The Kargard finish on my Bauchop Utility Cat had gotten pretty scratched up & I decided to remove it. Here's a picture of the knife showing the marks near the edge and along the center spine where the Kargard was wearing off.
I didn't want to screw things up so I posted a question in the Shop Talk forum about the best way to take it off. Both RJ Martin & Allen Blade said that bead blasting was the way to go. Allen also very kindly volunteered to do the job for me for only the cost of return postage.
To make a long story short, after talking with Allen on the phone, we decided that a clear hard coat finish over the bead blast would both help protect the knife & improve its appearance. So, w/o further build up, here's the result:
(BTW, the bright spot on the edge is just a reflection from the camera's flash.)
The picture simply does not do justice to Allen's refinishing work on this knife. It looks fabulous -- IMO, much better than when it was brand new. The clear coating over the bb blade looks better than the Kargard finish ever did & the same is true for the handle. The bb really brought out the grain & also added a very nice texture to the otherwise smooth portions of the Micarta. Altogether a super job!
And then, as if free refinishing of a stranger's knife were not enough, Allen threw in a new Concealex sheath that he feels will be less likely to scratch the new finish. One last kicker -- I mailed the knife to Allen last Monday & had it back on Saturday!
Putting on my futurist's hat, I see some talonite Blades joining my collection after the holidays.
------------------
Cheers,
--+Brian+--
I may be goin' to hell in a bucket, Babe, but at least I'm enjoyin' the ride.
[This message has been edited by bcaffrey (edited 29 November 1999).]
I didn't want to screw things up so I posted a question in the Shop Talk forum about the best way to take it off. Both RJ Martin & Allen Blade said that bead blasting was the way to go. Allen also very kindly volunteered to do the job for me for only the cost of return postage.
To make a long story short, after talking with Allen on the phone, we decided that a clear hard coat finish over the bead blast would both help protect the knife & improve its appearance. So, w/o further build up, here's the result:
(BTW, the bright spot on the edge is just a reflection from the camera's flash.)
The picture simply does not do justice to Allen's refinishing work on this knife. It looks fabulous -- IMO, much better than when it was brand new. The clear coating over the bb blade looks better than the Kargard finish ever did & the same is true for the handle. The bb really brought out the grain & also added a very nice texture to the otherwise smooth portions of the Micarta. Altogether a super job!
And then, as if free refinishing of a stranger's knife were not enough, Allen threw in a new Concealex sheath that he feels will be less likely to scratch the new finish. One last kicker -- I mailed the knife to Allen last Monday & had it back on Saturday!
Putting on my futurist's hat, I see some talonite Blades joining my collection after the holidays.
------------------
Cheers,
--+Brian+--
I may be goin' to hell in a bucket, Babe, but at least I'm enjoyin' the ride.
[This message has been edited by bcaffrey (edited 29 November 1999).]
