Begining of a Becker Journey - 1 Year With the Becker Escabar BK14
- Thread starter Humint
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2008
- Messages
- 9,369
Looks like you need a piece of Kydex on the front for the SAK.
I'm looking forward to your insights and updates to this thread.
I'm looking forward to your insights and updates to this thread.
UPDATE #1
Well today I had training all day and did not get a chance to carry this on my person. I so bad wanted there to be a need for a knife but apparently seminars on municpal law enforcment legal updates dont require a lot of cutting power. I still haven't got a chance to cut with it in an everyday task, but I hope that will change tomorrow and especially this weekend.
I went ahead and added the zytel handles on to it and man what a difference those make! I have large hands and the zytel swells the handles out enough to help with the grip. The handle length could still be a quarter inch longer though and then it would be perfect to me. The zytel handles are a little on the smooth side and I plan on using a hot soldering iron to fix that right up.
Here are some pics:
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On a side note. We went on our first date tonight (the wife was a third wheel). Just kidding, my in-laws were nice enough to watch our son while my wife and I went to the movies (her pick this time). She picked "Taken 2." I immediately thought: yes, this is going to be awesome! Before Chuck Norris goes to be he checks under the bed for Liam Neeson! Unfortunately those feelings did not hold after the movie. Goes to show what a bad script can do to a movie.
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Anyways here is the last pic for the day. On to tomorrow's adventure.
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I probably won't post again until Sunday evening as I hope by then I will be able to stipple the grips, strip the blade and give it a workout.
Well today I had training all day and did not get a chance to carry this on my person. I so bad wanted there to be a need for a knife but apparently seminars on municpal law enforcment legal updates dont require a lot of cutting power. I still haven't got a chance to cut with it in an everyday task, but I hope that will change tomorrow and especially this weekend.
I went ahead and added the zytel handles on to it and man what a difference those make! I have large hands and the zytel swells the handles out enough to help with the grip. The handle length could still be a quarter inch longer though and then it would be perfect to me. The zytel handles are a little on the smooth side and I plan on using a hot soldering iron to fix that right up.
Here are some pics:
On a side note. We went on our first date tonight (the wife was a third wheel). Just kidding, my in-laws were nice enough to watch our son while my wife and I went to the movies (her pick this time). She picked "Taken 2." I immediately thought: yes, this is going to be awesome! Before Chuck Norris goes to be he checks under the bed for Liam Neeson! Unfortunately those feelings did not hold after the movie. Goes to show what a bad script can do to a movie.
Anyways here is the last pic for the day. On to tomorrow's adventure.
I probably won't post again until Sunday evening as I hope by then I will be able to stipple the grips, strip the blade and give it a workout.
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UPDATE #2
My 14 got a little exercise and modifications over the past 2 days. I still have not got a chance to really cut with this yet but oddly enough my wife did. Friday I was sicker than a dog so I stayed home from work. While lying in bed, my wife asked me to borrow a knife. I gave her the BK14. She then went outside and started to dismantle one of our vegetable vine garden stands. She began to hack at the rope that was tied around the aluminium framing for the stand. I kept hearing the clang of the edge against the aluminum frame. I almost ran out there right away to tell her I could do it but I figured what the heck, lets see what this knife could do. About 20 minutes later and a with a nervous sweat already working its way down my body, she came back and gave me the knife. I went to see how sharp the edge was and sure enough it wouldn't even cut copy paper. Turning lemons into lemonade I thought this would be a good time to see how the metal handles sharpening; 10 mintues of the Sharpmaker and a couple of swipes on the strop and this thing was shaving the hair off of my legs and slicing tissue paper again! Amazing!
Today I was feeling a little better and since my wife and son were out for the day I thought it would be a great time to mod the handles, strip and patina the blade.
First the handles: I used a soldering iron to dimple each handle then a couple of swipes of 600 grit sandpaper
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Next, it was time to get her undressed!
The equipment needed:
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
Almost forgot, the main ingredient:
[/IMG]
The cap did not want to come off of the stripper, so the BK14 came in handy!:
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
I let the knife stay in the stripper for 20 minutes
[/IMG]
Stripped:
[/IMG]
This was after I took some sandpaper and elbow grease to it as there was a lot of deep grind marks.
I really liked the finish underneath the coating. I would have left it like this but I really wanted to try my hand at a forced patina. I know there is a lot of debate on if a patina really helps prevent rust, but on some blades they just look great to me and make the blade very unique. So here is what I used:
[/IMG]
I did the mustard first, first putting it on the blade with my fingers in a circular motion, which I left on for 20 minutes. I then washed and cleaned the knife and put another layer of mustard on with a crumpled papertowel to get a different pattern. I left this on for 20 minutes as well
[/IMG]
After the mustard session, I soaked a papertowel in Apple Cider Vinegar and wrapped the knife in it. I then left it for 5 minutes. Here is the end result:
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
I then sharpened the knife again (I dulled it when I scraped the coating off and sanded it). After I put on the new "grippy" scales and she is finally ready to be a daily user.
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
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This knife reminds me a lot of my Glock 17. Everyone has a Glock. Every Glock is the same. But this one I made mine.
My 14 got a little exercise and modifications over the past 2 days. I still have not got a chance to really cut with this yet but oddly enough my wife did. Friday I was sicker than a dog so I stayed home from work. While lying in bed, my wife asked me to borrow a knife. I gave her the BK14. She then went outside and started to dismantle one of our vegetable vine garden stands. She began to hack at the rope that was tied around the aluminium framing for the stand. I kept hearing the clang of the edge against the aluminum frame. I almost ran out there right away to tell her I could do it but I figured what the heck, lets see what this knife could do. About 20 minutes later and a with a nervous sweat already working its way down my body, she came back and gave me the knife. I went to see how sharp the edge was and sure enough it wouldn't even cut copy paper. Turning lemons into lemonade I thought this would be a good time to see how the metal handles sharpening; 10 mintues of the Sharpmaker and a couple of swipes on the strop and this thing was shaving the hair off of my legs and slicing tissue paper again! Amazing!
Today I was feeling a little better and since my wife and son were out for the day I thought it would be a great time to mod the handles, strip and patina the blade.
First the handles: I used a soldering iron to dimple each handle then a couple of swipes of 600 grit sandpaper
Next, it was time to get her undressed!
The equipment needed:
Almost forgot, the main ingredient:
The cap did not want to come off of the stripper, so the BK14 came in handy!:
I let the knife stay in the stripper for 20 minutes
Stripped:
This was after I took some sandpaper and elbow grease to it as there was a lot of deep grind marks.
I really liked the finish underneath the coating. I would have left it like this but I really wanted to try my hand at a forced patina. I know there is a lot of debate on if a patina really helps prevent rust, but on some blades they just look great to me and make the blade very unique. So here is what I used:
I did the mustard first, first putting it on the blade with my fingers in a circular motion, which I left on for 20 minutes. I then washed and cleaned the knife and put another layer of mustard on with a crumpled papertowel to get a different pattern. I left this on for 20 minutes as well
After the mustard session, I soaked a papertowel in Apple Cider Vinegar and wrapped the knife in it. I then left it for 5 minutes. Here is the end result:
I then sharpened the knife again (I dulled it when I scraped the coating off and sanded it). After I put on the new "grippy" scales and she is finally ready to be a daily user.
This knife reminds me a lot of my Glock 17. Everyone has a Glock. Every Glock is the same. But this one I made mine.
Last edited:
UPDATE #2
My 14 got a little exercise and modifications over the past 2 days. I still have not got a chance to really cut with this yet but oddly enough my wife did. Friday I was sicker than a dog so I stayed home from work. While lying in bed, my wife asked me to borrow a knife. I gave her the BK14. She then went outside and started to dismantle one of our vegetable vine garden stands. She began to hack at the rope that was tied around the aluminium framing for the stand. I kept hearing the clang of the edge against the aluminum frame. I almost ran out there right away to tell her I could do it but I figured what the heck, lets see what this knife could do. About 20 minutes later and a with a nervous sweat already working its way down my body, she came back and gave me the knife. I went to see how sharp the edge was and sure enough it wouldn't even cut copy paper. Turning lemons into lemonade I thought this would be a good time to see how the metal handles sharpening; 10 mintues of the Sharpmaker and a couple of swipes on the strop and this thing was shaving the hair off of my legs and slicing tissue paper again! Amazing!
Today I was feeling a little better and since my wife and son were out for the day I thought it would be a great time to mod the handles, strip and patina the blade.
First the handles: I used a soldering iron to dimple each handle then a couple of swipes of 600 grit sandpaper
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
Next, it was time to get her undressed!
The equipment needed:
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
Almost forgot, the main ingredient:
[/IMG]
The cap did not want to come off of the stripper, so the BK14 came in handy!:
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
I let the knife stay in the stripper for 20 minutes
[/IMG]
Stripped:
[/IMG]
This was after I took some sandpaper and elbow grease to it as there was a lot of deep grind marks.
I really liked the finish underneath the coating. I would have left it like this but I really wanted to try my hand at a forced patina. I know there is a lot of debate on if a patina really helps prevent rust, but on some blades they just look great to me and make the blade very unique. So here is what I used:
[/IMG]
I did the mustard first, first putting it on the blade with my fingers in a circular motion, which I left on for 20 minutes. I then washed and cleaned the knife and put another layer of mustard on with a crumpled papertowel to get a different pattern. I left this on for 20 minutes as well
[/IMG]
After the mustard session, I soaked a papertowel in Apple Cider Vinegar and wrapped the knife in it. I then left it for 5 minutes. Here is the end result:
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
I then sharpened the knife again (I dulled it when I scraped the coating off and sanded it). After I put on the new "grippy" scales and she is finally ready to be a daily user.
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
This knife reminds me a lot of my Glock 17. Everyone has a Glock. Every Glock is the same. But this one I made mine.
Dude, you made a cool knife even cooler. Seriously man, great job. It looks fantastic
Ethan Becker
Moderator
- Joined
- Sep 1, 1999
- Messages
- 3,564
Hey Humint....
I am really looking forward to this one........I do hope this is a happy experiment for you......I use an 11 or 14 virtually everyday........And still delighted at how well that blade shape and the edge geometry worked out....Sometimes you get lucky...
Ethan
I am really looking forward to this one........I do hope this is a happy experiment for you......I use an 11 or 14 virtually everyday........And still delighted at how well that blade shape and the edge geometry worked out....Sometimes you get lucky...
Ethan
Carried this beauty at work today. It road in the sheath on the belt at 4 o'clock right behind my pocket backup. I didn't get a chance to give it a real workout today but I did manage to peel an apple for my son this evening. It wasn't even a challenge. But as a note it did slice the peel off with incredible ease. I credit that to the blade thickness (or thinness if you will). Most blades in this category would end up taking chunks of the apple meat and not just the peel. Not so with this knife. I hope to do a mini review on the sheath within the next week or so after I can wear it more.
- Joined
- May 19, 2012
- Messages
- 2,913
your 14 looks cool, how's the sheath doing? nice pictures!
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2011
- Messages
- 1,448
HAHA!!!! Been waiting for a chance to use this.
Second, I've got a 14, and 24.
I must say, most challenges you will face with your 14, will be overmatched.
I can wait to see this thread evolve.
Moose
Hahahahaha!!! I fell on the ground when I saw this! :highly_amused:
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2011
- Messages
- 1,448
The pic is now my current desktop background! My wife was like what the hell is that lol
Hey guys, sorry it has been so long. Between studying for the bar, working fulltime (being the only one working in the family) and finding out I am having my second child, life just got in the way. You guys are an awesome community and I wrestled with what I should write for a while now.
I sold the BK14.
I just could not get used to the ergonomics. I have large hands and my pinky was hanging off of it and it REALLY bugged me. This is not a knock against the design rather my own odd almost OCD-like quirks. If something doesn't feel right in my hand, be it a camera, knife or gun then it REALLY REALLY bothers me and makes that object almost intolerable. While this knife has one of the best blade shapes, thickness, heat treat and cutting ability, I just could not get over my pinky hanging off of it. I also learned that I much prefer having a folder on me as an edc than I do a fixed blade. While if I could only have 1 blade for the rest of my life it would most certainly be a fixed blade, but while fortunately it has not come to that point, I much prefer having a folder on me.
I am sorry that this thread did not turn out the way I planned it to be and in a way I feel like I let many down, but I can assure you that I will always own a Becker knife. I saved some coffee money up and bought a BK9 that rides in my trunk.
Thank you for all that have read what I wrote so far. You guys are amazing and I truly feel like this is a community.
I sold the BK14.
I just could not get used to the ergonomics. I have large hands and my pinky was hanging off of it and it REALLY bugged me. This is not a knock against the design rather my own odd almost OCD-like quirks. If something doesn't feel right in my hand, be it a camera, knife or gun then it REALLY REALLY bothers me and makes that object almost intolerable. While this knife has one of the best blade shapes, thickness, heat treat and cutting ability, I just could not get over my pinky hanging off of it. I also learned that I much prefer having a folder on me as an edc than I do a fixed blade. While if I could only have 1 blade for the rest of my life it would most certainly be a fixed blade, but while fortunately it has not come to that point, I much prefer having a folder on me.
I am sorry that this thread did not turn out the way I planned it to be and in a way I feel like I let many down, but I can assure you that I will always own a Becker knife. I saved some coffee money up and bought a BK9 that rides in my trunk.
Thank you for all that have read what I wrote so far. You guys are amazing and I truly feel like this is a community.
