Swiss Army Knife Repair

L

laredo

Joined
Oct 31, 2000
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I just got Victorinox Swiss Army Knives for my boys for their birthday last week. One got a Mechanic and one got a Hiker. Last night I heard some thumping in the dryer and sure enough the Mechanic had just been through the washer and dryer. The knife is fine except for the red scales which came off.

Do you apply glue just to the three brass protrusions on each side or do you apply glue to the entire scale (except where the toothpick and tweezers go)? What would be a good epoxy or glue to use? Thanks.
 
Now, this is a little off-topic, but the old SAKS could actually go through washer, dryer, and dishwasher (which many used for cleaning). I would put some Testors epoxy on it. It's made for Plastic modlels and can adhere plastic to metals. You may also contact SAK and ask them what they use. I don't know too much about the handle's geoghraphy, but if there are decent areas where it is flush with the steel, you may consider a double-sided tape. In third grade (only 6 years ago) I was very...well...dumb as far as knives go. I cleaned my SAK with PAINT THINNER! Ha. It seemed like a good Idea at the time. Anyway, on these modern SAK concoctions, the logo is an actual piece of metal that goes through a hole with a pin like apparratus. I know it's only a small piece compared to your son's handle, but the Epoxy held great on that. Go light on the glue, though. Sometimes less is more, and a thicker application allows for a higher likelihood of a future detachment, and dried epoxy isn't an easy thing to remove.

Good Luck! BTW, how old are your sons? The younger the better, then they won't mind any appearance changes as much. :D
 
Both boys turned 10 last week. They each picked their knife at a local knife shop in town. I think I may have some Testors model glue around the house somewhere. The inside of the scales are only flush on the metal at a few spots because of the way the inside of the scale is formed.
 
I'm not sure about those particular models, but on the ones I have taken apart the scales were just pressure-fit. You just match up the posts on the metal to the holes on the scales and gently hammer them together. Make sure you only strike directly over the posts. Use a rubber hammer or some kind of padding to avoid marring the scales.

And if you run into problems you can always send them in for warranty repairs. Victorinox is great about fixing their knives even in cases of "user error". :)

--Bob Q
 
Those plastic scales are the weak point of SAKs, Ive fixed quite a few, both Victorinox and Wenger, I feel any epoxy will hold better than the original snap-on thing, I have always spread some over the surface of the scales, avoiding the tweezer and toothpick slots.

I´ve allways done it on older knives, you may prefer to see if Victorinox will fix them under warranty.

I think most likely the scales actually broke off rather than snaped off so you may not be able to just snap them back on.

You may want to get new scales, available in a variety of colors, they go for about $3 U.S. here in Mexico, you may find them cheaper.

If you want you can make new scales, use the old ones as a pattern on wood or the material of your choice, you can use a dremel to make space por the pins and slots for tweezer and toothpick, and epoxy them on. If you do a search you´ll find more information and maybe pictures of such customized SAKs.

Edited for spelling.
 
My scales became loose on my Swiss Champion (not Swiss Champ) last week after 15+ years of use. I placed a drop of epoxy on each of the brass posts (avoiding the toothpick/tweezer slots). Then I took two pieces of 1" x 4" and a C-clamp then squeezed it all together to dry overnight. Be sure when you clamp it down, not to over tighten it; if you do, getting the toothpick and tweezers in and out will be difficult. Just pull the toothpick and tweezers in and out while adjusting the clamp pressure to check for correct fit.

Worked for me.

--Chris
 
Epoxy is a good universal adhesive. It will bond to a lot of different materials and gives a strong bond. They make varieties that are clear or amber that are essentially pure resin with no filler. These work best when you need something to get into a tight hole or you want to clamp surfaces together with a minimal gap. There are other epoxies that are filled with particles of something like glass grit. These don't drip as easily and are better for filling gaps. Use these where you are doing more hole patching etc. I think that you should use the first kind if you want to get some in your holes. It will also work directly on the inner surface of the scales.

There are lots of obscure brands of epoxy that work fine. The key is to test the epoxy before you use it for something important. Try mixing some as best you can following the directions. Move a sample from the place you mixed it (where you may have some unmixed hardener or resin on the surface) to a clean piece of paper. Let it dry for the prescribed amount of time (keep it at a reasonable room temperature--too cold will take a long time). Be sure that it hardens stiff and not sticky. If it cures sticky the mixing ratio is off or the hardener has gone bad).

To get a good bond you need a fresh surface. Clean the surfaces with dish detergent and rinse well (the plastic doesn't do well with cleaning solvents). Then remove surface oxides and hydrates by sanding the bonding surfaces with clean 220 to 600 grit sand paper. You are trying to get a fresh surface not a rough surface particularly. Wipe off dust with a clean rag and apply epoxy before air can cause more oxidation or surface moisture absorption.

If you use a quick drying epoxy the bond will not be as strong as with a typical 8-hour variety. Quick dry epoxy also gets weak if you heat it much above 150 degrees.
 
Don Luis, I read in your earlier post about customization of SAK's. Do you have or know of a website that shows more about the exact technique of doing this with the internal parts? I think changing the scales would be fairly easy and may try this as I do not like the plastic scales. Also, what is the best type of SAK to buy for the frame part of a custom model? And are Wenger and Victorinox tools interchageable on either company's frames? Maybe too many questions. I thank you for your help!

I would like to see some pictures of your customs!
 
I don´t know of any site that explains the procedure, it´s not that hard really, changing scales is fairly simple, internal parts/tools are a bit more complex.

Nothing is interchangeable between Victorinox and Wenger, they are not the same size and the scales are held diferently, Victorinox uses an extension of the pivot pins, Wenger uses a perforated and raised part on the external liners.

To change a tool on a SAK:

Remove the scales, snap them off, they will most likely break where they snap on so if you want to put them back you epoxy them.

File down the brass pins, once they are flush with the scales you can take the whole thing appart, you may have to get some brass rod of the appropiate size to put the knife back together (exception is when you end up whith less tools/springs than you started with and you may be able to reuse the brass pins).

If you want to add or exchange tools you´ll have to start with more than one knife, maybe you want to reuse tools from an old one or you want to build your own special combination taking the best tools from each knife.

Diferent tools use diferent springs, some springs are the same for several tools, you have to mix and match correctly and to your taste (tipically you´ll keep tools with their original springs), for example, I have exchanged a fish scaler with a saw in a Wenger. Others I´ve done have been removing tools or make several small knives from a larger one, adding some extra liners from old worn knives.

Once you have your combination right, you put it back together, make sure the pins are a bit above the surface of the scales (and of the pivot post in Vics if you want them), about 1/16 inch on each side is fine, use a small hammer to set them in (pinning is the word I believe), and epoxy on the scales (original or custom), and you are done.

Hope this is more or less clear and my English is not too bad.
 
I went and found some Testors model glue. One side worked great the first time. The other scale took two tries. Both seem tight now. Thanks for the help. If they come off again I will use an epoxy for stronger bond.
 
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