Flipper delete with minimal tools

[Undefeatable]

Hello all!

So I ordered a Civivi Odium with the intent on remove the flipper and just using the blade cut out to open it. I have never done any sort of mods that touch the blade, only stuff to scales.

My tools are fairly limited. I have a Dremel with a kit of attachments, but they are all pretty basic. I also have some different files that I can use (I know they will work on steel as I have used them to make some motorcycle parts fit before). Does anyone have any recommendations on Dremel attachments that would work best for removing the flipper? The final details work will be with files I think.

Thanks!

 

[hhmoore]

Not being familiar with the knife, I'd recommend making sure that the detent allows consistent opening with the cutout BEFORE removing the flipper tab.
Once you've confirmed that, a coarse sanding barrel should do the trick.

 

[BitingSarcasm]

A 60 grit drum will work just fine, or just go with the coarsest drum in your kit. The sanding drum is one of the best ways to get rid of excess steel. If you have Fiberglass reinforced cutoff wheels and a steady hand, that will work the fastest but with the best chance of leaving skip marks on a bad pass.

If you want to flush the tab to the scales, mark where the cut will be in sharpie until you are happy then scribe it. If you don’t have a scribe or scratch awl, a good hardened screwdriver will leave a mark you can follow. The blade will have to come out, put a couple layers of tape right next to where you want to cut to protect from Oops. Use a vise or clamp the blade to something that can get wet, spraying the blade with water every few passes will protect the heat treat. If you can’t touch the steel with a bare hand, spray it with water; I keep a standing puddle on the blade and refresh it as I go. Cut a little wide with the cutoff wheel, switch to the sanding drum to sneak up on the line, and finish it off with a little wet sanding paper.

 

[Undefeatable]

Not being familiar with the knife, I'd recommend making sure that the detent allows consistent opening with the cutout BEFORE removing the flipper tab.
Once you've confirmed that, a coarse sanding barrel should do the trick.

Oh I will for sure make sure the detent will work without the flipper before removing anything.

A 60 grit drum will work just fine, or just go with the coarsest drum in your kit. The sanding drum is one of the best ways to get rid of excess steel. If you have Fiberglass reinforced cutoff wheels and a steady hand, that will work the fastest but with the best chance of leaving skip marks on a bad pass.

If you want to flush the tab to the scales, mark where the cut will be in sharpie until you are happy then scribe it. If you don’t have a scribe or scratch awl, a good hardened screwdriver will leave a mark you can follow. The blade will have to come out, put a couple layers of tape right next to where you want to cut to protect from Oops. Use a vise or clamp the blade to something that can get wet, spraying the blade with water every few passes will protect the heat treat. If you can’t touch the steel with a bare hand, spray it with water; I keep a standing puddle on the blade and refresh it as I go. Cut a little wide with the cutoff wheel, switch to the sanding drum to sneak up on the line, and finish it off with a little wet sanding paper.

Perfect! Thank you for the tips! I was hoping sanding would be the answer. I have a ton of sanding drums so I should be good. I will be careful to mark what I want to take off and make sure it doesn't affect anything. I will update once I have the knife in hand.

 

[killgar]

D2 steel can be pretty hard (59-61 HRC is really hard). It could take you quite awhile using just a sanding drum and use up a lot of drums to remove the flipper. I've done some work on D2 with that same HRC and it was very hard. I'd use a cutting wheel to remove the largest amount of the flipper, then finish with sanding drums. I'd probably then do more careful finish work with diamond files. I often see cutting wheels at Walmart, but you also need a spindle for them which is sold separately.

I'd recommend wrapping the blade with a thick layer of masking tape to protect it just in case your hand slips or the dremel jumps, and mount the blade securely to a table or bench.

I've removed 3 out of the 4 guard spurs on 2 Cold Steel Tilites using the methods described above. That's the closest I've come to removing a flipper.

 

[Undefeatable]

I do have a bunch of those wafer thin cutting disks.

Also, I have a few questions regarding acid etching + stonewashing.

I wanted to do the blade, hardware, pocket clip, and maaaybe the liners?

The blade is D2, im guessing the rest of the parts are just stainless steel. Any recommendations on the acid to use for the blade? and would it be advisable to do the hardware/clip and liners as well? Going for an apocalyptic look.

For the stone washing, I was just going to do the gatorade bottle + rocks + solutions (soap/water, windex, or SD40. Ive heard all of these being used).

Here is a picture of the knife in case you have never seen it. As you can see, the liners are visible as the g10 is fitted a little smaller than the liners.

I was able to buy this knife for $10 out of pocket (had store credits from previous purchases), so this is as much of a fun project as it is a knife to carry.

 

[BitingSarcasm]

I've removed 3 out of the 4 guard spurs on 2 Cold Steel Tilites using the methods described above.

Did the fourth guard spur get away clean or was it only wounded? The Ti lite guard jimping is almost sharp enough to be a weapon itself.

I do have a bunch of those wafer thin cutting disks.

Check out the disks and see if they have a fiberglass web on them. The ones that come with my Dremel were not reinforced, so they shattered really easily with lateral pressure or pushing too hard into the steel I was cutting. D2 is hard stuff, it's easy to want to push hard and try to cut faster, but it's the rotation doing the cutting and not the downward pressure. I pick up reinforced disks at Harbor Freight for cheap, and they seem to last about as long as the pricier stuff at the big box stores. When the skinny disks break they throw sharp pieces of shrapnel, so don't lean over the Dremel as you go. Keep your safety goggles parallel to the disk and don't position yourself so that all you see is the edge; that means you are in the line of fire. The rotational force can fling bits underneath regular safety glasses and speckle your eyeballs. As for acid washing or etching, that's something outside of my experience, but D2 is not the easiest to change that way. I think there are a few threads in here about it, it's worth looking before you break out the chemicals.

 

[killgar]

Did the fourth guard spur get away clean or was it only wounded? The Ti lite guard jimping is almost sharp enough to be a weapon itself.

HA! I removed the 2 off my 4" Tilite, but only the one on the back of the blade on off my 6" that stuck out when the knife was closed. That one would have ripped a hole in my jeans pretty fast when I carried it in my back pocket, and would have made it impossible to carry in the quick-draw underarm sheath I now carry it in. I agree, the jimping is pretty vicious, and I don't think those guard spurs serve any real practical purpose, but I didn't feel the need to remove both off the 6".

 

[Undefeatable]

Perfect, thanks for the help!

No joke I was browsing YouTube, didnt even search for this but apparently i am not the first one who wanted an Odium acid and stonewashed:

What are the chances hahaha, i am amazed! I have zero affiliation with this guy, never heard of him until this vid was just suggested.

 

[Undefeatable]

UPDATE:

So ended up doing 3 mods today.

• Flipper delete
• Detent ball ramp
• Chamfered the inside lock bar where your finger goes to unlock the knife

Here are the results:

Detent ball ramp:

Chamfered lock bar (excuse the buffing wheel powder):

Flipper Delete:
Masking area:

Ended up using cutting wheel to get the bulk of it off:

Trying to match the chamfers somewhat:

Finished Product:

 

[killgar]

Nicely done .

 

[Undefeatable]

Thank you! I was worried after doing the detent ball ramp. The Dremel attachment I was using was a cone shape but wider than I thought. I got more of the lock face of the blade than I wanted. Luckily it doesn't seem to be affecting the lock up at all. Tried a few tests and it sits just like it did before with no lock slip or lock rock.

 

[BitingSarcasm]

Nice work! And now you are going to look at other knives and think about how you can make them better for you if they were juuuust a little different. It's a slippery slope but a fun ride.