O.K.
I am pretty new at this. Have been making fixed blades for about a year now.
I have had several customers wanting folders from me. After doing some reviews they told me they would be more than happy with a folder from a kit.
I ordered a DDR3BL.
Everything is very well made, and pretty simple to assemble. However the scales they sent me, are much thinner than the bolsters.
I thought about putting spacers behind them. but then the screws would be too short.
Has any one else had this problem? Did I get the wrong scales.
I already made some really nice Red Stag scales for this knife. But was wondering, before I ordered the next kit.
Thanks
Benny

ok that's normal. What you need to do is cut some liner material to go under the scales and also cut out for the safety. If you dont want to see the liner then use the same color as the scales, i.e. carbon fiber scales and black spacer.

Ed

well, it looks like if that is a common problem, they would fix it.
Either make them thick enough, or stop selling precut scales

it's not really a problem at all. it's designed that way all because of the safety switch.

Ed

I don't guess I follow you on that one. I understand that the safety switch has to lightly rub the scales to have some sort of friction. But don't really see how that would affect how thick the scales should be.
I mean the scales I recieved are just a little over one half the thickness of the bolsters. By the time I space them out to be just flush. The scale screws are wayyy to short. And if I inlet the holes in the scales until the screws start, the scales will be cut almost completely through.

I've put together several of them and learned a few things along the way.
I had the same problem when I used the carbon fiber scales that are sold with the kit. I did layer spacer material to give it more thickness then drilled the scales down so the screws would work. If I was to do it again, I would use longer screws and trim them to fit correctly.
I think the plactic safety is a waist of time and throw it out.
I spend some time polishing the button and the back edge of the blade it rides on. Also the lock notch the button falls into to lock the blade open get a work over.
I grind off the pressed metal washer on the button side and replace it with a phospher/bronz washer to stablize the blade and smooth out the action.

The parts are all there but it still takes some work to put one together real nice.

If I remember right the website states that the spacer material is needed with certina materials like CF, G-10, and a couple of the woods