My Spyderco Mods

I have two spydercos apart on the bench right now, but the heat is just too much as my shop is not a/c'd.
I have a Crow and a Raven (black g-10) about to get pink g-10.
I have also recently completed a Buck 110 project (HERE), and I am about to do a full size 110. Haven't decided what scales to use, yet, but have all the components, including a new blade.
I have a Chokwe scale in rough texture blue G-10 made up, waiting for a decent price on another chokwe.
I am now only buying Grail Spydercos, so my project list is very small.
 
I understand the heat, I feel like I moved to the desert this summer. The Chokwe will be my next Spyderco purchase after the CTS-204 PM2 comes in. That last Chowke with blue CF is absolutely awesome. Do you have any write-ups or videos of the scale making processes or know of any? I have only done small mods and none to my Spyderco knives yet because of lack of experience, but this is the kind of stuff I want to get into.
 
I just pimped a Spyderco Byrd Crow, and I have a Raven on the bench to do a similar mod to.

Replaced the black g-10 with pink. Added a lanyard tube as these come with only a hole (Raven will have this flared to fit better), tapped the liners for 4-40 clip screws as these are NOT tapped for the clip screws (?). Did have some problems with the LAST screw that kinda ruined the project. But, I am doing something different for the Raven. Pink, lanyard tube, and tapped liners, but something different for scale attachment.

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pesky screw
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Nice stuff! You know, on that Blue CF Chokwe, you can take the Ti scale and soak it overnight in the Ferric Chloride to remove the tap. The Ti won't be affected.

Cheers
 
Nice stuff! You know, on that Blue CF Chokwe, you can take the Ti scale and soak it overnight in the Ferric Chloride to remove the tap. The Ti won't be affected.

Cheers

I have sold the Chokwe, but if that happens again, I will try that.
Thanks
 
Here is a dye job I did over a few months. Had to find the white FRN a piece at a time.
I am getting a wood/class display box for them as a set, and laminating a text based card that says
"These Colors may BLEED, but they never RUN!"
And they do bleed. I also made Reeves coil lanyards for each one and dyed them, too.
I was going to wait until I finished everything, but that may be in a few weeks as I get to it.

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Yeah, pretty useless for the $300.00 it will eventually cost, but it is a display set, not users.

Is that a Ladybug, Dragonfly, Delica, and Endura? I like the idea of having the whole set. Would be sweet to get them all in ZDP-189 and do some custom scale coloring like you have. Nice work.
 
Is that a Ladybug, Dragonfly, Delica, and Endura? I like the idea of having the whole set. Would be sweet to get them all in ZDP-189 and do some custom scale coloring like you have. Nice work.

Yes, all were white FRN to start.
VERY hard to find these days, as the white FRN has been loooong discontinued.
Actually sold these to a guy in Czechoslovakia earlier this year.
 
I have two spydercos apart on the bench right now, but the heat is just too much as my shop is not a/c'd.
I have a Crow and a Raven (black g-10) about to get pink g-10.
I have also recently completed a Buck 110 project (HERE), and I am about to do a full size 110. Haven't decided what scales to use, yet, but have all the components, including a new blade.
I have a Chokwe scale in rough texture blue G-10 made up, waiting for a decent price on another chokwe.
I am now only buying Grail Spydercos, so my project list is very small.


You do anything with that Chokwe scale? I just picked up a Chokwe ($138 if you want to know), and am going to play around with some G10 for it probably.
 
You do anything with that Chokwe scale? I just picked up a Chokwe ($138 if you want to know), and am going to play around with some G10 for it probably.


I have a reddish spattered G-10, and I have a Blue rough textured one.
I haven't decided if I am going to do another chokwe.
The blue one will go for 20 + 3.00 shipping. Haven't decided, yet.
So many projects, I am about to put a set of scales on a Swick 2, and make a kydex belt sheath for it.
And I have a Lil' Matriarch coming, and may make a twin to my Matriarch 2 (rough Red G-10)
 
great work !!! could you tell me where I can get the T-9 screws to fit my spydercos or what thread size they are so I can find them? Do you have any scales for a manix laying around?
 
I am assuming that because the standard Torx size for #2-56 screws is a T6, that if you go with these as replacements you need to increase your counter bore diameter/depth. Is that correct? That is a small thing, but it makes a big difference to me. The fact that the Sage's and the Chokwe have all T8 screws is a big plus to me. It looks better, and T6 just feels ready to be stripped, where T8's feel much much more solid, and I bet T9 feels better too.
 
I am assuming that because the standard Torx size for #2-56 screws is a T6, that if you go with these as replacements you need to increase your counter bore diameter/depth. Is that correct? That is a small thing, but it makes a big difference to me. The fact that the Sage's and the Chokwe have all T8 screws is a big plus to me. It looks better, and T6 just feels ready to be stripped, where T8's feel much much more solid, and I bet T9 feels better too.

I think that if you are talking about not drilling the scale holes, but just replacement, you may get by with the flat head T-8 without drilling (or counter-boring for the larger head). The flat head would torque in as the head is wedge shaped.
Opening the screw hole would be necessary for the button head MAYBE, depending on how much of an opening is on the stock scale.
I have some knives that have the counter bore a tad wider than the T-6, and the T-8 or T-9 works OK, just have to carefully tighten it down.
The biggest worry is the length of the screw. I cut one down (on an 8" sanding disk) until it seats tight, then mic it and then cut down the rest to match. you have to be careful not to make it so long as to bottom out before it is tight, or not leave room for two screws to fit, if it's screwed in that way.
And yes, the T-8 and T-9, although the same thread size, will not strip out the head as easy as a T-6. I ALWAYS upgrade the screws if they are T-6.
Same with the clip screws.
Another thing to think about is the pivot screw.
The odds are slim to none that it is a T-6. Mostly T-8 or T-9. Try to get the same T size (pivot) for the replacement scale screws so you only need one size driver to take the knife, apart.
Hope that helps.
 
Yeah, it helps. Good advice, seems like we think along the same lines. I am considering buying a box or two to convert all my T6's personally. I would want them to match the pivot screw. I also found some allen head button heads on Mcmaster, and some other stainless button head T8's on usaknifemaker.com that are long. I do not mind buying long and cutting them down, don't have mic's but I can use the plunger on my calipers to match up.
 
Not sure what equipment/knowledge you have, but what do you think about milling two slots in the Chokwe Ti side so it could take a Sage wire clip?
 
Not sure what equipment/knowledge you have, but what do you think about milling two slots in the Chokwe Ti side so it could take a Sage wire clip?

It would not be easy.
1. It's Titanium. It doesn't work like steel, much harder.
2. It's not just the slots, you would also have to mill out the screw hole as it is recessed, too.
Personally, I don't have anything to machine mill those slots. Maybe Dremel them with a cutoff wheel, but would be a real tense job as you would have to make TWO perfect cuts.
I couldn't do it by hand.
Far from being worth it, for me, but, if you really want a wire clip......
 
Just curious if you had any first hand knowledge, or seen it done. I have a machine shop who did this to my Skyline and I am going to run it by him and see what he thinks. I knew the Ti would pose problems, I would not touch it unless I had a mill and the proper tooling. He is not a knife guy, but thought it was cool what I had him do for me.

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I use a 1/8" carbide burr on a drill press to make those cuts.
It will cut Ti, too.
But, the slots for a wire clip are waaay different in the way they have to be cut.
Still thinking about it, as I have held off on rescaling some Spydies due to that wire clip.
If I can come up with something, I'll let you know.
 
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