Tapping holes so I can reposition the clip on my Leek.

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Wade Hamilton

Joined
Jun 21, 2020
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3
Hey Everybody,
Some of you will understand the struggle of being a lefty in a world of right-handed knives...

As a rule I don't buy knives that don't allow for repositioning of the pocket clip to suit my left-handedness. But I made an exception the other day because I really liked the Leek with the composite (partially D2) blade. And now I have decided that I need to drill and tap 2 holes so I can put the clip on the other side of the knife.

So before I buy the tap & drill bit, can anyone here confirm the thread pitch Kershaw uses on their pocket clip screws? The head is a T6, and web searching leads me to believe it's probably a #2, with either 56 or 64 threads per inch.
 
I found a reference to "2-56 UNC" but it's pretty old, maybe you should take the screw to a hardware store and check it first to be sure
 
I'd bet $2 it's 2-56 which is an extremely common size. You can quickly find out by purchasing a nut which fits 2-56 (McMaster 90480A003 is 100 nuts for $1) and seeing if it threads cleanly.

Tapping tiny holes sucks. Make sure you have some sort of guide to keep everything squared up. The last thing you'd want to do is break a 2-56 tap off in the handle.
 
Another thing if this is a steel handle, I've heard from some engravers that they are somewhat hardened.
 
Thanks for the tip. I'm thinking of clamping the handle to a piece of wood with a tiny hole drilled in it. Good advice.
 
Wade Hamilton said:
Thanks for the tip. I'm thinking of clamping the handle to a piece of wood with a tiny hole drilled in it. Good advice.
Click to expand...

Just general ideas if you continue chasing this idea down. Oversize the hole, use a wire gauge 49 bit instead of nominal 50. Tap a few holes in some flat stock first to make sure you have a feel for it. Use tap magic liberally. Don’t buy a cheap tap. Use a small tap wrench and a tap block to keep things parallel. Go slow.
 
Standard tapping procedure is to rotate the tap a few turns then back out to remove filings. The smaller the tap, the fewer the turns. On that size maybe a few mills then remove and clean. As previously stated use the tap oil like you have a gallon of it, don't scrimp. If you have access to an air compressor blow it out every time you remove the tap. Canned air will also work well. Keep the tap straight or your screwed. Good luck!!!
 
I know this is an old thread, but I'm wondering how everything turned out? I'm considering doing the same to my protech.
 
mbkryan said:
I know this is an old thread, but I'm wondering how everything turned out? I'm considering doing the same to my protech.
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It was a total fail. I went slow, I used cutting fluid, I kept it straight, and still I broke 2 taps. Didn't even finish one hole. If your Protech has aluminum handles, go for it. But that steel in my Leek was too tough.

On a completely unrelated note, I have a Kershaw Leek for sale. Light user, only carried a few times, "customized" handle with a unique "distressed" finish. One of a kind. No lowballs, I know what I got. :)
 
Wade Hamilton said:
It was a total fail. I went slow, I used cutting fluid, I kept it straight, and still I broke 2 taps. Didn't even finish one hole. If your Protech has aluminum handles, go for it. But that steel in my Leek was too tough.

On a completely unrelated note, I have a Kershaw Leek for sale. Light user, only carried a few times, "customized" handle with a unique "distressed" finish. One of a kind. No lowballs, I know what I got. :)
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear it was a fail. Thanks for the response, and GLWS of your distressed Leek!
 
Hey, guys. Just a couple tips for those who might tackle this in the future. As Josh mentioned, you'll want to use a larger hole. Stainless is difficult to work with, and you're not building space shuttles. #49 is fine. Secondly, trying to tap such a small hole by hand can be problematic. If you wobble at all, you'll break the tap. Sometimes I like to put the tap in a drill press, run the quill down with just a little pressure, and turn the chuck by hand. Cut for half a turn, back it out. Cut another half a turn, back it out. Patience is the key.
 
There is another option. I avoid tapping holes smaller than 4-40 whenever possible. Here's what I do-

Go in reverse. Instead of tapping/threading a screw in from the outside, run the screws out though unthreaded holes from the inside and use nuts. For a pocket clip the nuts would be on the outside of the clip where the heads of the screws would normally be. If one is using 2-56 screws, you can use acorn nuts for a no-snag surface. Or, for a really low-profile no-snag surface, use regular nuts and carefully file the ends of the screws flush with the nuts after installation, then remove the nuts and sand there outer edges smooth, then re-install with thread locker. If doing this it is best to use stainless steel screws and nuts.
 
image.jpeg Hand tappers can help. In this picture, the blade is mounted. When tapping, the blade is removed.
 
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