- Joined
- Jul 24, 2014
- Messages
- 807
Being a Bussekin user/lover for the past year or so has spoiled me with the recent releases and opportunities to purchase NOS secondhand knives that let me discern my preferences.
My first Bussekin was the CG Rodent Solution in Tan Canvas and Tanker Gray.
After not long I went through the process of stripping the coating and fully conveying the blade. This once was a long favorite and a regular EDC for at least 6-8 months.
Throughout this time I learned a few things, 1- I liked the blade length and thickness, 2- I disliked the elongated handle and lack of grip near the edge.
Eventually this knife was sold and in the meantime I purchased and began to carry a Magnum Bear Cub. The design and feel in use were superb. The ease of carry and classic looks fit my lifestyle perfectly.
The only problem was the steel.
Yes, In my experience, there is no benefit to INFI over SR-101 or even Benchmades S30V in a knife under 7" in blade length.
The INFI CG SOB I have is a wonderful knife, and stays reasonably sharp throughout my daily use cutting cardboard, zip ties, fruit, and anything else I come across. But after that one day of use the level of sharpness is noticeably lower than when I set out that morning.
My SR-101 RMDs however will both keep that hair-shaving edge for much longer, going as much as two or three days of use before I feel the need to touch it up.
Here comes my dilemma, I want a knife that fits the bill of the MBC in ease of use, edge holding and potential keenness.
So far I haven't found a Bussekin that could do this for me, save for maybe the AMS, of which I have a Battle Grade edition on order. So I set out to modify the Battle Grade Active Duty I have that just didn't feel right. It looked okay, felt okay, and cut damn well for how short and thick the blade was.
I started with a scaled print off of MBC outline. I taped this to each side of the BGAD and colored the exposed areas with a red marker. I don't have a bench grinder, knife grinder, or enough files to complete this task.... But I do have the Ken Onion Worksharp with the Blade Grinding attachment. I've used the machine in this configuration to sharpen, regrind, and modify a few other knives. But seeing a YouTube video where a reviewer makes a knife from scratch with one, I felt confident.
What I accomplished on the WSKO was a great start, but acquiring my first 1x30 grinder I was able to really apply a nice satin and fully convex the blade
Fast forward about four hours to another feeling, satisfaction. The feel was right, the look was there, the edge was... Scary. I used the choil area and the area near the forend of the handle from the MBC and Lil Ugly as inspiration. The custom shop drop point Rodent Solution I've seen popping up inspired the rear end of the handle and the drop point and overall profile.
It's been with me the past three days since I finished it, and I can't see it going anywhere ever. I have some lizard, ostrich, tree snake, and bull leather waiting to make a nicer OWB sheath but for now it's in a veg tan Cowhide IWB sheath with a piece of scrap buffalo leather as the welt.
Nothing fancy but I'm getting better at stitching and designing patterns.
I'm happy with the knife and experience I gained from this project, once I set to it it really wasn't as difficult as I presumed.
I hope this can inspire someone else to modify a knife that doesn't feel right or you may like if something was different about it.
If you made it this far I commend and thank you for spending your time this way.
Hope your new year is going well and love your Bussekin!
My first Bussekin was the CG Rodent Solution in Tan Canvas and Tanker Gray.
After not long I went through the process of stripping the coating and fully conveying the blade. This once was a long favorite and a regular EDC for at least 6-8 months.
Throughout this time I learned a few things, 1- I liked the blade length and thickness, 2- I disliked the elongated handle and lack of grip near the edge.
Eventually this knife was sold and in the meantime I purchased and began to carry a Magnum Bear Cub. The design and feel in use were superb. The ease of carry and classic looks fit my lifestyle perfectly.
The only problem was the steel.
Yes, In my experience, there is no benefit to INFI over SR-101 or even Benchmades S30V in a knife under 7" in blade length.
The INFI CG SOB I have is a wonderful knife, and stays reasonably sharp throughout my daily use cutting cardboard, zip ties, fruit, and anything else I come across. But after that one day of use the level of sharpness is noticeably lower than when I set out that morning.
My SR-101 RMDs however will both keep that hair-shaving edge for much longer, going as much as two or three days of use before I feel the need to touch it up.
Here comes my dilemma, I want a knife that fits the bill of the MBC in ease of use, edge holding and potential keenness.
So far I haven't found a Bussekin that could do this for me, save for maybe the AMS, of which I have a Battle Grade edition on order. So I set out to modify the Battle Grade Active Duty I have that just didn't feel right. It looked okay, felt okay, and cut damn well for how short and thick the blade was.
I started with a scaled print off of MBC outline. I taped this to each side of the BGAD and colored the exposed areas with a red marker. I don't have a bench grinder, knife grinder, or enough files to complete this task.... But I do have the Ken Onion Worksharp with the Blade Grinding attachment. I've used the machine in this configuration to sharpen, regrind, and modify a few other knives. But seeing a YouTube video where a reviewer makes a knife from scratch with one, I felt confident.
What I accomplished on the WSKO was a great start, but acquiring my first 1x30 grinder I was able to really apply a nice satin and fully convex the blade
Fast forward about four hours to another feeling, satisfaction. The feel was right, the look was there, the edge was... Scary. I used the choil area and the area near the forend of the handle from the MBC and Lil Ugly as inspiration. The custom shop drop point Rodent Solution I've seen popping up inspired the rear end of the handle and the drop point and overall profile.
It's been with me the past three days since I finished it, and I can't see it going anywhere ever. I have some lizard, ostrich, tree snake, and bull leather waiting to make a nicer OWB sheath but for now it's in a veg tan Cowhide IWB sheath with a piece of scrap buffalo leather as the welt.
Nothing fancy but I'm getting better at stitching and designing patterns.
I'm happy with the knife and experience I gained from this project, once I set to it it really wasn't as difficult as I presumed.
I hope this can inspire someone else to modify a knife that doesn't feel right or you may like if something was different about it.
If you made it this far I commend and thank you for spending your time this way.
Hope your new year is going well and love your Bussekin!
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Wow! That does take guts, but you clearly pulled off a great job! Well done man!
