Gayle Bradley Lock Access

[senorsquare]

I have an issue where the joints in my hand get really painful by the end of a work day and this makes the lock on the Gayle Bradley very difficult to disengage. I really like the GB but I'm thinking I either need to carve out the handle to allow better access to the lock, or sell it and get a Military.

Have any of you guys modified your Gayle Bradley handle scales to allow better access to the lock? If you can let me know how you did it and how it's worked out for you. I'd like to get an idea of what I'm in for if I take this route. Post pics if you got em. Thanks.

[Zenith]

Sorry to hear about the joints. There has been some modification.

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

Link 4

Hope these help.

[darkstar29]

I've made a slight mod to mine.. And made a bit larger one for a forum member..
It's really simple:
Just disassemble the knife, and use a Dremel to remove some stock in the liner and scale. Then sand and polish (with the dremel), and viola!

Note: The scales are carbon fiber.. nasty stuff to inhale.. Do it in a place with good ventilation, preferably outside, have a fan blowing it away from you, and wear a dust mask.

Here's the one I did for a forum member:


And this one was mine:

[BAL]

I use my right "pointing" finger to reach around and release the lock.
When I first got my GB, I had trouble using my thumb, but once I started
using the finger it became quite easy. I take the finger and always act like
I am trying to stick the end of it in between the liner and the release.

I have modified many other knives for similar reasons, but I hated to change
the Gail Bradley due to the feel of the knife as it is and knowing that Mr. GB
designed it this way with cutting performance in mind.

Good luck in whatever yoU do. I have found if I modify, to take a little off at a
time and then try it out. You can always take a little more off, but putting it back
doesn't work.

[jackknifeh]

I did mine just like Darkstar did his. Like he said it REALLY easy. Of course, just be patiend and remove the material slowly. The Dremel is very power considering it's size. It is VERY capable of doing work like this easily and quickly. Actually, this is the type work I think the Dremel is designed for. You will need a pretty good variety of Dremel accessories. You need a grinding stone, sanding bands of different grit, especially the fine grit. I also like the buffing EZ511 and EZ512. I may have also finished up with 1000 or 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper. If you look in my photo albums you can see mine but I can't post pictures right now. I only changed mine a little but it helped a lot. I had no problem before but I like it more now. If you have a "hard" time now you'll probably want to remove more material than I did but that's no problem.

If you don't have a Dremel I highly recommend you put off the next knife and get a Dremel 4000 or the cordless one (8200 I think). This is one tool you can live without until after you have owned one for a while. Then you can't live without one. I also use mine to make scales and knife handles. I also ground the spine of a ZDP-189 blade so the harder materials are not a problem either. Not only this stuff, but they are a lifesaver sometimes for small houshold projects.

To be a nice guy I'll volunteer my Dremel (and me) to do your knife no charge. I'm not really the best choice for this because I can't guarantee anything in the event the knife gets damaged. Not even if I damage it. I wouldn't damage it but I'm not in a financial position to be putting out guarantees like that. If I needed this to be done by someone else I always like to get it done by someone who I pay and can expect some sort of guarantee. I don't like to get my friends to work on my car. If they make a mistake and cause lots of damage they aren't in a position to fix it. A business however can be expected to make it right. Your best alternative IMO is to do this simple job yourself. I'm sure it can be done without a Dremel using round files and sandpaper but this is a good reason to get a Dremel if you don't have one.


Good luck.

[senorsquare]

Thanks for the links and comments everyone. Jack, I do have a Dremel, it's one of the cheaper ones but it does work. I also have a grinding stone to go with it, but I may need to pick up some extra sanding and polishing bits before I get started. I was kind of hesitant to do this for the reasons BAL stated, but now I'm kinda looking forward to jumping into this. This is a really nice knife and I almost hate to take a Dremel to it, but it's either that or sell it and I'm hesitant to sell it too, so something has to give.

Thanks again y'all.

[jackknifeh]

Thanks for the links and comments everyone. Jack, I do have a Dremel, it's one of the cheaper ones but it does work. I also have a grinding stone to go with it, but I may need to pick up some extra sanding and polishing bits before I get started. I was kind of hesitant to do this for the reasons BAL stated, but now I'm kinda looking forward to jumping into this. This is a really nice knife and I almost hate to take a Dremel to it, but it's either that or sell it and I'm hesitant to sell it too, so something has to give.

Thanks again y'all.

I know EXACTLY what you mean about being hesitant to start grinding drilling sanding on an already perfect knife. :eek: It's like the jumping out of a good airplane thing. :) I worked on several knives before I did this one. Also, like you I had read about doing this one thing but after I ground ZDP I realized it wasn't truely that difficult of a task.

The accessories you could use are diamond bits and grinding stones for the majority of the material removal. Keep in mind that the CF is MUCH SOFTER THAN STEEL :) Then the fine grit sanding bands will remove steel also which surprised me but they do work. The polishing buffs are truely great also. I do like to use very fine grit sandpaper also because the material removal is so slow that it's almost impossible to remove too much too fast. Also, one tiny slip with a motorized tool can make a mark that is harder to fix. But any mistake with this modification is fixable.

If you need to buy accessoried I'd recommend checking out widgetsupply.com for Dremel accessories. You can get VERY VERY VERY good deals on accessories there. Example: 100 sanding bands for $5 -$10 in 4 different grits. They also have actual Dremel accessories but they aren't packaged but are a lot less expensive. They are titled as "compare to dremel ###" or something like that in the title. Also, eBay has sellers who sell great accessories that are 3rd party companies but the same product as Dremel. Once the item goes into a Dremel package the price about doubles immediately. Also, there is a HUGE variety of accessory shapes and sizes that Dremel doesn't provide. I've looked around quite a bit and IMO widgetsupply.com is hands down the best site to shop on. They provide great customer survice also and ship VERY fast. And, only $2.99 for shipping most of the time. I think you get free shipping if your order is at least $5,000. :) Just kidding. :)




Be very careful when cutting this and check your progress often. It's better to cut a little then take the time to check than it is to grind away only to find you removed too much. Then you would need to remove more steel so the liner and CF are parallel. Another thing about this knife is that since the CF and liner are not perfectly flush there is a small margin of error that still will look ok unless you go looking at the knife with microscopes and measuring the exposed liner with calipers. :)

[senorsquare]

Well, I ain't going to win any awards for my fit and finish work, but I will be going back and to clean up the edges. Adding that little notch made all the difference and this knife works a lot better for me now. Thanks again for the help and advice.


Gayle Bradley Mod by senorsquare, on Flickr

[Zenith]

Glad you modified it to suite you better. Now just some fine sandpaper and your off!

[darkstar29]

Well, I ain't going to win any awards for my fit and finish work, but I will be going back and to clean up the edges. Adding that little notch made all the difference and this knife works a lot better for me now. Thanks again for the help and advice.


Gayle Bradley Mod by senorsquare, on Flickr

Not too shabby, bub. :) Doesn't need to win any beauty pageants, just work for ya.
It's a great knife, and it would be a shame to have to give it up.

[BAL]

I think that it looks great, no apologies needed. And even if it didn't it your knife,
as long as it works for you and you like it.

I have taken the dremel to many knives to touch up things here and there, some
you can't tell even if you look hard, but minor personal things. Yours looks great,
good job, but I bet that you were nervous for a while until you got done.

[senorsquare]

Not too shabby, bub. :) Doesn't need to win any beauty pageants, just work for ya.
It's a great knife, and it would be a shame to have to give it up.

I think that it looks great, no apologies needed. And even if it didn't it your knife,
as long as it works for you and you like it.

I have taken the dremel to many knives to touch up things here and there, some
you can't tell even if you look hard, but minor personal things. Yours looks great,
good job, but I bet that you were nervous for a while until you got done.

Thanks for the compliments. I was maybe a little nervous. :) Going into it is like going up the first climb on a roller coaster where it's not a big deal yet, but you're not sure if this was such a great idea. Then when the dremel hits the steel it's like going over the top of that first climb because there is no turning back and now you're in it to win it. All in all, a fun little project. I may start messing around with some cheap knives to hone my skills.

I was much more nervous with the carbon than the steel (did use a mask). I learned that a fella can mess up some handle scales in a hurry with dremel. I had actually started with a smaller cutout then had an "oops" moment with the carbon and had to go back and re-grind the liner to match. I like the end result better because the hole is fully exposed now and the lock disengagement is much improved. I will finish the edges slowly and by hand to try and get that nice bevel back at the edges.

My girlfriend thinks I may be a bit insane :)

[noseoil]

Insanity is a relative term here. I prefer OCD myself, to describe my behavior with knives, sharpening & related matters. It can always be just a bit better!

I'm thinking of doing the Bradley mod myself, but a drill press seems better suited to the job for me. I like the idea of having a vertical spindle and then using a block to rest the part on & help keep things flat as I go. Blue tape to protect the parts and draw lines on also seems to be a good approach to the grinding. The carbon fiber bevel would best be done with a small, fine cut half round file, then polished back to the proper shine. I have some mandrels which should work and are the right diameter, so the scallop will be a little more uniform with respect to the hole in the blade. Still mulling it over, as I don't wish to alter the appearance of this wonderful design, but with arthritis setting in, I'm thinking it may be necessary soon. Hmmm.........

[jackknifeh]

Insanity is a relative term here. I prefer OCD myself, to describe my behavior with knives, sharpening & related matters. It can always be just a bit better!

I'm thinking of doing the Bradley mod myself, but a drill press seems better suited to the job for me. I like the idea of having a vertical spindle and then using a block to rest the part on & help keep things flat as I go. Blue tape to protect the parts and draw lines on also seems to be a good approach to the grinding. The carbon fiber bevel would best be done with a small, fine cut half round file, then polished back to the proper shine. I have some mandrels which should work and are the right diameter, so the scallop will be a little more uniform with respect to the hole in the blade. Still mulling it over, as I don't wish to alter the appearance of this wonderful design, but with arthritis setting in, I'm thinking it may be necessary soon. Hmmm.........

Exccellent post and reminded me I could have been more detailed in my explanation of how I did it. I have the Dremel workstation that acts like a drill press. It will also hold the bit stationary so I can move the part (liner and scale) along slowly and accurately. It also keeps the edge at a 90 degree angle with the surface. A drill press can do the same thing and also be more sturdy. The Dremel workstation is a GREAT tool for $50 and it does a $50 job. Meaning if you need more accuracy when drilling you need something heavier and made out of steel. But, for this job the workstation is completely perfect. So, if you don't have a workstation or drill press you need one or both for a lot more reasons than modifying your GB. :D If you don't need super drilling accuracy the workstation is fine as well as a way to hold the Dremel stationary so you can hold the piece (any peice) and move it along the bit. But, if you need a more solid tool a drill press is needed. I have had the workstation for about 3 years and recently got a drill press. I got the press I can move around. Bench model, not floor model. It was about $130 at Lowe's. The Dremel workstation is $50 so this may play a part in the decision. I want to repeat that the workstation is as valuable Dremel attachment as there is IMO and I have about 70% of all the attachments.

So, good points on the needed tools noseoil.

[noseoil]

Had a little time this morning, so I did the Bradley Spyder-hole access mod. Turned out well enough. I really enjoy this knife, the more I carry it, the better it feels. Used the drill press and took it easy on the grinding. Not too difficult, just a gentle touch and it went back together very well. This is the first one I've taken apart and I'm amazed at the fit, finish and tolerances involved in a simple knife. It's like a small jewel the way it's made and assembled.

[bdblue]

I would like to have mine modified but I can live with it the way it is so I'm not going to take the chance disassembling it. I've read too many horror stories about stripped screws so as long as my knife works I'm not going to mess with it.

[senorsquare]

Had a little time this morning, so I did the Bradley Spyder-hole access mod. Turned out well enough. I really enjoy this knife, the more I carry it, the better it feels. Used the drill press and took it easy on the grinding. Not too difficult, just a gentle touch and it went back together very well. This is the first one I've taken apart and I'm amazed at the fit, finish and tolerances involved in a simple knife. It's like a small jewel the way it's made and assembled.

Nice work! That looks factory fresh.