What do I need for my first frame lock build?

[Justin Presson]

With no mill scale it should be fine. Getting it ground will mean your standoffs will need to be sized as well. I've made knives using 1095 that wasn't surface ground. They turned out just fine, it just takes a little more patience sometimes. You could go with precision ground steel and base all your spacing measurements off of it and know you have it right. If Chuck says it's fine for folders as is then I wouldn't worry about it. Stainless is foil wrapped for heat treat unless your using a saltpot or similiar oven and will come out of the heat treat clean with no scale. At .136 for the steel with .032 spacing for washers your .165 standoffs will work. Personally I would want them .168 but no one but you will ever know the difference.

Thanks again for all the input, I like the knives you put out so I'm trying to absorb as much input as possible.
Ti connector has .165 standoffs then jumps to .190 so I thought if i went with the .165 then I would have to take my blade down .003 to make everything match. Not sure that is the right way of thinking to do it. I just didn't want to get the thicker ones then have to sand them down symmetrical on each side.

 

[J. Hoover]

Everything will work just fine, don't worry about that .003 it will work fine. Where it would show up is on the tang of the blade. you want that area as flat as possible. A few thousands off at the pivot translates into an off center blade at the other end. I know you want everything perfect and you should. The truth is this being your first build your going to probably ppmistakes. you may mess up to the point you have to.start again. Just learn from the mistakes. As you go along you will figure out an order or steps to the build that work for you and turn out a good knife. It's all part of the process. Feel free.to.pm me if you run into.trouble.