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

[Syph007]

She sure looks nice with brass liners!   

The Scibeer mod looks really good too.  Looks like he end up with more material for a stronger driver. The magnifier must be slightly shorter, or is there another reason?

Yep I was just comparing the two parts, the magnifier is about 1/4 inch shorter than the cap lifter so pairing the Philips with that you get to keep more metal.

The only think I don't like about his mod was not using a wide enough backspring.  It's a pet peeve of mine to have components thicker than backsprings so there are gaps in the back.  Also he should have put a bushing on the mag glass, he may have but it doesnt say.  It probably doenst matter, but its another thing that bugs me if the pivot holes are too big for the pivots.

Also I dunno about heating the part to drill it, that feels wrong to me too.  Maybe back then carbide bits cost alot?  I get them for about 5 bucks when I buy them in packs.  The older vic steel is softer than modern too, and I have no issues popping a hole through the fully tempered part, its a 5 second job.

[nuphoria]

No doubt things can always be improved - it's the body of work that counts

Between you all, some lovely things have been created.

[ICanFixThat]

Ya I like looking at the evolution of the modding techniques as much as looking at the evolution of the Victorinox manufacturing and tools themselves.

It's a good way to realize even the "simple pocket knife" is not so simple if you really study it.  They sure got a big break from nature though with the development of corrosion resistent metals.

[Syph007]

I finished getting this 3 layer cadet together.  No keyring, smooth all the way around.  I'm still in love with the brass liners so I will for sure keep making up some more of these.







I was proud of this part.  This is the scissor spring from the 91 that I cut down and fit so it's two separate parts.  I got it nice and contoured to the scale this time so all you see is that tiny line between the two parts.   The next best solution here is the original 84 mm scissor spring or making a custom one.

[nuphoria]

Brilliant

[ICanFixThat]

I finished getting this 3 layer cadet together.  No keyring, smooth all the way around.  I'm still in love with the brass liners so I will for sure keep making up some more of these.

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I was proud of this part.  This is the scissor spring from the 91 that I cut down and fit so it's two separate parts.  I got it nice and contoured to the scale this time so all you see is that tiny line between the two parts.   The next best solution here is the original 84 mm scissor spring or making a custom one.

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OMG!  Absolutely Fantastic!!

     

[MultiMat]

Mate that looks  & what a great tool set 

[Sidhartha]

very sexy!!! 

[nj2656]

  I would love to see that with an awl.

[clickstop]

The PERFECT tool set. What a beauty 

[crackout]

So great!
Can't wait for my Pioneer, hehe.

[Waterlander]

Gratz for pulling this off Syph, it's a winner. 

[Syph007]

Also I dunno about heating the part to drill it, that feels wrong to me too.  Maybe back then carbide bits cost alot?  I get them for about 5 bucks when I buy them in packs.  The older vic steel is softer than modern too, and I have no issues popping a hole through the fully tempered part, its a 5 second job.

As a follow up to what I said earlier.  I took a vid of me drilling through a backspring with a carbide bit, and I think it's pretty much a 5 second (ok maybe 7 seconds ) drilling job.   Jobs are always easier when you have the right tools. These spade bits are $11 but I can do at least 100 parts with one.  I have some cheaper ones that were $5 each.

[Rahmed]

Excellent job, mate
I need to buy some Alox Cadet or Bantam

[heardrwt]

Syph007, any news on the custom 93mm scissor springs?
Last i heard they were going for heat treating.

[Syph007]

Syph007, any news on the custom 93mm scissor springs?
Last i heard they were going for heat treating.

I got confirmation that they made it through heat treat. I don know if they've been shipped back to Bushido yet.  He has to get them surface ground locally, and then they'll be on their way to me!     He sent me a raw cut one to test fit and they will work just fine so Im anxious to get these in!

[Syph007]

I'm still waiting on springs and green anodize scales (which I think is OD green, he was calling it military green) but I got my red anodized cadet scales today.  11 sets!   I have to make up a bunch of brass liners to go with these now.

I also did an experimental coating of some 6061-T6 aluminum liners I made by hand for 93mm SAKs.  I wanted to see what hard anodized red scales paired with red liners looked like.  They turned out very nice so I'll have to do a test.  This type of aluminum is as hard as aluminum gets so it should be a good test.  Perhaps even pairing the red liners with stock silver scales might look nice.

He showed me some more metal finish examples and he has some 416 stainless parts he did in black oxide that are 10 yrs old and still look pretty much perfect.  I'm going to have 20 sets of urban pioneer parts done in black oxide for a test and pair them with some OD green scales.  If I make up the screws ahead of time I can get those done black as well and put together some military looking SAKs.

Cheers!

[nuphoria]

Sounds like more good ideas there sir

[ICanFixThat]

Sounds like more good ideas there sir

+1

Does the anodizing of the liners change their surface friction with the SS tools?

[Syph007]

Sounds like more good ideas there sir

+1

Does the anodizing of the liners change their surface friction with the SS tools?

That's exactly what I was curious about, and why I Just ran 4 as a test.  I wanted to build a test SAK to see how they hold up for wear and if they function well against the stainless.  I pay a flat rate for the anodize so I figured I might as well toss a few in.

[Capbyrd]

Ohhhh black oxide with green scales.  drool!

[enki_ck]

This thread gets more interesting with every post. The red liners with black scales

[Syph007]

This thread gets more interesting with every post. The red liners with black scales

Hmmm that doesn't look too bad at all... 

[Corso]

Very cool.

[enki_ck]

This thread gets more interesting with every post. The red liners with black scales

Hmmm that doesn't look too bad at all... 

I'll test carry that one for you to see how the liners hold up. You can have one of my kidneys as collateral. It's been thoroughly cleaned with beer

[tattoosteve99]

This thread gets more interesting with every post. The red liners with black scales

Hmmm that doesn't look too bad at all... 

I'll test carry that one for you to see how the liners hold up. You can have one of my kidneys as collateral. It's been thoroughly cleaned with beer

Lol. Now that's a good one.

[MadPlumbarian]

This thread gets more interesting with every post. The red liners with black scales

Hmmm that doesn't look too bad at all... 

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That's nice, what's the name for this series? The drag strip, the black for the rubber tires, and the red lines for the strips?  JR

[captain spaulding]

I'm really liking the Red Liners. When is the Bumble Bee coming. Black with yellow liners. 

[ICanFixThat]

Very nice!   If they work well you could get quite artistic. 

The reverse; red scales and black liners might look even better.  Maybe you could get black oxide pivot screws. 

If you could get some titanium screws you could anodize them a nice blue, which would look pretty cool on black scales.

[Syph007]

Oh I'd love to find some Ti screws, but I've had no luck finding any so far.  There are companies that make them, but you have to buy in massive quantities which isnt realistic for a small time operation like me.  If anyone has seen Ti screws anywhere I need 2-56 thread pitch, countersunk style.

I figured Id throw in some of the aluminum liners with each color batch so I have a few of each in all the colors to play with.  I'll have some OD green ones hopefully this week.