started my first flipper today.

slatroni

Well-Known Member
What do you think so far. I ordered the pivot and washers today from USA Knife Makers. So the pins are just holding it together till the parts come in. The blade has a 4" cutting edge made of 1095 from NJ steel baron. and the liners are 316 SS hand cut with a checkering file. I am going to skin it in Euro Walnut with red liners. The walnut (my favorite wood) came from http://www.woodworkerssource.com/fig_wal_pk20.html . check out the deal on this stuff!
Steve
first folder1.JPG
first folder.JPG
 
Hi Steve!

Just curious, and a word or two of advice on Flippers......what type of pivot system are you using? I ask because until I started using bearings in the pivot, my flippers would never "flip"...... I suspect there are folks out there who can make washers work in a flipper application....but it drove me crazy....trying to make it work. When I couldn't make the washers work, I went with loose bearings....and out of the 1000 1/16" bearings I purchased, I still think there are 900 of them somewhere on the shop floor! I finally went with "caged" bearings, and found my solution. I always thought that things like flatness and "true" holes where important with simple liner lock folders.....but it's far more critical on a flipper.
My friend Steve Kelly is producing folder hardware, much of it out of titanium, and I am certainly not dissing any other hardware.....but where most folder hardware has a +/- tolerance, Steve shoots for zero +/- tolerances.....I never realized how much difference the tolerances of the hardware made! Where I used to have to "fiddle" with every single folder I built to make them "right"....with Steve's hardware, my folders (for lack of a better term) just fall together now!
 
Thank you for the tips Ed. I ran my little fingers back over to get some of the bearings you suggested and a counter bore. I am making this knife to use at my full time job. The guys are always giving me a hard time because I make knives but I carry one of those $13 Kershaws.
 
Sorry to have to tell you this, but a liner lock made of 316 ss won't stand up. The lock will weaken and stop working. Use 6al/4v titanium. It makes a natural spring.
 
Don's right.....and in order to use bearings, the counterbore is gona need to be about .050" deep.....which means AT LEAST .070" thick liners. Guess I should have said a lot more then what I did.....sorry.
 
Thanks for the heads up fellas. At my level, Ti is out. but I will look into something else. Its easy to change at this point.
Steve
 
Ed does Steve have a website? I would be interested in some of the hardware you spoke about.

thanks
 
Yes Ed, please give us Steve Kelly's website for parts contact. If you are talking about pivots, I think you should check out both USA Knife Makers Supply and Alpha Knife Supply. They both carry 3/16" pivots that always measure bang on and not over or under. Frank
 
I bought the bearings and pivot at USA Knife Makers Supply. Cool stuff. I should have bought the bearings before I made the blade. Teflon washers fit but the bearings won't allow the lock to work. Another lesson learned.
 
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