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Fixable freebie?

Manthing

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So the other day Robert, the old man of the farm we live on, called me over to his beaten up disco and said "is any of this any good to you"?
Pile of plumbing bits and stuff like that, "yes its all still usesble" sez I, then I noticed the old British army knife at the bottom of the pile and pulled it out.
It's bost, he sez. Cus they talk funny round here...
I might be able to do sumat with it, sez I.
Have at it, sez he.
So the upshot is I looks like the "spring" for the main blade has pinged cus it dunt snap into position.
Options are
Try and get a new "spring" for it.
Get rid of the can/bottle opener and use that "spring" on the blade and just have the blade.
Anyone had one to bits before.
20220505_174156.jpg 20220505_174206.jpg 20220505_174231.jpg 20220505_174322.jpg 20220505_174423.jpg
 
The springs may not be the same and the domed stainless rivets are a complete swine to get right because they need heat to close them, then contract as they cool. Good luck. I have one with a busted spring on the canopener and it can stay like that.
In good condition it's worth £35-£45 but broken it's worth b****r all.
 
Hmm.
Thought the pins might be some sort of alloy, stainless is a reight bugger to work.
Pity as it 10 years older than me if the 1955 is year of manufacture, I have a new one from Mr Mears Woodlore tinterwebs shop on my work van keyring. Was going to order one for my car keyring.
I shall sharpen it up and cogitate further.
 
I made a new back spring for my old knife (not an army knife) from a piece of 01 tool steel. It's easy enough to spring temper with a gas blow lamp and a can of oil. I made the pins from panel pins peened over.
 

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Trouble us where do I get a bit of 01 tool steel, whatever that is.
I'm a wood mangler under normal circumstances.
 
Go to a machine, blacksmith shop, they would probably cut & mill to what you require.
What thickness, length width do you want ?
 
Steel blank needs to be 90mm x 10mm x 2.5mm. You only need to remove one of the rivets to release the springs. Don't forget to try the new spring in situ with the new rivet in place but not closed before you temper it. If you just slip it together with the blade in both open and closed positions to check the blade doesn’t wobble. (Don’t try to open it until you’ve tempered the spring.) You could use a domed brass rivet to fix the centre of the spring.
 
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Trouble us where do I get a bit of 01 tool steel, whatever that is.
I'm a wood mangler under normal circumstances.

You can buy it online from Cromwell tools also Zoro, it's also known as gauge steel or ground flat stock and is available in lots of dimensions. You should get the thickness you need, probably 2mm or 3mm for not too much wonga.
 
You can buy it online from Cromwell tools also Zoro, it's also known as gauge steel or ground flat stock and is available in lots of dimensions. You should get the thickness you need, probably 2mm or 3mm for not too much wonga.
The spring for the master blade should be 3mm while the spring for the can opener is 2.5. (Both springs act on the fid/marlin spike if there is one.)
 
…after examining mine to make sure…I was wrong but you don’t need to un pin the blades. So two pins need to come out…my mistake. The middle one and the one through the bail.
Same process though, try it for fit before tempering.
 
…after examining mine to make sure…I was wrong but you don’t need to un pin the blades. So two pins need to come out…my mistake. The middle one and the one through the bail.
Same process though, try it for fit before tempering.
By a process of elimination the bail would be the pin that's not holding the blades?

OK thanks for all the help so far lads.
Next step is to find time to strip it.
 
The bail is the loop. The only pin that you don’t need to remove is the one through the blades 👍
These springs almost always break across the hole for the centre pin because stainless makes a poor spring.
 
Just a thought, but could the existing spring be welded somehow?
The chap that does maintenance on the farm stuff is a dab hand with the machine that pushes wire out to hold metal bits together and put holes in jumpers.
Just thinking if I filed the crack so the molten metal has somewhere to sit then I could re temper it with the oxy torch. 🤣🤣
 
Just a thought, but could the existing spring be welded somehow?
The chap that does maintenance on the farm stuff is a dab hand with the machine that pushes wire out to hold metal bits together and put holes in jumpers.
Just thinking if I filed the crack so the molten metal has somewhere to sit then I could re temper it with the oxy torch. 🤣🤣
An interesting experiment but stainless isn’t known for being easy to work and it relies on using the correct filling wire to weld with (I have no idea what grade stainless was used in these knives) It’s almost certainly going to be easier to cut and grind a new spring using the old one as a pattern, pillar drill, grinder, files, flat surface with some wet and dry and the tools to fix domed rivets permitting.
 
That wire is MIG (metal inert gas welding), using 99:99 % argon carbon, unless using 316 (S/Swire).
TIG (tungsten inert gas) again 99:99% gas shield, use Phillips, PZ 65316 or Unitrode 316 s/s filler wire 1:6 wire.
Would suggest that you need to get it braised, oxy acetylene gas welding, more controlled heat (other processes electric generated) filler wire as above dipped into braising flux. That would be the best on s/s steel to maintain tensile spring durability. also cast iron materials alloy mixes.
Once welded, natural cool, file off excess rub down with fine emery and oil.
 
And that's why I work with wood.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I shall cogitate further.
If I got a blank is stainless hard to drill? Heard it is. Do have access to a proper drill stand and I have some new drill bits.
 
And that's why I work with wood.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I shall cogitate further.
If I got a blank is stainless hard to drill? Heard it is. Do have access to a proper drill stand and I have some new drill bits.
Best if it’s clamped down properly or you can lose digits. I knew a college tutor who had lost a couple of fingers to a pillar drill.
I would mark it out and drill the holes before beginning to shape the spring, just so it’s easier to clamp.
 
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