there was sharp edges, so just a moment ago I went and handled my 501 and it has none that I can tell. I've handled my buddy's older 500s and don't remember them being that way. You didn't happen to take any before images did you and if so could you post them? I figure the heft of the 500 will mostly keep it in sheath carry. I've been wanting one for sometime now!

 

[joejeweler]

I have my much liked 501 for that, as I carry it both in the pocket and in the sheath! You say there was sharp edges, so just a moment ago I went and handled my 501 and it has none that I can tell. I've handled my buddy's older 500s and don't remember them being that way. You didn't happen to take any before images did you and if so could you post them? I figure the heft of the 500 will mostly keep it in sheath carry. I've been wanting one for sometime now!

The only picture I took before starting work on this newer 2014 vintage 500 was to record the weight. You can see some sharp edges, but I wasn't trying to emphasize the edges so the photo probably doesn't convey the best of what the hand felt.

The inner liner edges were 90% "knife sharp" on my example originally, but a fine grit rubber wheel took the edge off in no time. I used a light pass of a 120 grit 1/2" rubber backed wheel in my Flex shaft handpiece, followed by the fine rubber wheel and polishing wheels on the outer edges. All told maybe 15 minutes to remove all the sharp edges. But that can add up in shop time per piece and would probably add $10 or so to a retail price. Fine sandpaper and crocus cloth would do as well for those without a flex shaft, but would take longer of course.

I've since received two older 500's with the script "Buck" letters, and they were noticably less sharp on the edges. I guess to keep new production price points low in this tough economy,(especially with the PITA to work Stainless Steel , some of the hand finish detailing was sacrificed. This was just $40.00 to me shipped, after all,.....a bit below list for sure.

I don't have a problem with that mind you, as it's STILL a great bargain as is. With just a little hand finishing put in by the owner to smooth up the machined edges it can be a comfy user.



I still like at least an index finger guard added though, as the polished bolsters and smooth scales are pretty slick. You never know when you might have to poke through something, and especially in wet conditions, I'd hate to have my hand slide forward onto the blade. :grumpy: With just an index finger finger guard, much like the built in one on the 112, the chance of that happening is much less.

I know what I like and am a bit picky. Once I got in my two older 500's with Script lettering, I decided to leave the newest looking one alone as stock. One had a bit of use on it, (and left some very small battle scars unpolished) so I'm sure to use it but needed at least an index and picky finger groove which I added. I left the center alone as I may try to add stag scales to it once I find the right set and wanted the most stag showing possible.

The index finger groove (on 2 grooved knife) is not as long as the 4-grooved 500 for a similar reason,....maximum stag coverage when I get around to it The thin scale edges, especially at the lock bar side, will be tricky if I want to maintain the outer "skin" details of the stag.

A few pics:





I love the script lettering. I'm surprised Buck went back to the block lettering as THIS looks SO Classy!

 

[Peter Parker]

Thanks Joe for the image and the process! That doesn't look as rounded as my 501. I'll have to wait and see how mine is when it arrives sometime next month. Those three look great together! It looks like you've got your self a nice little 500 collection going.

 

[jamestap]

I like the looks of #2, grooving the bolsters straightens out the grip and looks like it gives more usable length.

I seldom grip with all 4 fingers unless holding underhand to cut something heavy, like splitting a deer's sternum. Overhand, I usually have 3 below with index finger on the spine guiding the cut.

For big-game hunting, I like a folder with a thick wide handle and very little curve to it. That's the main reason my go-to hunting knife is a non-Buck. And why I may have to do a little work on a 500 to get a fat, rounder, straighter grip

I agree the 500 is a bargain, but no more so than any of their traditional lock-backs. You can buy a 110 at Wal Mart or Academy $30 out the door.

 

[joejeweler]

Actually, I think the Buck 500 is a bit more of a bargain than their other lock-backs, based solely on the stainless steel frame & bolster construction.

The extra effort to machine these, (including the higher cutting tool wear), I think might put this model into loss-leader status for Buck.

No verification of that feeling anywhere I could find in writing,....BUT,.....the fact that Buck doesn't keep this model in their everyday lineup tends to show it's not a money maker for them, if at all.

.....and like I mentioned when I started this thread,...I found the stainless steel IS a PITA to work with

 

[SUPERFITTER]

What kind of stainless steel is the blade made of? I have one from the late 70's to early 80's and was wondering if they changed the steel. I do not know what they were using for the blade at that point in time. My bolsters are nickel silver.

 

[David Martin]

If your Duke is of the time frame you state, it has a 440C blade and a stainless frame. Is the blade stamp in script or block lettering? DM

 

[SUPERFITTER]

If your Duke is of the time frame you state, it has a 440C blade and a stainless frame. Is the blade stamp in script or block lettering? DM

Buck is in script, 500 and U.S.A. is as you see in my typing. Look at the last picture in Post 10 by joejeweler

The knife is new (never used condition), with BUCK leather case, original box, Limited paper warranty sheet and a (A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT OF BUCK KNIVES) paper.

I purchased this knife because of the high quality, but never used it, sort of added to other knives I collected.

Looks like a new one is 420HC steel.

 

[David Martin]

Yes, the new ones have a 420HC blade and still with a stainless frame. DM

 

[AreBeeBee]

My 500 (2013 date) also came with sharpish edges (the blade well, bolsters/scales). I used fine emery paper wrapped around a wedge (rubber or plastic kitchen spatula head) to round off the edges.

But finger grooves — Yikes! I look on with amazement, and leave the job entirely to you.