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

[Syph007]

Yep and the steel he is grinding in that vid is already heat treated too.  He heat treats before making the blade, so that when hes done grinding the blade is ready. 

I still have a little grinder, but it takes off material fast enough for my needs.  If I ever can afford it though I want a big one.  All the one off spacers or odd shaped pieces of Al or brass though I shape this way. 

A belt grinder and drill press are the 2 tools I use the most for sure.  All my pivots, screws, reshaped springs, reshaped tool pivots, all done on the belt grinder.

[revolvergeek]

  I started drooling a little when I saw those! I am very eager to see what happens next!

Cool!  People like alox mods for sure. 

Here are the 2 prototype scale sets going tomorrow for anodize.  91mm ribbed and 111mm smooth with T&T.  It took way too much effort to do any more of these by hand, so I really hope these turn out. 

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

[mrynnr]

I am so going to want an Alox 111mm

Me too 
(Or a 108mm ! )

Well my goal is to CNC these, it sure isnt cost effective to do them by hand.  I think I have 10 hrs into that set by hand.  If I can crank off 10 sets in a reasonable time I can then not have to charge crazy prices for them.  Im hoping by Feb that I can start producing them.   We'll see how long it takes me to convert my manual mode mill though. 

Then I can make alox scales for any knife really.   And of course I can experiment with different patterns or ever get fancy and allow the option to personalize with the users name etc.

Would like one too when you start production. Have to save up. How about all the tools a standard workchamp has with added rescue blade?

[Syph007]

Woohoo I got a new toy in today.





Its a DC power supply that does up to 200 volts.  Its for Ti anodizing!  So now I can make pretty colored Ti mods... 

This even came with the Ti parts and chemicals I needed.  I got some multietch as well.  That's used to prep the parts surfaces for even anodize, and its also used to remove anodize.

For reference here are the colors you can get with Ti anodizing and the corresponding voltages.



So expect to see some electric blue Ti minichamps in the new year.   

[Mr. Whippy]

That is AWESOME!

[Monrogue]

Way cool, Syph, way cool   You're really making me want a custom 111mm alox OHT even more now

[papercut]

wow. does it anodize aluminum as well?

[PTRSAK]

wow. does it anodize aluminum as well?

Completely different process.

Anodizing Ti is "easy" you can do it with a few LiPo batteries, a glass of Coke and a teaspoon. Honest!

For Al... not so easy.
do-able, but a lot more involved and nasty chemicals. And if you live in a nanny state, just getting your hands on a few litres of sulfuric acid is near impossible. Ask me how I know.
You need a decent volume of electrolyte (the acid) because the process generates heat and a smaller quantity will be too hard to temperature control. (ask me how I know)
Then you have to work out surface area, current density, film build rate, the square root of Pi and God knows what else. Then find a dye that will take in the pores of the oxide filn and then "set" the film to trap the dye.
Leave it to the pro's.

With Ti you just get a bath of an electrolyte. I use Rust-Converter because it is largely Phosphoric acid, but that is in Coca-Cola too.
Hook up the spoon (or other stainless item) to the negative (cathode) and your piece of Ti to the positive (anode).  Drop them in the bath and let the oxide layer build up. By setting the voltage you get different colours but the higher you go, the harder it is to get it just right. Also, you're playing with high DC voltages and that smurf can kill you faster than a tiger with an assault rifle.

Play around and you can get some neat effects...

[Syph007]

It's somewhat ironic that my 200th custom is an 84mm mod since I stopped taking orders on that size.. but here it is! Mod number 200. 

[Monrogue]

Very nice Syph   One of those would be the perfect urban EDC.

[derekmac]

Very nice Syph   One of those would be the perfect urban EDC.

Or if you were a Stormtrooper!

Looking good as always!

[Monrogue]

Very nice Syph   One of those would be the perfect urban EDC.

Or if you were a Stormtrooper!

Looking good as always!

True...I do like the Stormtroopers he made a while back.  I wish I had a nice chunk of money to get a couple of these customs.

[derekmac]

Very nice Syph   One of those would be the perfect urban EDC.

Or if you were a Stormtrooper!

Looking good as always!

True...I do like the Stormtroopers he made a while back.  I wish I had a nice chunk of money to get a couple of these customs.

That makes two of us.  I'll have to stick to this for now.  And by stick to, I mean smile like a little kid every time I carry it!

[Monrogue]

Yeah, I wouldn't mind a Pioneer with scissors as it would be a good, basic EDC item.  While I like my Mechaneer, I find it just doesn't seem to fit well with any EDC lineup I like to carry.  I'm finding that I'm favoring cellidor more due to the scale tools (even though I don't use them often, I just like knowing I have them).  Still, I really like the Alox.  Basically, I just need a bunch of money to blow on some customs

[Syph007]

I havent been posting every single alox custom in this thread since so many are just the same model.  This one I put a bit of extra effort in though so I wanted to show it off.  I normally make round washers to use as spacers for the phillips driver in the triple tool layer I make, but I wanted to make spacers that match the contour of the liners to make it all blend in.

I think it turned out so nice.  Those spacers are riveted to the liners so they will never rotate or move.  Both red and brass and black and brass are my favorite combinations of all time. 

[lowtech]

 

I like it very much.

Only a bit related: Do you know if the triple tool layer will work in 91 mm, too?

[Syph007]

I like it very much.

Only a bit related: Do you know if the triple tool layer will work in 91 mm, too?

Short answer is no unfortunately.  Springs are not reversible on 91mm.

[kamm]

ANODIZER! Imma get me some purple scales.

[Monrogue]

That one's a beauty Syph

[MadPlumbarian]

Beautiful job Syph! JR

[Syph007]

ANODIZER! Imma get me some purple scales.

Ha! Yes I know you've always wanted purple and purple on Ti is one of the good colors too!

Its too cold here to setup my Ti anodize right now, but Im going to get a heater for my shop. You know its cold when you go to dunk a hot part off the grinder in your quench bucket and its frozen!

[Mr. Whippy]

I keep saying this, but I'm going to figure out another custom.  I just gotta get me some of that Red and brass love. 

[glorn]

Robert is too modest with his "not posting every mod due to same models.." I believe I speak for all of us when I say we want to see every single one. This may be my most checked thread.

The above example of his amazing work is on its way to me. I cannot wait to have it in hand. I have dubbed it "Vader" for the time being, as I think it would look quite at home among a gaggle of his "Stormtrooper" models. Still, I wouldn't mind a more SAK-like proper name if anyone has one.

Well done, Syph007!

Now, please go back to posting all of them! I need my fix.

[Heywood Floyd]

Robert is too modest with his "not posting every mod due to same models.." I believe I speak for all of us when I say we want to see every single one. This may be my most checked thread.

The above example of his amazing work is on its way to me. I cannot wait to have it in hand. I have dubbed it "Vader" for the time being, as I think it would look quite at home among a gaggle of his "Stormtrooper" models. Still, I wouldn't mind a more SAK-like proper name if anyone has one.

Well done, Syph007!

Now, please go back to posting all of them! I need my fix.

glorn,
I have no doubt your anticipation is well founded.
Syph007 makes exception pieces.
Totally agree with your sentiment that Syph007 should post every build, irrespective of repetition or otherwise, as it would be appreciated by those that follow this thread.

[Monrogue]

That's a nice one Glorn:). Nice work by Syph as usual:D

Sent from my XT901 using Tapatalk

[Syph007]

I got this beauty done last night.  I think this is my new favorite version of a 3 layer alox mod and here is why.  I dont need the can opener or little scrwdriver at the tip.  Knife blade tip works for small screws and if I need to open a can I can make do with the knife blade, reamer, or cap lifter. 

So... replacing the can opener with a phillips driver makes sense for me, and anyone else who doesnt need a can opener.  Now the problem with replacing it directly and leaving the opener layer on the outer layer is the phillips driver will hit and chip the scale since its head is wider than the layer itself.

So... without the can opener, we can move that layer to the center which gives the phillips head lots of room and nothing gets hit.  The second benefit is that both drivers are now centered in the SAK and feel more natural in use.

All nail nicks work perfect and the overall package is a pleasure to use and carry since it is of minimal thickness! Now I need a name for this model.  Urban phillips pioneer, but better.















Cheers!

[MadPlumbarian]

Very nice setup syph! Love it! JR

[Monrogue]

That was a good idea, and great execution Syph8)

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[WWW]

  Really like that one Syph, especially because it is a 3 layer with phillips!

  Great job mate!! It's a real beauty

[Pignut71]

Love that Symph!

Tell me, could that have a lanyard ring added and the reamer replaced with a small blade or the small nail file?

Regards, Jon