I cut the beak off my user Street Scrapper 4 handle.




Narrowed & smoothed out the swell using Dremel w/ sanding drum..




Finished (pretty much)..




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Oh.. and now it's Stripped too!

* Inspiration..
One day I was in the garage flipping my SS4 user around, grip changes, chopping air, etc.. and the beak caught on something (clothing?).. my SS4 flew tip first into the concrete floor! Took a chunk of concrete out.. surprisingly tip was ok! ..just a small bur on the end of tip.

I also plan to EDC this SS4 concealed along with my Glock.. so goodbye beak.

If you have Large hands, you prolly won't like this mod.. as the SS4 handle isn't all that big to begin with.

* X-Ray
Hog Feet's x-rays of the SS4 Tang over at BF came in Very handy..
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=444088
..I scaled it to life size, printed out, and used as a template.. to know exactly where tang was.. where to cut & where not to cut.

* Problems i ran into..
In this rough mid-production pic.. you can see the voids in the Res-C, probably air bubbles during the injection molding..




* Res-C & fire..
Err.. i'll talk about That one another day..

* Impressions.
It's more compact now. Lot easier to flip around, get into ice pick grip, etc.
That beak is actually great for choking back on and getting a lot more leverage for chopping.. unfortunately SS4 blade doesn't have any mass for chopping. That kind of beak would be Awesome on a heavier HRLM type blade.

The SS4 still ate this X-mas tree though <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ..

I love seeing folks truely make a knife their own!

Very nice, I bought a dremmel just to carve on my SS4 handle, please share your tips.

oddball,
Oh you're gonna Love that Dremel! there are soooo many bits to choose from.
It is my "go to" tool hanging front & center on my workbench pegboard.

-eye protection.. good wraparound, scratch resistant coating helps. Cuz stuff gets flung around Fast! i use racquetball goggles w/ elastic band when hanging upside & griding stuff.

-get all the combo bit packs with lots of different bits.. try each bit in the same material.. that's the best way to see cutting characteristics of each bit.. see what kinda lines/patterns they leave behind, etc.

-vary the rpm cutting speed too.. handy for different types of material.

-practice on your crappy knives/guns first to get the hang of it.
(someday i'll tell about the time i accidentally made my 1911 .45 go full auto! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />)

-In the beginning you prolly want to clamp workpiece in a vice so you can use 2 hands on Dremel, to get a feel for when it wants to kickback, or pull sideways, etc. Once you get the hang of it you can hold workpiece in one hand, and grind/cut with other hand.

-I made an "adapter" out of wood for clamping my Dremel in my Vice.. making a stationary grinder/cutter. I find it's handier than my bench grinder for small work.. can change bits.

Tony...that is sweet wok bro!!!


I dig it!

I know all about using a Dremel, I just have never owned one.

I have used die grinders, all the way up to CNC machining centers.

I just wanted to know which bits worked for you.

I was thinking that an electric tire groover might be the best tool but a Dremel has lots of other uses and I don't groove too many tires.

Hey, very cool job! It looks like it turned out great. More importantly, even if it didn't *look* great, it fits your hand.

(Which Glock?)

oddball,
oh shoot! i was barking up the wrong tree! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

I cut the beak off with a hacksaw.. that Res-C put up a good fight!
Those thin cutoff wheels would've gotten stuck in it!

Then started rounding the butt with a high speed steel cutter, but found it cut "too clean & too sharp".


ended up using a 1/2" sanding drum for all the shaping & finished with it too.. left it rougher.. more factory looking.
It was the 60-grit course sanding drum (dremel part# 408)
..only because i forgot i had more 120-grit (#432) at the bottom of the drawer!



hmm.. i've never tried a tire groover!

Well, you’d certainly be able to pick it out of a pile now.


I couldn’t find it, but a long time ago someone posted a pic at SR of a CT or BR that they had the handle on fire. I think they coated it with alcohol or something and lit it. It appeared fine though. Res-c is tough stuff.

Andy if you come across that thread.. please post a link to it!!
i've got a little bit to Add to it.. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />