First Kit complete

[Oldsteel]

Well, I'll let you decide if it needs more work, but I helped my son put together his first knife kit today. It is a Knifekit.com FL-006. I had him assemble and disassemble the knife while I did the lock filing. Then I let him put it together when we had it working right.

The fit of the scales isn't perfect and I'm wondering if they need to be for his first kit knife? They can be removed and sanded, but the dymondwood that comes with the kit seems to be very slightly warped.

Here's the link to take a look and make suggestions. I really want him to be proud of this knife. http://www.knifekits.com/store/s-pag...main.htm~smain Bottom of the page on the left.

By the way he's 11 years old.

Keep em sharp.

[derek parker]

i actually messed with those kits for awhile. i made one for a friend and it has been working perfectly the entire time. i didnt use the scales that came with it. i used them as templates for some acrylic material that i got from www.texasknife.com. it works. theyre also great for practicing filework, and helped me learn how to make my first backspine. but anyway its a great little kit, it should serve him well for years to come. he should be proud. have a good one.

[TexasJack]

The fit of the scales isn't perfect and I'm wondering if they need to be for his first kit knife?

Are you teaching him to put together a knife, or how to do a job well?

I know, with an 11 yr old, patience is pretty thin. But if you look around at the old geezers around this forum, you'll find many variations of "...he made me do it until I got it right. I was pretty unhappy at the time, but later on I realized that finishing the job the right way is what made my work stand out..."

[mike6640]

I must agree with TexasJack. If it is a job worth doing, it is worth doing right.

Make it something to carry with pride. Make it as 'perfect' as you can. Perfect being a very subjective descriptor.

It is possible to flat sand the uderside of the scales using a slab of marble tile (couple of bucks at home depot) with sandpaper taped at the corners.

Either that, or use the existing scales as a template for cutting the material of your choice.

Mike

[Oldsteel]

Well, I didn't force him to do anything he didn't want to do, but I kept the work short so he wouldn't lose interest. I wanted feedback about final fit and finish to know if it would make a difference in his perspective of the work. I know in my own work I won't stop until it's just right.

I received my FL-007 kit today and the right side frame is bent. I will contact Texas Knifemaker's Supply to see if they will get me a new one before I start bothering you guys about how to straighten it properly.

I will show my son how to fit the scales to his knife and I plan to have him help me as I make more knives in the future. If he decides he would rather do something else with his life besides work with his hands at least he can look back on these time when we were together and know he can do the job.

Thanks for the input.

[Skyraider]

Sounds like a lot of fun. Wish I had started kit making with my son. Didn't know about them then.
I just recived a FL005 kit and notice that the metal seems rather dull. Did you do anything to brighten up the metal?

[mike6640]

Originally Posted by Skyraider

Sounds like a lot of fun. Wish I had started kit making with my son. Didn't know about them then.
I just recived a FL005 kit and notice that the metal seems rather dull. Did you do anything to brighten up the metal?

flat sand the face surfaces with sandpaper on a flat piece of marble (home store 12" tile). Hand or block sand edges at the same time. Use finer grits progessively until it shines like a mirror.

Mike

[Oldsteel]

Originally Posted by Skyraider

...
I just recived a FL005 kit and notice that the metal seems rather dull. Did you do anything to brighten up the metal?

We haven't done anything to the kit my son and I put together except fit the grips better. I have been rather busy since the kids went back to school and some things are on the back burner for now.

My daughter's FL-001 kit and my replacement FL-007 arrived Saturday and we threw them together. I've been thinking of the improvements I want to make to my knife since I got it all together. The blade on the FL-001 really needs to be bright finished. I'm just trying to figure out which way I want to go since I have a new 6" buffer from Harbor Freight. It is probably a better idea to learn the simple methods first.

Once I have played around with my knife I can help the kids with theirs.