And so it begins.... (My adventures into Alox!)

[MadPlumbarian]

Hey stop drooling on me!  JR

[bushidomosquito]

That looks great! I didn't used to pay any attention to Alox stuff. I just liked the red 91mm SAKs and that was it. Now I'm really into the Alox mods and those dang backtool pins have me wanting to do 91 mods by request only. Once I put a Phillips driver in a 93 that was the end of any reason to carry a 91. 93s have a better awl, stronger blade and the ability to easily adapt the only other 91 tools I wanted which is the scissors and pliers. Not to mention that enlarging the holes is a matter of shaving a minuscule .007"!

One more tip to speed up your disassembly,
http://www.progresstool.com/prod_images_blowup/ba-1446-010-b.jpg
Meisinger 2mm bur. Works like an internal pipe cutter,
http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/017197/017197375163lg.jpg

I drill only down past the head portion of the rivet, about 2mm deep. Then the bur gets run around the inside bottom of the hole about 3 times on full Dremel speed with a very light touch and the head pops loose. I broke down 7 SAKs in an hour with no damage to any scale.

[Syph007]

That looks great! I didn't used to pay any attention to Alox stuff. I just liked the red 91mm SAKs and that was it. Now I'm really into the Alox mods and those dang backtool pins have me wanting to do 91 mods by request only. Once I put a Phillips driver in a 93 that was the end of any reason to carry a 91. 93s have a better awl, stronger blade and the ability to easily adapt the only other 91 tools I wanted which is the scissors and pliers. Not to mention that enlarging the holes is a matter of shaving a minuscule .007"!

One more tip to speed up your disassembly,
http://www.progresstool.com/prod_images_blowup/ba-1446-010-b.jpg
Meisinger 2mm bur. Works like an internal pipe cutter,
http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/017197/017197375163lg.jpg

I drill only down past the head portion of the rivet, about 2mm deep. Then the bur gets run around the inside bottom of the hole about 3 times on full Dremel speed with a very light touch and the head pops loose. I broke down 7 SAKs in an hour with no damage to any scale.

I think I even have that first bit you link, I will have to try it.

This site got me hooked on 93 mm... its  so much beefier than 91. Every tool is thicker and stronger... combine that with strong 1/8 inch pivots and extra tools and its a clear winner to me.

I dont even own any 91 mm red knives, the only 91 mm i own is a silvertech huntsman.  Alox all the way for me.

Oh ya and enlarging 3mm to 1/8 is very easy, barely feels like even drilling.  I'm still on my first carbide bit, so I don't know how long it will go for, but so far so good.

[Ashley]

Hey stop drooling on me!  JR

Oh yea? Take this sucka.               

[user24]

Sorry, I have to side with Ashley on this one.

 

Can I be 2nd in line after Ash?

[stressmaster5000]

Wow, you are really getting some good results on this alox MOD.  Great work! 

[Syph007]

Wow, you are really getting some good results on this alox MOD.  Great work! 

Thanks!  I've been really happy with this as my EDC, and Ive been showing it off at work.  I'm still waiting on my next parts order so I can make more. 

[Threeme2189]

Sorry, I have to side with Ashley on this one.

 

Can I be 2nd in line after Ash?

I agree with those two.
 

That is a very nice mod. And it's so easy to take apart and reassemble!

[Syph007]

Oh man.. here's another great reason for the torx and pivot method... when you put parts on wrong! LOL  Anyone spot a problem here?



This one has the smaller torx button heads and I think I like these the best now, closest look to rivets I think.

[Zed]

Oh man.. here's another great reason for the torx and pivot method... when you put parts on wrong! LOL  Anyone spot a problem here?



This one has the smaller torx button heads and I think I like these the best now, closest look to rivets I think.

lol i did that on my PT last week , tin opener the wrong way round 

[Gareth]

Oh man.. here's another great reason for the torx and pivot method... when you put parts on wrong! LOL  Anyone spot a problem here?



This one has the smaller torx button heads and I think I like these the best now, closest look to rivets I think.

sorry to laugh, but..
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[Reinier]

I see the problem: you forgot the saw

[bushidomosquito]

I see the problem: you forgot the saw

Dang, he's right. There it is in the background.  And I see another problem. Your liners aren't titanium. 

Using Solo springs for scissors will give you plenty of spare blades so you can do all the naughty pry work that we're all afraid to subject a SAK to for fear of snapping the tip. 2 saw springs is perfect for the 91mm pliers if you take a bit off the handle and leaves you with spare saw blades so you can play rough with those as well. Scissors are $15 in a Super Tinker (and you're left with a Tinker in parts)so feel free to cut that sandpaper and trim those wires.

Being a barrel pin modder is quite liberating.

[Syph007]

I wasn't completely happy with how I was originally disassembling the alox saks as sometimes I'd eat into the scale with the drill bit, and when you do that to colored alox it's a real heart breaker.   I've got a red scaled one with a minor imperfection that I may list for a reduced price.. my error someone else's gain.

Thanks to Bushido for the tip about using a jewelers burr, now THAT is the way to go.  My procedure was to use a center drill to go down into the rivet a few mm, then dremel with the jewelers burr from inside the hole, cutting the rivet cleanly from the inside.

I practiced on 2 silver alox solos first, then I worked up the nerve to start breaking down my black pioneers.   I'm pleased to say that I got this apart with no problems or marks at all.  Its as if the rivets were magically removed and the pieces just fell apart! 

I took apart my first 84 mm this way as well and it was quite satisfying.  I'm doing boring work of part cleaning and buffing now, then I can assemble some more.  I've also got to do some washer making as I need 0.005 washers to add to the scissor layer so it matches the spring I use.

[bushidomosquito]

http://www.usaknifemaker.com/washer-bronze-18-005-p-172.html
.005" thick washers with 1/8" pivot hole. The more I make by hand the more I'm thinking about ordering 500 of them. I use 2 on every tool to keep them off the liners and they really do smooth things up.