ANDYLASER
06-12-04, 05:15 AM
I thought you may be interested in this short review of the Linville Knife & Tool (http://www.linvilleknifeandtool.com/) Folding knife kit. Model No #006 (http://www.linvilleknifeandtool.com/products/lkt-kit-6.htm). Linville Knife & Tool are relatively new on the kit knife scene, however their products are designed by custom knife maker Tim Britton (http://www.timbritton.com/) . Tim is obviously an accomplished and skilled knife maker as is evident by the knives on his web site. These kits reflect that knowledge.
I have had my eye on their kits for a while now. whilst deciding which one to get. A few weeks ago I saw kit their latest offering. Kit #006 on the Linville web site. This looked like a strong and purposeful knife with excellent lines and made from quality materials. I ordered one immediately.
The kit arrived a few days ago and I have been working on it since then. My first impression as I unpacked everything was how well all the parts were wrapped for shipping, nice polythene bags containing individual parts, a smaller bag of screws, a separate bag with the scales, all padded out with an instruction leaflet and a small "flyer" about Linville.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/ANDYLASER/LINVILLE%20006%20KIT/006-K.jpg
Compared with the Darrel Ralph kits there seemed to be a fewer number of parts to this kit. This is due to the bolsters being pre welded to the frames. This is done by a spot welding method from the inside of the frame. It has been done very neatly. Although, 1 weld was rather near to the edge of the bolster and has caused a slight distortion. This mark is however very slight and does not detract from this kits overall quality as it was soon removed with a little work by wet & dry papers.
The frame, bolsters, pocket clip and frame spacers are made from 420 stainless and have a satin sandblast finish. I decided to rub this finish down and mirror polish the bolsters and frame edges. This was a purely personal decision and does not have to be done. Especially, if you like the satin finish.
The pocket clip, I left with its satin finish to provide a contrast.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/ANDYLASER/LINVILLE%20006%20KIT/006-5.jpg
The rather chunky blade is made from AUS8 is a fraction over 3" long and is hardened to RC59. It is pre fitted with dual thumb studs and has nicely machined thumb grooves at the base of the spine. It is supplied with a basic grind, but not sharpened. Tim Britton states that this is for safety reasons and that many people like to do the final sharpening themselves.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/ANDYLASER/LINVILLE%20006%20KIT/006-7.jpg
The scales are made from G10 and have a black chequered finish. They are also pre shaped and require almost no further work. A quick wipe around the edges with a bit of 800 grit paper, was all that was needed.
All fasteners are stainless steel and of good quality. You will require the following hand tools. Torx drivers T6, T8, T10, plus pozi and flat bladed screwdriver.
There are no instructions as such, just a list of parts and a few tips. Construction is easy. I assembled the complete kit in 5 minutes. That simple. I then disassembled it again. I thought that was too easy and felt cheated. It was at this point I decided to polish the bolsters. A few hours later after rubbing to 1500 grit and polishing with the dremel I was awarded with shiny bolsters and frame edges.
I re assembled everything and began to play. :D Opening and closing was a bit tight at first but slackening the pivot bolt a fraction loosened it up nicely. I will strip it again later a put a drop of oil on the pivot ( as recommended), I will also replace the nylon washers with some phosphor bronze ones.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/ANDYLASER/LINVILLE%20006%20KIT/006-6.jpg
I was somewhat disappointed by the blade lock-up. Whilst fine laterally, there was about 1.5mm of vertical movement. I e-mailed Tim about this. But by the time he replied the following day, (with an offer to replace any faulty parts), the problem had fixed itself. I can only assume a period of ”running in” was required. I have also spoken to a contributer on “knifeforums” with the same kit. He also stated about 50 opening and closing operations were needed before his knife locked solidly. I do not consider this a problem on a hand assembled knife.
As stated above, the blade is unsharpened. It took me about 3 hours work with the sharpmaker before I had a satisfactory shaving sharp edge. I also managed to put a few small scratches onto the otherwise pristine blade. This however I put down to my inexperience with the sharpmaker and nothing else.
I am very satisfied with the way this knife has turned out. It looks like it is going to be a very useful and strong tool. It also looks damn fine. If you have the capability of doing up 10 screws you can make one as well. It should therefore appeal to all those who have put off making a knife before as they were worried about machining, sanding & filing. This kit needs none. For a very small outlay of time and effort you will be rewarded with a strong, handsome knife that will last you for ages. I also believe this kit will make an excellent host knife for anyone who wishes to use it as a base for some customisation work. I shall be ordering another soon just for that reason.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/ANDYLASER/LINVILLE%20006%20KIT/006-4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/ANDYLASER/LINVILLE%20006%20KIT/006-3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/ANDYLASER/LINVILLE%20006%20KIT/006-2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/ANDYLASER/LINVILLE%20006%20KIT/006-1.jpg
Finally, I saved the best bit to last. This kit costs just $36.95 and international shipping a further $10. Or, in real money £24.17. This is an awful lot of knife for that price. And is therefore an absolute bargain and comes highly recommended.
I have had my eye on their kits for a while now. whilst deciding which one to get. A few weeks ago I saw kit their latest offering. Kit #006 on the Linville web site. This looked like a strong and purposeful knife with excellent lines and made from quality materials. I ordered one immediately.
The kit arrived a few days ago and I have been working on it since then. My first impression as I unpacked everything was how well all the parts were wrapped for shipping, nice polythene bags containing individual parts, a smaller bag of screws, a separate bag with the scales, all padded out with an instruction leaflet and a small "flyer" about Linville.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/ANDYLASER/LINVILLE%20006%20KIT/006-K.jpg
Compared with the Darrel Ralph kits there seemed to be a fewer number of parts to this kit. This is due to the bolsters being pre welded to the frames. This is done by a spot welding method from the inside of the frame. It has been done very neatly. Although, 1 weld was rather near to the edge of the bolster and has caused a slight distortion. This mark is however very slight and does not detract from this kits overall quality as it was soon removed with a little work by wet & dry papers.
The frame, bolsters, pocket clip and frame spacers are made from 420 stainless and have a satin sandblast finish. I decided to rub this finish down and mirror polish the bolsters and frame edges. This was a purely personal decision and does not have to be done. Especially, if you like the satin finish.
The pocket clip, I left with its satin finish to provide a contrast.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/ANDYLASER/LINVILLE%20006%20KIT/006-5.jpg
The rather chunky blade is made from AUS8 is a fraction over 3" long and is hardened to RC59. It is pre fitted with dual thumb studs and has nicely machined thumb grooves at the base of the spine. It is supplied with a basic grind, but not sharpened. Tim Britton states that this is for safety reasons and that many people like to do the final sharpening themselves.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/ANDYLASER/LINVILLE%20006%20KIT/006-7.jpg
The scales are made from G10 and have a black chequered finish. They are also pre shaped and require almost no further work. A quick wipe around the edges with a bit of 800 grit paper, was all that was needed.
All fasteners are stainless steel and of good quality. You will require the following hand tools. Torx drivers T6, T8, T10, plus pozi and flat bladed screwdriver.
There are no instructions as such, just a list of parts and a few tips. Construction is easy. I assembled the complete kit in 5 minutes. That simple. I then disassembled it again. I thought that was too easy and felt cheated. It was at this point I decided to polish the bolsters. A few hours later after rubbing to 1500 grit and polishing with the dremel I was awarded with shiny bolsters and frame edges.
I re assembled everything and began to play. :D Opening and closing was a bit tight at first but slackening the pivot bolt a fraction loosened it up nicely. I will strip it again later a put a drop of oil on the pivot ( as recommended), I will also replace the nylon washers with some phosphor bronze ones.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/ANDYLASER/LINVILLE%20006%20KIT/006-6.jpg
I was somewhat disappointed by the blade lock-up. Whilst fine laterally, there was about 1.5mm of vertical movement. I e-mailed Tim about this. But by the time he replied the following day, (with an offer to replace any faulty parts), the problem had fixed itself. I can only assume a period of ”running in” was required. I have also spoken to a contributer on “knifeforums” with the same kit. He also stated about 50 opening and closing operations were needed before his knife locked solidly. I do not consider this a problem on a hand assembled knife.
As stated above, the blade is unsharpened. It took me about 3 hours work with the sharpmaker before I had a satisfactory shaving sharp edge. I also managed to put a few small scratches onto the otherwise pristine blade. This however I put down to my inexperience with the sharpmaker and nothing else.
I am very satisfied with the way this knife has turned out. It looks like it is going to be a very useful and strong tool. It also looks damn fine. If you have the capability of doing up 10 screws you can make one as well. It should therefore appeal to all those who have put off making a knife before as they were worried about machining, sanding & filing. This kit needs none. For a very small outlay of time and effort you will be rewarded with a strong, handsome knife that will last you for ages. I also believe this kit will make an excellent host knife for anyone who wishes to use it as a base for some customisation work. I shall be ordering another soon just for that reason.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/ANDYLASER/LINVILLE%20006%20KIT/006-4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/ANDYLASER/LINVILLE%20006%20KIT/006-3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/ANDYLASER/LINVILLE%20006%20KIT/006-2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/ANDYLASER/LINVILLE%20006%20KIT/006-1.jpg
Finally, I saved the best bit to last. This kit costs just $36.95 and international shipping a further $10. Or, in real money £24.17. This is an awful lot of knife for that price. And is therefore an absolute bargain and comes highly recommended.