You're right Mike but I'm not going to force the issue at this point. I will say that they are NOT taking responsibility. They are just taking the path of least resistance. Their last email indicated that since they could not put the metal back which I removed, the blade was unrepairable.

I'm willing to let bygones by bygones and move on to the next endeavor.

Knive kits have always caught my eye but I've always been hesitant. My experience with such kits is that they're made for a boyscout type audience and the quality isn't usually there. The kits at Dixie look nice but not exactly what I'm looking for style wise...not this time anyhow.

Ragnar also has several kits and the prices are pretty good.