Drilling the Military for tip up carry

Armalite Native · #1

Hi all,

I have a standard Military on the way but have heard around the traps that some people have successfully changed it from tip down carry to tip up. I have a couple of questions for anyone who might have performed this mod. I am not worried about voiding the warranty.

1 - what size drill bit do I need to use to make the three holes? Is there a specialist bit that I need?
2 - did you take the knife completely apart to perform this mod and just drill the scales?
3 - did you secure the scales to a backing surface before drilling?
4 - is there any chance of the G10 cracking due to the drilling?
5 - is there a decent detent (spelling?) on the military (I would hope that it was a decent one if I am going to carry tip up).

Thanks in advance for any pointers or tips - I cannot send my knife away to get this mod performed (I don't live in the US). So I have to learn for myself. I did do a search on the forum before posting this but came up with nothing conclusive.

chuck_roxas45 · #2

Just asking but if you carry the millie tip up, won't you have to make a big change in your grip to be able to reach the thumbhole? Just saying but tip up works well for me only on shorter knives.

Frapiscide · #3

I'd say that the detent on the Military is okay. You'll probably need to get a carbide drill bit, along with having a steel insert/plate for the screws. You'll need to place duck tape of masking tape on the back side, to prevent it from splintering out on the back. You'll also need to separate the two scales from each other along with securing them to something.

We (our robotics team) are thinking about using G10 on our robot, and we asked a guy who works at a tool and die shop and works with it a low, he said that it's a pain the a** to machine.

Zendemic · #4

chuck_roxas45 wrote:Just asking but if you carry the millie tip up, won't you have to make a big change in your grip to be able to reach the thumbhole? Just saying but tip up works well for me only on shorter knives.

You could always shake it open if the detente isn't too tight. But then again, if you can shake it open, the detente probablly isn't good enough to keep it closed. I tried laying my Milli in my pocket with about 2cm sticking out (how much I would assume it would stick out with a tip up config, and with my large-sized hands i couldn't get to the spyderhole without having to let it slide down my palm a little. Personally, i like tip up carry, but i think they didn't make the military tip up for such reasons.

Armalite Native · #5

Thank you for the great responses Chuck, Frap and Cluster. I think perhaps after reading your posts I will have to slum it with tip down :S. Nah Chuck I normally attach a lanyard on the bigger ones - takes no time to yank it into the proper grip.

It sounds like G10 is quite (brittle?) in its makeup and I would hate to shatter the scales and have no blade at all. I guess I was looking to do this because all my other Spyderco, Emerson and other folders are tip up - and you always tend to try to open them by habit of what you normally do.

The process involved in drilling out the screw holes sounds to dicey to me. Now I will be able to not worry as much about it as I won't try.

Zendemic · #6

I should also have suggested, that you get some scrap G10 to practice drilling if you ever change your mind...

-CF

Armalite Native · #7

Yeah thats not a bad idea - I will see what sort of detent the Millie has and go from there. So many people mod Spyderco knives - but I guess they have had a bunch of practice...

pwet · #8

in my experience (3 so far) the military is not very "flickable" detent is very strong on mines (1 g10, 1 CF, 1 TI/G10) like you can flick it but with a lot of nerves and exagerated gesture.
otho it thumbflicks just fine because of that, it's even hard to open slow & smooth, as the detent is passed te blade wants to fly open.

spyderdog · #9

Armalite Native wrote:I will see what sort of detent the Millie has and go from there.

I've never understood the concern of tip up carry. I'd be MUCH more concerned about carrying tip down with a weak detent. When I carry a knife tip up with the blade against the outside of my pocket, there's nowhere for the blade to go. Now tip down with the blade facing the inside of your pocket.....that concerns me, and I have had a bad experience with one opening on me. I'm hesitant to carry one of my millies because of that

The Deacon · #10

The Military's liner ends just behind the backspacer so you'd only be tapping into G-10. The good news is, that's fairly easy to do. The bad news is that while G-10 has a lot of great properties, thread strength when drilled and tapped is not one of them. That's why Spyderco stopped combining unlined G-10 handles and 3 screw clips a decade ago, the screws kept pulling out.

Evil D · #11

I'm pretty sure someone recently used a Native style clip with the barrel screw on a Military.

kiwispyder · #12

I have put different clips on both my para and para2.
Drilling the G-10 is very easy, no cracking or splintering.
The tap size is 2-56.
Not having a steel liner behind the scale is the only problem
I could see you having.

tonydahose · #13

while i have never worked on drilling in G10 i do have a old 440V millie reclipped for tip up carry. it was done by STR and i am carrying it today. he used what looks like an old endura clip but instead of the barrel hole it has 3 holes like the new endura 4s. on the back of the handle he just has tiny nuts holding the screws and then he sanded them down so the blade doesn't hit them. i am guessing he used some sort of epoxy/glue/loctite in the threads as well.

gull wing · #14

I would feel nervous about tapping G10 only. When I did a tip up on my old Para, I inlayed a .032" metal plate into the backside(glued in) of the G10, then drilled and tapped the metal and G10. It is quite secure.

#2-56 screw
Tap
drill bit size? it gives the bit size on the tap

Took apart
milled G10 to fit plate
Glue
Drill and tap

The Deacon · #15

A possible easy option, if there's a hobby shop catering to RC aircraft modelers in you area, is blind nuts. No tap required then, just a drill large enough to pass the body of the nut. You'd have to file the three "teeth" off them and epoxy or CA them in place on the inside of the scale. I don't think they'd protrude much into the body, so there's little chance of them interfering with the blade, but you could also file the flange thinner just to be sure.

Armalite Native · #16

Waoh thats so much information thank you so much everyone. This sounds about as easy as modding a computer case :S. I will have to consider the back plate or blind nut idea. I think I am going to try to find some G10 to practice on still however before I even consider milling, drilling or tapping :D .

Where I live its getting harder and harder to get Spyderco knives (customs) so I have to take very good care of whatever I can get. I will consider all the information presented very seriously though.

PS - isnt STR also a mod on Bladeforums? I am sure I have seen that name before.
Cheers,
A

tac · #17

Here's a thread showing a way to rig a Millie for tip up carry, no drilling needed.

Evil D · #18

Now that i think about it, someone used a Delica clip with a screw/nut going through the lanyard hole. You should be able to find a screw and nut combo that's low profile enough not to catch on your pocket. This shouldn't require any permanent mods to the knife at all.

tonydahose · #19

Armalite Native wrote: PS - isnt STR also a mod on Bladeforums? I am sure I have seen that name before.
Cheers,
A

yeah, he has his own section over on BF. good luck with whatever you do and take pics.