Fixing SNG and SBMF 889....Need Help!!!

[batosai117]

Hey everybody, I treated myself today and got a SBMF 889 in black from the local Academy. Now, I have a tanto SNG that I grounded out to more of a drop point blade edge, but it still just doesn't look right.

I already swaped the blades and it's a perfect fit. What I would like to do is keep the titanium frame lock side but use the grippy TACCOM handle from the 889. I noticed that the 889 is held together with rivets. Will the handle be ruined if I took those off? Another part of that question is how would I take those out? I know I read somewhere that a few members have taken them out and replaced them with normal screws, I just don't want to pull a perfectly good handle apart and not be able to put it back together.

I don't want/will not send it to someone else, I would like to do this modification myself.

Any tips or pointers as to how I should start?

Thanks in advance, J.

 

[STR]

J. I save all my thin cut off discs just for removing the heads off pins. What I buy is Keystone thin thin thin cut off discs and I usually have about 800 or more on hand in the bin in my shop. I was introduced to these by their use in dentistry but any jewelry supplier or good jewelry store will usually sell them. If nothing else you can get something very similar but not as thin at Wal-Mart or Lowes in their dremmel sections.

Typically these wear down at accelerated rates so they go from 7/8" or 1/2" diameter whichever they start out and move on down to about a 1/4" or so pretty fast. I don't throw them out as I said. I stick them in a tray. Using a mandrel and one of those small head discs (variable speed helps for the dremmel also) you can usually take the head off very carefully not only faster but with more control than trying to use a drill press and a drill bit. Its still necessary to be careful not letting the disc try to run off and take off on you so again controlling speed and pressure is key. Although the drill press works too if you can keep the pin from spinning with the drill, thats the problem doing it this way in my experience.

The small disc diameter helps to eliminate or reduce significantly any chance of dinging up the sidewalls of the FRN or G10 and since they are usually recessed in some you still have to be careful even this way but I've managed to do this a number of times to replace pins with barrels and screws. Usually these pins have a black metal washer underneath the head so you will scratch that up. What is usually the case also is that the pin size and the barrel size are two different ones with the barrel being bigger around. So you will need a to drill out the holes to probably 1/8" sizes maybe bigger. I don't know what you have to work with. If new barrels you'll have 1/8" and need a carbide drill and drill press at higher speed to drill hardened parts using that. If not a HSS or cobalt drill will work. I like the two flute carbides for the whole job personally because they just drill and don't pull the material up so you can use those and not necessarily have to clamp although that is a good idea. Not that I cheat mind you.

Anyway, if you do repin in a same size pin you'll be able to flip that washer upside down and it will be mark free on the opposite side and look factory. You will have to peen the heads to secure them though.

STR

 

[batosai117]

Thanks STR :thumbup: I'll start working on it