Well now that my health has (mostly) returned, I'm beginning to get back into the swing of things. I'm just a couple of days away from finishing up a knife, which due to the illness had inadvertantly turned into a very long-term project.

I won't bore you with the details as to how it could have happened, but last night I discovered that one of the two scales is a smidge too thin for the now completed bolsters. Normally I would just sand a little off the top of the bolsters and be done with it...The difference is only about .015" !!! But carved side spacers, which have already been completed and fitted and they are the problem...they butt to the bolsters and the scales butt to them.

I think I can "cheat" the difference off of the bottom of the combined front bolster and spacer, but there's a complication...The bolsters have been blind tapped and attached from behind to the titanium liners using 1-72 (2 screws for each bolster). I'm worried that if I sand that .015" off of the bottom of the bolsters I might lose one or two threads from the tapped screw holes in the back of the bolsters. And I have my reasons why I don't want to drill and tap new holes.

The bolsters are definitely thick enough to withstand deeper screw holes, so after that rather long-winded description, here's my question:

If required, is it possible/OK to drill into the existing, tapped holes...making them a little deeper, and would I then be able to come back and tap a couple of addditonal threads in them?

I do have more ivory, and can make another set if necessary,...and I'm sure I could find a use for this set in a future knife, but this particular pair just feels "right" for this knife and I would hate to have to give them up.

I'd appreciate any help from the experts...;)


Dennis Greenbaum

Yeah Baby! :smokin

It just occured to me that I should mention...this knife is not a folder.
I posted the tapping question here because....well, it just seemed natural to post it here. :)


Dennis Greenbaum

Yeah Baby! :smokin

If you sand off .015 from the back of th bolster you would lose only one thread from the existing hole.

If you use the same size pilot drill that was originally used on the hole it will cut off some of the thread that the tap extruded into the hole. If the hole is in titanium the remaining portion of the threads will likely still be strong enough. If some other material, they may not be strong enough.

You could use a smaller pilot drill than the original in order to spare the existing threads but that would make tapping that one or two extra threads more difficult, especially in titanium. For other materials it would probably work easily enough.

I think I'd just sand it and see how it felt after that. Might be all you need to do.....

Thanks Ray-

I figured I could count on you for the info I needed...

As it turns out I have decided on another solution...a liner/spacer under the ivory scales. I was resistant to this at first, but I've since decided on a liner material, which in hindsight I think will add to the overall knife.

I've often said that mistakes or other problems force solutions, which almost always lead to a more interesting knife...I think that'll wind up being the case here (at least I hope). ;)

Regarding your answer to the tapping question...Now I'll know for the future.

Thanks for your help.


Dennis Greenbaum

Yeah Baby! :smokin