Spyderco Forums

Is some custom scales for my gosh darned Caribbean...

I swear, I can't find anyone who is willing to make them. I've tried Cuscadi, Suingab, Fireside and several custom makers. Nothing! Either they don't want to make them, or they no longer make scales.

I've offered to send the scales in, or the entire knife. Heck, I've even offered to buy one for them to KEEP.
Still not interested... I don't understand.

What does a guy have to do to get a set of scales made?!

Smart info for my recent choice making process. I have a Mule in the mail and have been pondering scales. Most of my cutting is outdoors and hunting. I'm excited about glow in the dark scales as I have a couple nice orange handled hunters already.

It seems to get scales made I will have to make them myself. Ack, said the guy with no skills. Or, follow your lead.

Such a great forum with people breaking trail in so many aspects of knife ownership.

Thanks Sumdumgy and keep us posted.

Give me a real nice summer first!

Sorry for o.t. I just don't want to think about winter before I haven't had some nice hot summer. What's wrong with the original scales?

Sumdumguy wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 22, 2020 9:34 am

What does a guy have to do to get a set of scales made?!

So, you need to buy CNC router, pair of callipers, G10 of your choice, create a model for the CNC and there you have, custom scales :D

I can see why nobody want to make them. All the internal milling could be nightmare to get right....but, on the other hand, I don't know why nobody want to make scales a bit different, like screw the milling pattern and just mill everything, you are going to lose the seamless fit between scale and liner, but what the hey

I've been practicing making scales for similar (different knife, same frustrating process) reasons.

Maybe the solution is just to make them ourselves?

Cuscadi said they could do them for me. When asked if they could, due to the complexity of the nested liners, their words were “that’s what we do!” They need the knife in person and shipping takes like a month both ways, but if they pull off what I want it will be epic!

Are the liners recessed on the Caribbean? If yes, I can see how this would be a little challenging (and potentially expensive) to do on a semi-production basis. I’ve only done a few recessed custom scales, and it’s not a lot of fun to mill out the slots by hand on a manual mill. CNC would definitely be the way to go for accuracy and efficiency.

I was thinking about getting some G10 and having a go at it. I also thought about milling the factory scales flat and epoxying another layer to them, then contouring it all down that way I wouldn't have to deal with drilling and countersinking the holes.

I'd love a Caribbean LW. Hopefully this is in the works.

I have definitely thought about doing them myself, as I could modify my 3D printer to be a CNC mill. However, it's not a feasible task at the moment.
I just have too many other projects and they are far more pressing.

On the other hand, I have the money to get them made. Just, no one who can/will.

My vision is to have shredded CF(or wood) scales made extra thick, so they can then give it a palm swell, while matching the original machined grip pattern.

It shouldn't be that tall of an order for someone with a CNC machine. Maybe that's the route I should go. Find a CNC shop and go there with the cad in hand...

I should be able to find the time to make the scales up in cad. I could even 3D print them and tailor them to fit my hand perfectly.

I'll look into it, I'm not a cad professional. But, I might be able to pull it off.

Dazen wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 22, 2020 10:17 am

Cuscadi said they could do them for me. When asked if they could, due to the complexity of the nested liners, their words were “that’s what we do!” They need the knife in person and shipping takes like a month both ways, but if they pull off what I want it will be epic!

I asked Cuscadi a few days ago, just to check again and they said,

"thank you for your email and your inquiry.

unfortunately is the Spy Caribbean not a part of our production line at the moment, sorry ;-(

best wishes and stay safe and healthy

Team Cuscadi"

Do you live in Germany? I'm in the U.S., maybe that's the reason they won't let me ship it in.

Sumdumguy wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 22, 2020 1:05 pm

Dazen wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 22, 2020 10:17 am

Cuscadi said they could do them for me. When asked if they could, due to the complexity of the nested liners, their words were “that’s what we do!” They need the knife in person and shipping takes like a month both ways, but if they pull off what I want it will be epic!

I asked Cuscadi a few days ago, just to check again and they said,

"thank you for your email and your inquiry.

unfortunately is the Spy Caribbean not a part of our production line at the moment, sorry ;-(

best wishes and stay safe and healthy

Team Cuscadi"

Do you live in Germany? I'm in the U.S., maybe that's the reason they won't let me ship it in.

I’m in Texas, and this is the beginning of our convo back in November:

“hi Dane,

thank you for your email and your inquiry.

unfortunately is the Spy Caribbean not a part off our production line at the moment , sorry ;-(

you are the first customer, who requested the Caribbean scales.

the scales can be made, but we need the knife here.

best wishes

Team Cuscadi”

Dazen wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 22, 2020 2:33 pm

Sumdumguy wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 22, 2020 1:05 pm

Dazen wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 22, 2020 10:17 am

Cuscadi said they could do them for me. When asked if they could, due to the complexity of the nested liners, their words were “that’s what we do!” They need the knife in person and shipping takes like a month both ways, but if they pull off what I want it will be epic!

I asked Cuscadi a few days ago, just to check again and they said,

"thank you for your email and your inquiry.

unfortunately is the Spy Caribbean not a part of our production line at the moment, sorry ;-(

best wishes and stay safe and healthy

Team Cuscadi"

Do you live in Germany? I'm in the U.S., maybe that's the reason they won't let me ship it in.

I’m in Texas, and this is the beginning of our convo back in November:

“hi Dane,

thank you for your email and your inquiry.

unfortunately is the Spy Caribbean not a part off our production line at the moment , sorry ;-(

you are the first customer, who requested the Caribbean scales.

the scales can be made, but we need the knife here.

best wishes

Team Cuscadi”

That's funny.

I asked them over a year ago, aswell.

Same as every year.... A fixed blade Spyderco in M4

standy99 wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 22, 2020 11:50 pm

Same as every year.... A fixed blade Spyderco in M4

Should have got a BHQ M4 Manix XL. Feels as solid as a fixed blade, BUT...you can fold it up! :D

standy99 wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 22, 2020 11:50 pm

Same as every year.... A fixed blade Spyderco in M4

That sounds awesome....I like it

Did you ask the gentleman who posts here and on BladeForums as BOOMER52? Know he does (or did) CNC scales.

steelcity16 wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 22, 2020 11:57 pm

standy99 wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 22, 2020 11:50 pm

Same as every year.... A fixed blade Spyderco in M4

Should have got a BHQ M4 Manix XL. Feels as solid as a fixed blade, BUT...you can fold it up! :D

Heard they are nearly as tough as a GB1

The Deacon wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 23, 2020 4:34 am

Did you ask the gentleman who posts here and on BladeForums as BOOMER52? Know he does (or did) CNC scales.

I believe so. I know I've reached out to several different people on here and BladeForum, over the past few years.
No luck yet, they either don't make anything at all anymore, or they only make custom knives now.

I'm probably going to have to, at the least, make a cad file for them myself.

It's been a heck of a journey. I even went to check through my email to see when I started looking.
The first time I inquired about it was was just over 2 years ago. I had asked Cuscadi about it after their scales didn't fit my Native 5 G10(S110V version has different scale dimensions).
That was 7/14/2018 and I received the same exact answer I did on the 7/17/2020 inquiry. Yet, they claim Dazen was the first request they had for the scales. >.>

Anyways, I'll keep looking and eventually I'll either find someone to do it, or I'll get the time and tools to do it myself.

Sumdumguy wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 23, 2020 5:10 am

Anyways, I'll keep looking and eventually I'll either find someone to do it, or I'll get the time and tools to do it myself.

I hope you are going to succed one day!

Really, your best bet is just screw the whole knife scale maker market and just find someone who has CNC machine and is willing to help you.

Sumdumguy wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 23, 2020 5:10 am

I believe so. I know I've reached out to several different people on here and BladeForum, over the past few years.
No luck yet, they either don't make anything at all anymore, or they only make custom knives now.

Hear you. A lot of these guys either move on to more lucrative work or at least get selective about what they want to work on. A few get injured and have to quit. And, unfortunately, it seems quite a few of them are a lot better craftsmen than businessmen, get in way over their heads, and wind up trashing their reputations

Only asked about BOOMER52 because he still seems to be active and still making scales for at least some Spyderco nested liner models.