Military tip up mods

rod tak

rod tak

Joined
Feb 9, 2010
Messages
343
I just got a jade/ m4 military, and I'm looking to do a tip up conversion.
Does anyone know who's doing stuff like this on here right now?

Thanks.
 
I personally love the fact the Millie is tip down. So many times while working outdoors i have had dust, sand and all kinds of crap make it's way into the pivot area due to tip up carry, being that the pivot area is at the base of the pocket. Millie never gets that issue since it's up top breathing some fresh air, really appeals to me.
 
Hi op, I mod all my Millies for tip up and enjoy them that way. I always loved the design but never carried them until I finally changed the clip position. I have done one myself and a (more skilled) friend on the forums did one for me. They both turned out ok but I prefer the one he did. Haha. I think the best method is drilling the scale then countersinking helicoil inserts in the backside of the scale. Hopefully somebody on here will chime in and offer to help you out. It's a fairly simple job though if you want to try it yourself. Just be careful when you drill backside countersunk holes as it's very easy to "overdrill" and go all the way through. Make sure you scale is firmly clamped down or it will grab and "ride up" the bit.
 
The conversion isn't too complicated. The clips are curved so you need to get a left hand clip from Spyderco to follow the curve of the scale when you flip the knife over. This is the clip they put on their left hand models. Take the knife apart and install 3-#2X56 TPI Helicoils in the G-10/Carbon fiber near the a$$ end of the right scale. You can get the necessary tools and parts from Traver's Tool. If you have a Titanium handle, you can drill and tap the Ti. If you try to drill and tap the liner to hold the clip, there won't be many threads to hold the thing together.
 
Josh at Razor Edge Knives converted mine. I carry it all the time now that its tip up, I had it drilled for the standard 3 hole spydie pattern and put a lynch clip on it.
 
I did one awhile ago.
It was easy. Just use a regular clip for a PM2 to use as a drill guide and where you want it for placement.

Drilled one hole. Tap. Insert screw to prevent movement... move clip left or right.
Drill..Tap second hole...Insert screw...repeat once more.

I went with just drilling into the G10 and tapped it.
Held fine for a month's carry. Zero issues.

Then I did it with inserts (gutted griptilian scales) just because I got curious.


A tip up Millie is sacrilege to the Millie boys.
But I am not one of them.

Do it OP.
 
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5-by-5 said:
You're a whole different kind of evil. LOL
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If you are a tip up person. That mod will make the Millie even better.
IMHO...It rides better in my pocket.
Deployment is faster than tip up.
With a Casey clip. It sits low in my pocket like a PM2.
 
I personally never understood the need to ride tip up. If its due primarily for protection, carry something that is designed to be waved out of pocket and protect.

Now a deep carry mod (clip) is different, and makes the Millie ride so much better IMO.
 
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bdmicarta said:
Oh but the edge lasts much longer if you carry it tip up, because it will take so long to pull it out and open it.
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^This^ :rolleyes:

I carry everything else tip up. I have a black-bladed digicam and a fluted Ti and while I have given some thought to conversion, I figure that a tip up Millie would take a such long hand-walk down the knife to get to the thumb hole that any benefit to tip-up would be negated. When I pull the Millie my thumb is pretty much right there at the hole, I turn my wrist outward, and the knife rolls over in perfect position to open.

91bravo said:
I think tip down is what makes a Military, well...a Military!
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^This, too^ :thumbsup:
 
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This always tends to confound a lot of people who are proponents of carrying larger knives tip down. I think its partly because they are assuming that how fast you can pull your knife out and open it is important to everyone. It's not. Some folks are more concerned with which way the spine is facing, which way the lanyard hole is facing, or how the knife carries in non standard carry positions. If I lived in the US I would carry a Millie in back pocket and would mount it for tip down because that works best for me in rear pocket. Where I live though, I almost never have back (or front) pockets and tip up works better for my carry method. Contrary to what some would believe, there's not a right or wrong answer here and it depends on the individual.
 
Like someone else posted, I used the inserts from a Griptilian. I drilled the holes for a regular Spyderco hourglass clip. I much prefer the Millie tip-up because all of my other folders are tip-up. I'm used to it. I also like that the handle is facing out in my pocket rather than the blade hump which annoyed me when reaching into my pocket.
 
That's exactly it for me, I like the widest part of the blade riding deeper in my pocket, the spine facing away from me. Although it is quite a walk up to the pivot it is still worth it to me to me to be able to use my lanyard hole and to not rub past the jumping every time I go to grab my wallet.

I appreciate all the posts, I've looked into the helicoils before. It looks fairly simple, I just don't trust my tapping ability. If there is someone I can pay to do it I would really appreciate it. I have some new screws and an mxgear deep carry clip to throw on there too.
 
tiguy7 said:
If you try to drill and tap the liner to hold the clip, there won't be many threads to hold the thing together.
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There is no liner on that end of the Military, the liners don't extend that far. As for the number of threads, as far as I can tell all Spyderco knives with liners have the screws tapped into the liners and it seems to work OK as long as you don't monkey with them too much. I always thought the easiest way to do a tip up mod would be to get a small piece of metal the same thickness as the liner, put it inside the scale on the bottom end, and drill and tap 3 holes in it. Then just unscrew the clip from one end and screw it onto the other end. But then I don't have all that much luck with taps and I'm not brave enough to try it with a tap that small.
 
AF said:
Like someone else posted, I used the inserts from a Griptilian. I drilled the holes for a regular Spyderco hourglass clip. I much prefer the Millie tip-up because all of my other folders are tip-up. I'm used to it. I also like that the handle is facing out in my pocket rather than the blade hump which annoyed me when reaching into my pocket.
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Reaching past the jimping on the blade hump was the biggest reason I got mine converted to tip up.
 
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