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Working Up the Spyderco Military...

BOOMER52 said:
I have three Military's now under my belt and I'm thinking the best option is to have the knives sent to me for installation/conversion.

There are a couple of things with my custom scales that make customer installation potentially too challenging.

One is the requirement for a tight friction fit of the lanyard pipe. The lanyard pipe acts as an additional securing/spacer device for the heel end of the scales. The lanyard pipe ends are factory flared or swedged and without disassembling the knife myself I have no control with the care required to keep the pipe pristine. In addition... the flared ends need to be carefully filed down to the pipe diameter and no more for that tight friction fit in the new scales.

Also blade centering can be finicky and I've found the need to adjustment the length on a few of the alternate hardware button head hex screws to achieve pivot freedom and centering.

I'm not at all confident that those two things IF encountered can be successfully dealt with during a customer self install. I realize there are all levels of skill sets out there... but my preference is to avoid potential installation issues and frustrated customers.
Click to expand...

Thanks. You are right - I forgot the lanyard tube, which I never took off because it was really difficult to do (obviously replacing the scales would require taking the knife completely apart).
 
How about if we do not want the scales with the lanyard tube but want the modified version of the scales without the lanyard tube?
 
Bapple said:
How about if we do not want the scales with the lanyard tube but want the modified version of the scales without the lanyard tube?
Click to expand...
The lanyard tube is NOT eliminated in that set of modified scales. It's still there as it is needed as the heel spacer and a fixation point. What I did was to shorten the pipe shoulders in length and machined pockets in lieu of through holes. The pipe and the tight friction fit is still a necessity.

It's just my opinion but I think a lack of spacered fixation on the rather generous real estate of the scale heels would have a detrimental effect on the assembled geometry... if not immediately... then over time and with use.
 
BOOMER52 said:
The lanyard tube is NOT eliminated in that set of modified scales. It's still there as it is needed as the heel spacer and a fixation point. What I did was to shorten the pipe shoulders in length and machined pockets in lieu of through holes. The pipe and the tight friction fit is still a necessity.

It's just my opinion but I think a lack of spacered fixation on the rather generous real estate of the scale heels would have a detrimental effect on the assembled geometry... if not immediately... then over time and with use.
Click to expand...
Flytanium have a good solution for the lanyard tube that saves the step to modify the stock one. Though of course its at a cost. Think they have two versions, though don't quote me on that I didn't verify... But iirc they have a ti tube and a ti tube delete. Both are non flared.

But i hear it's fairly easy to sand or grind off the flair of the standard tube I've not done it yet. I would prefer a delete but as you said, something is needed in its place, so you'd have to cnc another spacer/screw or tube in that area. But at least there are some options.
 
Both knives are wrapped in FiberSmith LVA 2x2 6k plain weave carbon fiber... I have yet to encounter a manufacturing void in their sheet goods...

KaIX034.jpg

wLZ0Ahh.jpg
 
I just placed a RFQ (request for quote) for fifty (50) backing plates in 304 stainless 18 GA with three drilled and tapped holes for 2-56 machine screws in the Spyderco hole pattern.

Ive never had an occasion to farm out work. I am clueless but extremely interested in determining if I can have these made VS tackling the job myself.

Backing Plate.png
 
How are these plates attached to the scales? Are they held merely by the clip screws? Epoxy? Would it be possible to have tip-up scales made that are set up to receive a pocket clip on either side? I ask because I am left-handed but my grandsons, who will inherit my collection someday, are right-handed.
 
As things stand right now... the whole Military tip up project is stalled. I've encountered some small issues with the individual brass threaded inserts for clip attachment.

They are rather fussy to install... not difficult... they just demand a fastidious perpendicular insertion to not have them distort as the brass is fairly soft. I looked into purchasing an arbor press and since then I've come back around to the idea of a threaded plate. The RFQ for the backing plates I made has generated ZERO interest and the research into making my own Ti or stainless backing plates has left me questioning whether I want to tackle that additional project.
 
I hope you can get something worked out for the tip up work. I haven't been this excited to possibly carry my Milli in a long long time! Keep at it please!
 
Those CF scales are really good looking! Now I need to decide between orange scales or cf.....I hope a good solution is found for the tip up issue. I would love to be able to have a milli in my rfp.
 
Here's an update on the tip up conversion Military scales...

I encountered an issue with my installation method of the brass threaded inserts for the clip attachment. I was finding that on insertion the soft brass would distort/collapse/bend and I could not manage to get a screw started and threaded into the installed insert. It turns out that I was installing the inserts incorrectly. I'm using flanged inserts as I felt the flange would prevent the insert from pulling through the scales IF I installed them from the reverse or inner side of the scale. After a bit of additional research on installing these things... I ran across a drawing that illustrated the correct installation orientation and after seeing the drawing it makes complete sense. The inserts are slotted to facilitate a cold press fit where the barrel is intended to collapse at the slots slightly. Once inserted the threading of the screw at the full barrel end of the insert forces the slotted barrel portion outward and drives the knurled surface into the inner walls of the material hole securing the insert in place.

I was going at it backwards... pressing the inserts in from the reverse side and then having great frustrations at not being able to thread the 2-56 screw in from the outside. I finally got around to threading the screw in from the reverse side to force the slotted barrel leaves open... but still had trouble attempting to thread a screw in from the outside. Not the optimum method and as it turns out... contrary to the inserts designed installation orientation.

So... I will be machining a set of Military scales this week and will install the inserts in the correct orientation... from the outside. We'll see how that goes shortly.

OH... I also figured out I can use my bench top drill press as the arbor for the required perpendicular insertion. Just need to make a small press tool for the chuck.

PressInsert_Install.jpg
 
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