April 2021 BOTM - 104 Compadre with 3V steel

[Makael]

I see what you mean. Thanks for the heads up! Will definitely do a "feasibility study" before I rush it out to the tool bench. (anyone know, does Buck use threadlocker on those?)

Yes on loctite

 

[Jeff of the North]

Someone should try a dark grey dye and post some pics

Mike, The dyed micarta looks real nice

I'd like to see that dark grey as well.

 

[AZbuckNM]

Some brown leather dye.

Hi Mike, Couple of questions, What type/Brand of Dye? Does the micarta soak the dye up? Will it transfer to hands?? I'm going to buy some grey dye and do a spot on the back side of the scales to try it out

 

[Fixall]

Two things.

If you have a Torx Plus kit, I have found that the 9ip fits the fastener better than the T10 bit. I’ve actually found this to be the case on a LOT of knives lately. I’m not sure if it’s because companies are switching to torx plus, or if it’s a tolerance thing.

Second, like with G10, I have had very good results dying Micarta with RIT dye. I did try Fiebing’s leather dye once, but I couldn’t get the handle to stop bleeding color.

 

[GPyro]

Two things.

If you have a Torx Plus kit, I have found that the 9ip fits the fastener better than the T10 bit. I’ve actually found this to be the case on a LOT of knives lately. I’m not sure if it’s because companies are switching to torx plus, or if it’s a tolerance thing.

Second, like with G10, I have had very good results dying Micarta with RIT dye. I did try Fiebing’s leather dye once, but I couldn’t get the handle to stop bleeding color.

Thanks!!
I'm sure I'm not the only person that appreciates those details.

 

[jbmonkey]

got mine. grinds bit wonky towards the tip to belly transition...but liking color more in person....gonna leave mine as is.....

 

[caquino]

Here's a great video on how to dye handles, they show multiple materials (G10, Micarta, polymer). Rit "Dye More" synthetic dye is what they recommend.

A dye job looks to be in order, that pinkish color reminds me of what happens when a red colored something gets in the wash with white underwear.

 

[st8yd]

Some brown leather dye.

That looks a lot better. I hated they did that on the 501 bom i almost didnt get it.

 

[Makael]

Well crap. Not enough pressure around the handle to secure the knife in the sheath. Slip sheath similar to SK's version most likely will work best.

 

[GPyro]

They look good together tho!

 

[Makael]

Hi Mike, Couple of questions, What type/Brand of Dye? Does the micarta soak the dye up? Will it transfer to hands?? I'm going to buy some grey dye and do a spot on the back side of the scales to try it out

Fiebings leather dye. Micarta seems to have absorbed the color. I did warm the micarta as well then buffed off. I used an applicator to apply. Quick wipe then again a couple times. This is alcohol based instead of oil based.

 

[Makael]

Two things.

If you have a Torx Plus kit, I have found that the 9ip fits the fastener better than the T10 bit. I’ve actually found this to be the case on a LOT of knives lately. I’m not sure if it’s because companies are switching to torx plus, or if it’s a tolerance thing.

Second, like with G10, I have had very good results dying Micarta with RIT dye. I did try Fiebing’s leather dye once, but I couldn’t get the handle to stop bleeding color.

The back side of the scales is not sanded. Results might be different unless you sand the gloss off.
No going back once dyed.

 

[texpat]

Never tried dyeing micarta, i've made some beautiful scales with it, but it's always been the case for me that the fiberglass resin bleaches a lot of color out of the material, wonder if you can add dye to the resin mix to keep a deeper color?

Not a Buck, sorry, but here's an example, I used denim for the micarta, it was older black denim that had faded somewhat to a nice charcoal gray color, but after the resin bleached it, this is how it turned out, not bad looking at all but not the deeper color I wanted:

 

[Vaporstang]

Mine arrived today. The finish on the handle tang was not on par with my other three 104s. It has noticeable grind marks that did not get polished out. On the one hand the buffing compound is highlighting it in the photos, on the other hand they are more noticeable with the naked eye. Of course, this is a camping knife, so not a big deal.

The edge grind is on par with the others, but is the roughest of the four. The grip on this one is in between the SK handle (as expected) and the the other micarta handle. I was wiping the blade off with mineral oil and got some on the handle. Now I think I might have to coat the whole handle with mineral oil.

I need to get my DSLR camera out and take some pics after I figure out the lanyard....

 

[Jeff of the North]

Never tried dyeing micarta, i've made some beautiful scales with it, but it's always been the case for me that the fiberglass resin bleaches a lot of color out of the material, wonder if you can add dye to the resin mix to keep a deeper color?

Not a Buck, sorry, but here's an example, I used denim for the micarta, it was older black denim that had faded somewhat to a nice charcoal gray color, but after the resin bleached it, this is how it turned out, not bad looking at all but not the deeper color I wanted:

Absolutely. There are a few videos on YouTube that show the use of dye or tint added to the resin. I may just attempt this myself with some dark denim.

 

[caquino]

Mine arrived today. The finish on the handle tang was not on par with my other three 104s. It has noticeable grind marks that did not get polished out. On the one hand the buffing compound is highlighting it in the photos, on the other hand they are more noticeable with the naked eye. Of course, this is a camping knife, so not a big deal.

The edge grind is on par with the others, but is the roughest of the four. The grip on this one is in between the SK handle (as expected) and the the other micarta handle. I was wiping the blade off with mineral oil and got some on the handle. Now I think I might have to coat the whole handle with mineral oil.

I need to get my DSLR camera out and take some pics after I figure out the lanyard....

Camping knife or not, that's just plain atrocious...it's workmanship you'd expect to see on a cheaply made knife from China, and not Buck.

 

[st8yd]

Camping knife or not, that's just plain atrocious...it's workmanship you'd expect to see on a cheaply made knife from China, and not Buck.

Agreed, especially after paying the premium for a bom. While easily fixed, it's not worth sending back, but still shouldn't have been that way.

 

[st8yd]

Never tried dyeing micarta, i've made some beautiful scales with it, but it's always been the case for me that the fiberglass resin bleaches a lot of color out of the material, wonder if you can add dye to the resin mix to keep a deeper color?

Not a Buck, sorry, but here's an example, I used denim for the micarta, it was older black denim that had faded somewhat to a nice charcoal gray color, but after the resin bleached it, this is how it turned out, not bad looking at all but not the deeper color I wanted:

I think it is more because the dye in the denim is not all the way through. It sure wouldn't hurt to use a dark gray dye on it if that's the color you wanted. Maybe next time pre dye the denim pieces to the color you want.

 

[Fixall]

Mine came in today.

It looks like the blades were ground/sharpened by two different people, lol. One of them has the machine markings (but not as bad as Vaporstang 's) and a grind that is a bit uneven... While the other has no machining marks and a very even grind. Oh well, I'll give my little brother the one with the machine marks. Lol, actually it's a really easy fix so I'll give him the nicer one. I think I actually want to put a stonewash finish on mine, so no harm, no foul. The blades could have been cleaned up a bit better before shipping though. Pretty dirty, as you can see in the pic.

After seeing the red Micarta scales in person, I actually like the looks and feel of them. I'm going to keep them stock on my personal 3V 104. Maybe sometime down the road I'll dye them black, but they don't look half bad as is. I do think my brother would like the brown Micarta scales and slip sheath from the SKBlades 104 more so I swapped one set for him before I sell my backup SKBlades 104.

All in all, I am SUPER happy with this purchase. For this price, I would have been happy just receiving a BOS heat-treated 3V 104 blank... And I still would have felt like I got a deal. Take a look at full-tang, 3V knives of this size, with a similar (Peter's) heat treat and see what those'll run you. These were a screaming deal regardless of the machine marks.

And after swapping the scales and sheath.

Well crap. Not enough pressure around the handle to secure the knife in the sheath. Slip sheath similar to SK's version most likely will work best.View attachment 1552068 View attachment 1552069 View attachment 1552070

There are actually a lot of complaints about the standard Buck sheath not securing the knife very well either. A nicely formed, slip sheath could be really great too though.

 

[Vaporstang]

I just saw the April BOTM on the large auction site for $199 or BO and $10 shipping... 2 available and 1 sold. I guess we knew it was coming.