SAK mod: question on pin size

[Megethos]

Hi people, this is my first post.  Hopefully this hasn't been answered already.
I'm working on modding a Victorinox Spartan.  It's my belief that the two pin sizes are 2.2mm and 2.5mm.  All I have is 3/32 in rod (2.38mm).  For the 2.2mm size, I can sand it down to the correct size, no problem.

My question is, would the 3/32 rod work in place of 2.5mm rod?  I wouldn't expect it to, but when I took apart my Spartan, I noticed the pivot hole in the reamer/punch is well over 2.5mm, even though it rides on 2.2mm rod.  Yet it still functioned fine.  So it seems like maybe 0.12mm difference wouldn't matter for the other tools either.  What do you guys think?
Thank you!

Luke

[Max Stone]

Hello Megethos and welcome to 

Yes, you can sand down the rod to 2.2mm. Cut a short piece and put it in your drill chuck, and run it on some sandpaper.

SAK pivot tolerances are quite forgiving on the 91mm range, especially if you're only rebuilding 2 or 3 layers. 2.38mm on the end pivots will work fine. You'll still get good snap and the backsprings will still keep the tools centered.

Good luck, and it you want a badge, post the build as a new thread! And don't worry about asking questions, we've all been there...

[Megethos]

Thanks!  I'll post when I'm done...if it's not a disaster

[kamakiri]

It can work, but the tools will not have the same compression from the backspring and will protrude the same 0.12mm up/out when opened or closed. So snap and hold-open forces will be reduced a bit.

I think some backside tools are engineered like that to work in different frame sizes. So it’s not quite the same thing IMO.

In Max’s 2-3 layer example it ‘works’ because the pin gets thicker as you peen the ends. And some of that difference can be made up, especially toward the outer ends. But I would not recommend doing this for 3 layers unless the mid layer is like a saw. Wider than that could see issues with the whole knife flexing if not peened pretty tight.

[Megethos]

Well, this is for a two layer Spartan.  I just don't want to make an order, when I already have a whole bunch of 3/32.  But I also don't want to get it together, then regret it.

[kamakiri]

  Should be good for two layers.

If you want to be a bit ‘tricky’ you can also hammer it to a square sectional profile. Essentially, you make the corners close to 2.5mm diagonally.

But then again, you might just have to be as crazy as I am to do things like that.

Have fun turning the 2.2mm pins. That’s probably one of the things I hate most. I do that for nickel silver, and also from 3/32” rounds. I primarily use diamond files for the bulk removal before going to sandpaper.

[Megethos]

Thanks for the tips, it should be an adventure.  I might still order some 2.5 pin, I haven't decided.  Either way, I'll post again.

[Don Pablo]

Maybe you'll want the 2.5 pin for future projects, either way. So why not now?

[Megethos]

Well that's true...

[kamakiri]

Maybe you'll want the 2.5 pin for future projects, either way. So why not now?

Good point. And not like it’s expensive.

[Fortytwo]

For thin, around two layer, knives I have been able to get away with using brass nails. They are more likely to be found locally in hardware stores and should be labelled for size.

Edit: Just make sure they are actually brass and not just made to look like brass.

[kamakiri]

For thin, around two layer, knives I have been able to get away with using brass nails. They are more likely to be found locally in hardware stores and should be labelled for size.

Edit: Just make sure they are actually brass and not just made to look like brass.

2.2mm brass brads or finish nails seem common in Europe. Not so much in the states.

[Fortytwo]

2.2mm brass brads or finish nails seem common in Europe. Not so much in the states.

That's too bad, I'm obviously used to my local conditions and it's easy to forget that some things are surprisingly different.

[kamakiri]

That's too bad, I'm obviously used to my local conditions and it's easy to forget that some things are surprisingly different.

Yeah, it’s too bad we weren’t smart enough to go metric back in the ‘70s. It’s not you, it’s US. 

[SAKTaschenmesser]

There is a seller on EBay.com that sells pre-cut brass pins and collars. Based in Germany, but posts to the USA.

If interested search for 2,25mm brass rivets or 2,5mm brass rivets.

NOTE: use a COMMA as the decimal separator instead of a stop. Comma is normal in Europe excluding the U.K.


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[kamakiri]

There is a seller on EBay.com that sells pre-cut brass pins and collars. Based in Germany, but posts to the USA.

If interested search for 2,25mm brass rivets or 2,5mm brass rivets.

NOTE: use a COMMA as the decimal separator instead of a stop. Comma is normal in Europe excluding the U.K.


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Wow. Excellent advice. That’s what I get for thinking like an American!

[SAKTaschenmesser]

Wow. Excellent advice. That’s what I get for thinking like an American!

It’s a US site, so to hit customers in the US I reckon the seller should use a STOP as the decimal separator.

Now tell me, when are you Americans going to get date format right? It’s day, month then year! And, it’s crisps not chips, fries are chips..

(only kidding)


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[smiller43147]

And torch not flashlight, spanner not wrench...

[Don Pablo]

And torch not flashlight, spanner not wrench...

"Throwing a wrench into the works" doesn't have the same ring as "Throwing a spanner into the works"

[kamakiri]

It’s a US site, so to hit customers in the US I reckon the seller should use a STOP as the decimal separator.

Now tell me, when are you Americans going to get date format right? It’s day, month then year! And, it’s crisps not chips, fries are chips..

(only kidding)


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Agreed. We have it all wrong. 

Well, except windshield and trunk. 

Kidding aside, you have my sincerest thanks for reminding me to think outside the American mindset. I worked for a company that was held by Kiwis, so I worked with a lot of Aussies and Kiwis during that time. So I was used to seeing the comma separators back then. Hardly think of it now and would have helped me find the right brass rod long ago!

[Frailer]

...Now tell me, when are you Americans going to get date format right? It’s day, month then year!

Yes!

We do it that way in the US military, but those damn civilians...

[Sawl Goodman]

I worked for a company that was held by Kiwis, so I worked with a lot of Aussies and Kiwis during that time. So I was used to seeing the comma separators back then. Hardly think of it now and would have helped me find the right brass rod long ago!

That’s interesting. As a Kiwi, AO/NZ and Aus use points as separators, as in 2.5 mm. I’ve never seen a comma separator used here. What business was the company in?

[kamakiri]

That’s interesting. As a Kiwi, AO/NZ and Aus use points as separators, as in 2.5 mm.  :dunno:I’ve never seen a comma separator used here. What business was the company in?

I don’t think it was necessarily that where we use the decimal point, but there was something different. It was either dimensional or cost related and in hand written docs. Maybe ft and in.?  I didn’t ask the source or reason. Perhaps I assumed incorrectly. 

[Megethos]

I ordered some 2.5mm rod off Amazon.  It's 300mm of 2.5, plus an assortment of other diameters, from 2-8mm.  It should come in handy for other projects.  I'll still have to sand-down for the 2.2, but c'est la guerre. 

[kamakiri]

 

[SAKTaschenmesser]

I found one seller on EBay U.K. who sold 2.2mm brass rod in about 1ft lengths. From memory they were just over £1 each. I bought a couple. Postage was about £4 though.


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[kamakiri]

I found one seller on EBay U.K. who sold 2.2mm brass rod in about 1ft lengths. From memory they were just over £1 each. I bought a couple. Postage was about £4 though.


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That’s where I got mine from, and there is a mod here who is or was selling 6” lengths in kits, IIRC. so lots of options for brass. I’d be happy if I could find the same for Nickel Silver!