Outrider Repair

[pomsbz]

Hi Folks,

I bought my wife an Outrider for our 6th month anniversary some aeons ago. 16 years later and it could do with some fixing.





There's no point sending it to Victorinox here, just would be a pain in the neck, I know the importer here and they don't have a good reputation. I'm going to be back in the UK at the beginning of March. Can someone recommend to me whom to send this in to there? Proof of purchase is long gone and I don't know whether they would consider this warranty work (which to be frank it isn't), given the new price of the Outrider, is it worth repairing at all?

Thanks!

[hiraethus]

Burton McCall are the UK distributor.: http://www.burton-mccall.co.uk/brand/victorinox-sak/

Worth contacting them to see what they say.  IIRC there was a small fee payable if they (Victorinox or the distributor, I'm not sure?) deemed that the work needed was out of warranty

[pomsbz]

Burton McCall are the UK distributor.: http://www.burton-mccall.co.uk/brand/victorinox-sak/

Worth contacting them to see what they say.  IIRC there was a small fee payable if they (Victorinox or the distributor, I'm not sure?) deemed that the work needed was out of warranty

Just popped them an email, thanks!

[cody6268]

It doesn't look as though the damage wouldn't be that hard to fix. Pop off the scales, straighten the liners (111mm liners for me are very prone to damage from drops, they really need to change them to steel for 111mm), change the scales, and finally sharpen out that chip in the blade

I'd watch out with the warranty stuff. Victorinox US/Swiss Army Brands, instead of getting the wood fiber scales from Switzerland, offered to simply replace my 1942 Elsener M1908 Soldier (which is incredibly rare) when I asked them if they would replace the cracked and warped scales.  They do it in Switzerland, but not here, I guess because most of those knives stayed in Switzerland.

[pomsbz]

I just got a reply that it would be 3 months (blades they send to Switzerland) and £10 cover charge. I assume shipping is on top of that. To be honest that would probably end up being half the price of the knife. Not hugely worth it.

As you said Cody, the liner should be an easy enough repair. The damage to the blade is not a chip. It's a sizeable and significant dent. The blade had been used as a pry bar at some point. If I sharpened that out I would lose a significant amount of the blade in the process.

[ThundahBeagle]

Hi Pomz

I have a 30 year old Super Tinker that went with me everywhere until, say, 2011, 2012, when was doing work at a factory. Long story short (it's been relayed here a few times, with pics) it took a far fall onto asphalt and then got run over by a truck. Those layer liners were so warped (the first landing was end-on, then some bounces) that I could not open blades or tools easily, some at all. And of course the cellidor shattered like glass.

My supervisor got me a replacement, but last year, I took that old one out of retirement. I took off the remains of the scales and wedged open the tracks with a flathead screwdriver. After oiling, I was able to use the knife, albeit with less "snap" in the blade opening. Carried it scale-less for a good long while until I picked up some scales from a member here and installed them rather easily myself.

Just know that older scales (? Before 1991 ?) Are more solid. New ones have boxed chambers on the articulated side. If your old scales are decent enough, you may want to just put them back on.

Then I sharpened the blade back up with a Smith's pocket tool, and it helped mitigate any chips in the blade. Not perfect by any stretch, but worlds better now.

Give it a go.

[ThundahBeagle]

'88 Super Tinker in process of repair

[pomsbz]

Hi Pomz

I have a 30 year old Super Tinker that went with me everywhere until, say, 2011, 2012, when was doing work at a factory. Long story short (it's been relayed here a few times, with pics) it took a far fall onto asphalt and then got run over by a truck. Those layer liners were so warped (the first landing was end-on, then some bounces) that I could not open blades or tools easily, some at all. And of course the cellidor shattered like glass.

My supervisor got me a replacement, but last year, I took that old one out of retirement. I took off the remains of the scales and wedged open the tracks with a flathead screwdriver. After oiling, I was able to use the knife, albeit with less "snap" in the blade opening. Carried it scale-less for a good long while until I picked up some scales from a member here and installed them rather easily myself.

Just know that older scales (? Before 1991 ?) Are more solid. New ones have boxed chambers on the articulated side. If your old scales are decent enough, you may want to just put them back on.

Then I sharpened the blade back up with a Smith's pocket tool, and it helped mitigate any chips in the blade. Not perfect by any stretch, but worlds better now.

Give it a go.

Thanks! The liner is aesthetic only, isn't trapping anything. The main annoyance is the blade.

[Simyo]

I’m assuming it’s a slide lock outrider, I’m not sure if I have a good 111mm blade at home or not but I’ll take a look tonight.

[pomsbz]

I’m assuming it’s a slide lock outrider, I’m not sure if I have a good 111mm blade at home or not but I’ll take a look tonight.

Gosh thanks! I don't have the knowledge or tools to replace the blade though. 

[Sparky415]

It wouldn't be too hard to sharpen that nick out  P
Do you have something like a Lansky system at home?

[pomsbz]

It wouldn't be too hard to sharpen that nick out  P
Do you have something like a Lansky system at home?

Sparky, it's a dent not a nick. The dent goes up as high as the white bit showing. That's a whole lot of blade to sharpen out.

[Sparky415]

It wouldn't be too hard to sharpen that nick out  P
Do you have something like a Lansky system at home?

Sparky, it's a dent not a nick. The dent goes up as high as the white bit showing. That's a whole lot of blade to sharpen out.

If you were lucky it might flatten out  with a hammer? 
What's the worse that could happen?

I am trying to help but it might not look like I am 

 

[Fuzzbucket]

It wouldn't be too hard to sharpen that nick out  P
Do you have something like a Lansky system at home?

Sparky, it's a dent not a nick. The dent goes up as high as the white bit showing. That's a whole lot of blade to sharpen out.

+1 what Sparky said. Even if it's a small dent, I recon you could still easily fix that with a Lansky and a bit of perseverance (am I spelling that right?)... I'm pretty sure I've fixed worse than that and been pleased with the end result.

[Fuzzbucket]

It wouldn't be too hard to sharpen that nick out  P
Do you have something like a Lansky system at home?

Sparky, it's a dent not a nick. The dent goes up as high as the white bit showing. That's a whole lot of blade to sharpen out.

If you were lucky it might flatten out  with a hammer? 
What's the worse that could happen?

I am trying to help but it might not look like I am 

 

Lots and lots of very small taps! 

[sir_mike]

I just got a reply that it would be 3 months (blades they send to Switzerland) and £10 cover charge. I assume shipping is on top of that. To be honest that would probably end up being half the price of the knife. Not hugely worth it.

As you said Cody, the liner should be an easy enough repair. The damage to the blade is not a chip. It's a sizeable and significant dent. The blade had been used as a pry bar at some point. If I sharpened that out I would lose a significant amount of the blade in the process.

As far as the blade goes, you could try to flatten out the dent some and sharpen it out from that area to the point so you didn't lose too much metal. It would be more like re-profiling the tip area.  The other option if you don't want to send it in is to look for a replacement blade either from some online place like Ebay or some Vic sites or post a wanted ad/tool needed ad on these kind of forums!

[Sawl Goodman]

Hi pomsb,

That's quite a ding! I've had knives with similar injuries to the blade. It's absolutely worth trying a repair! What have you got to lose?

You're lucky the ding's closer to the tip than in the straight edge of the blade. That makes it a relatively easy repair. Patience with a whetstone has worked for me for minor dings, but in your case I'd consider using a fine file first, holding the blade in a vice. Start nearest the tip until it's smooth, then work back. Work slowly from the edge down, with as little pressure as possible. Try to maintain a curve. Finishing with a whetstone will make the edge smoother. Then give the blade a regular sharpen with your favourite method. (The whetstone might be enough, if it's a fine one.)

This does of course mean reprofiling the blade, so it's inevitable that you'll lose some of the steel. Possibly a little of the tip, too. I hate when this happens! But with care losses can be minimized, and you'll be rewarded with a smooth, sharp edge again. And you'll have a more usable knife with an interesting history!

I wouldn't try hammering the ding first as it could weaken the steel and make things worse over time.

Sorry for all the words! Good luck, however you solve the problem!

[Simyo]

I came across a video on YouTube a while back showing how to fix a bent tip, you might be able to do a similar method to fix your blade.  As for the 111mm blade I have it’s not good but it’s not dented, I guess that’s why it became a donor knife for mods.

[pomsbz]

I should have mentioned that my sharpening skills extend to using a Sharpmaker and a strop and my tool chest is practically empty, together with my skillset.

[pomsbz]

Never say die right? Was watching a movie and needed something to do with my hands. My LM Charge pliers straightened out the dent (mostly) and the bent liner. I then used the diamond file and my sharpmaker to work the chip out of the blade and restore the tip. It's now smooth, straight and slicing like a devil, popping hair along the length of the edge, that blade hasn't looked so good for 15 years since it got damaged! I'll polish out the scratches if I'm really bored one day. One thing is for certain, any other blade steel and I would have had my work cut out for me with my non existent skill set and required tools. The blade would almost certainly have snapped when using the pliers for a start. There is no way I could have sharpened the entire dent out but once I got the idea of using the pliers to straighten it there was far less work.

Thanks folks!

[Sparky415]

Excelent job P 

 

[pomsbz]

Excelent job P 

 

Thanks!

[Sawl Goodman]

GREAT work!

[Poncho65]

Excellent work pomz Always nice to see a SAK restored to good working order

[pomsbz]

While I was at it I removed the lock to make it legal carry here.

[ThundahBeagle]

Nice work Pomz

Knew it could be done.

What's the best way to polish a SAK blade, by the way? I have an old metal inlay Boy Scout of America black Tinker I got used at a flea market, and the jamoke before me has left a series of circular scratches on the blade - probably a misguided attempt at sharpening it.

[pomsbz]

Nice work Pomz

Knew it could be done.

What's the best way to polish a SAK blade, by the way? I have an old metal inlay Boy Scout of America black Tinker I got used at a flea market, and the jamoke before me has left a series of circular scratches on the blade - probably a misguided attempt at sharpening it.

No idea to be honest I'm going to try with some high grade sandpaper then green polishing compound and flitz. Heck it can't make it all that much worse right?

[Simyo]

I believe hobie has some videos on YouTube polishing out blades but I believe sanding and then the polishing compound is the way to go.  I’m not sure if the newer scales swap with old slide lock model but that might be an option so you don’t have the hole there.  But congrats on fixing the old outrider right up.

[pomsbz]

I believe hobie has some videos on YouTube polishing out blades but I believe sanding and then the polishing compound is the way to go.  I’m not sure if the newer scales swap with old slide lock model but that might be an option so you don’t have the hole there.  But congrats on fixing the old outrider right up.

Thanks!