Low Rider Break through

[STR]

Well, the cats out of the bag now. I have been keeping this one to myself. The problem is they are difficult to do but not impossible.

Sal, I have just one of these and its the one I put on my Blue Rescue. If you are interested in seeing it or the whole knife it is mounted on that isn't a problem. All you need do is ask.

I just thought I'd throw that out there in case you are watching because these have to be the number one requested low rider that I get asked about making. Seems that at least once a week someone is asking me if I can do one of the barrel type pocket clips in a low rider style for them. I got another request just tonight and finally fessed up. Up until tonight I have been keeping this one a secret but with very good reason.

The fact is I don't think I can meet the demand for these for several reasons. One they take far longer to make, and two they are problematic for me due to the hole size. I simply have small equipment. My drill press is a mini so the hole for the big head of the barrel bolt has to be drilled out by hand since my drill won't accomadate anything above a 1/4". Not a chore I care to do over and over again by hand but maybe one you could with your state of the art equipment???. There is also the problem of making a low rider go into a recess cut out. The fit has to be exact or there is the potential for wobble back and forth since there is only one screw/bolt holding it in place.

Anyway, your call.

STR

[StuntDouble]

Shame there's no way to manufacture the barrel bolt and clip as one piece. Then you'd just have to unbolt the one side and flip everything over.

Great idea by the way. It certainly looks like something out of the factory.

[brainus]

It looks great - bummer it's so hard to create!

[uhiforgot]

Regardless of difficulty, this will CERTAINLY turn heads, and I eagerly await what Sal has to say about this. EXCELLENT work, STR, VERY impressive!!!

-Jeff

[ChuteTheMall]

Looks Great!! But I wish it rode even lower, holding the frame below the pocket's edge.

[Mox]

I am one of the people who asked STR to make me low rider clips for my delica/salts.

He made good ones for my Mini Manix and Caly Jr. If only for the others!

My preferred carry is low-ride. Some I can carry in my pocket, but I prefer not to. For this reason my main EDC is a Mini Grip with a low-ride Mini Pika clip. I'd much rather carry a Spydie!

[smcfalls13]

That looks excellent, but entirely too unpleasant to make. That doesn't look fun at all for you STR.

Of course you know everyone's gonna want one now

[jaislandboy]

I'm a Low Rider fan when it comes to Clipits......nice work STR!

[spydutch]

Very nice work as usual STR

On a side note: How much do you spend on new jeans a year by waving all your knives? LOL .

Just curious

[redhawk44p]

That is great work STR. We have been needing low ride clips for our Spydercos so badly. I salute you for stepping up to bat and making them.

[The Deacon]

Interesting STR. Would it be possible to put the barrel bolt half into the hole before bending the clip, then devise an L shaped screwdriver that could fit "inside the bend" and make drilling the large hole unnecessary? Driver would not need to be terribly strong, something as simple as a couple pins friction fitted into holes in a piece of flat stock would probably do the trick.

[STR]

Spydutch. I don't Wave all my knives. I just Waved this Rescue and my HK34FDP folder. Both work very easily and are far easier on pockets than any of the others I've tried. However due to the testing of various knives I Wave for other members and due to all the pocket clips I make and test out, my pockets both right and left are always frayed and tattered.

I've thought about ways to make it easier to duplicate this clip and have not found anything practical enough to help as of yet. It took over an hour and 10 minutes to make this clip and that doesn't include the bead blasting and anodizing. All of it was spent making it fit the recess the clip sits in and making the hole big enough to accomadate the barrel bolt. This is the second try also. If I count the first attempt that I scrapped this was over a 2.5 hour project.

STR

[Zwaplat]

Nice work.
Wouldn't it be possible (and much easier) to make a low-riding wire clip ?

[Echo63]

very nice, that looks great and would be great option from the factory, and i love the wave on the rescue too.

[STR]

It does work well. I'm not saying I can't make them but most guys don't want to spend as much for a clip as they did the knife they want to use it on.

Paul, (Deacon) how many models of Spyderco knives would this clip work on? I know its a lot. I don't have a list of all though.

EDIT: I get
Merlin,
Delica
Endura
Native
Rescue C45
Rescue C79
D'Allera C82
WTC Rescue
Blue 93mm Rescue C14
Salt 1
Atlantic Salt
Pacific Salt
Tasman Salt

Did I leave any out?

Also, I tried what you suggested and it (the barrel) gets in the way and is prone to discoloring because the only way to make the bend without breaking the metal is to bend it while it is cherry red hot from a flame.

STR

[psimonl]

Although I would not pay extra for that kind of pimping, I do enjoy it when it comes to outdoor knives, so they don't snag to outdoor gears like jacket, branches, work desks and chairs

I think it is a GREAT design.

Wire clips? They snag too much on everything and don't hold on pockets as well as plain steel.

Simon

[KP]

Absolutely incredible job and hard to imagine it was done with 'manual equipment'
Great looking clip.

That looks excellent, but entirely too unpleasant to make. That doesn't look fun at all for you STR.

Of course you know everyone's gonna want one now

No, simply one won't do - I want few and in different colors. For me, the purpose of low-riding carry is to conceal more so colors blending in with clothes will make it less-screaming. Maybe it's me, but I don't usually wear silver or even scratched-black colored pants.

[b-elliott]

I'm not trying to be negative or anything, but .... do you think these will hold up with the big hole in the middle? The only reason I ask is becuse of the problems with the Calypso Jr. clip that had the small hole that was prone to breaking. It's hard to tell from the picture if the clip is thicker and therefore might be stronger. I agree with deacon, it seems that you could make a C type slot to slide the bolt in and use a made to purpose tool to slip under the clip and keep that side of the barrel bold from turning.

I do like the looks of this clip and think the low ride option is a great idea. I've racked my brain for a while to think of a design to make a low ride wire clip that would fit the traditional three hole clip design. That would be the cats meow!

[STR]

It seems plenty strong to me. I could have left it even wider leaving more metal around the hole where you see it as thin.

The only other option that I thought of is perhaps finding another screw of the same threads as the barrel only one that has a smaller head on it. This way you could make the clip just like this only the holes wouldn't have to be as big. Then you could still use the barrel to mount the clip but replace the screw for the standard style pocket clip with the new one for the low ride clip.

If I knew the thread size of this particular barrel bolt screw it would help because something tells me there are other screws out there with the same threads that would screw right into the barrel.


STR

[sal]

Hi STR,

great job!

It is similar to the design that we have, but for a "3 screw".

We opted for the "low profile" wire in the UK, the concept is important to many.

If I may make some suggestions?

As B-Elliot mentioned, I would add a bit more meat around the hole. The problem we had with the Caly jr clips was in repeated bending which ultimately fatigued the thin metal around the clip. We ended up adding some material which solved the problem.

I would also suggest that you "bite the bullet" and make them.

Once the pattern is down pat, select a 400 series stainless, lazer cut to the pattern, bend with an arbor or hydraulic press, harden, tumble, package and sell them consumer direct. Investment would be minimal. You could offer them first for Spyderco models as an aftermarket item. If it goes well, expand to other models or lines. I'm sure you can get them coated from a number of sources for those wanting black ones.

I believe there is a market out there for the low ride concept. For us, it's just another SKU, and we've got too many now. for you, it could be fun, you could service a market, make a few bucks and help move the industry forward.

Some advice:

The ELU is the most important part of the business chain.
Constant quality improvement - You can't step in the same river twice.

Just some thoughts to share.

sal