BAS six-month report

Rust

Rust

Joined
Sep 29, 2001
Messages
119
In lieu of a report on a new purchase, seeing as I'm flat broke, here's a little report on the Sanu BAS blem I purchased about six months ago.

I've found sharpening this knife pretty educational; nothing else I've sharpened has caused hairs to 'jump off' when brushed by the edge. After some work with the BAS, I've settled on a less sharp convex edge which seems less prone to damage.

The blade now carries two minor nicks and a slight warp in the belly, all caused while hacking apart half-dried hawthorn trees. It's performance was impressive when compared to both saw and machete. The edge has been straightened out as well as possible by cold-working it on my anvil. I considered retiring the blade, but it's so often the best tool for a cutting job. It's holding up perfectly.

The horn handle appears to be shrinking away from the butt cap, despite treatment with Hooflex. This would be a superglue fix, I suppose? The blade has some yellowish spots which I first assumed were sap which I had failed to clean adequately. Scrubbing has done nothing to remove the marks however, and I think I'm seeing a light patina. Between this and the scratches from work, I think I'll try repolishing the blade. My epoxy fix of the original chip out of the handle is holding up perfectly.
 
I'd appreciate a little feedback. Should I fill between the butt cap and handle with superglue? Or is there a better fix? This is a working knife, and function is more important than a flawless appearance, to me.
 
The gap is about a millimeter wide at it's worst. I don't think epoxy would get right into the gap like superglue would, but then I'm not sure if it's finished widening. This is a pretty new development, and I hadn't noticed it before today.
 
If yo know someone in the medical profession try a surgical latex glove. to force the epoxy into the crack. Of course If the crack is that small and doesn't get any larger the super glue may be the way to go. I would still make sure that the glue penetrates or is forced in to the crack.
Just trying to help.
 
Rust: Go with the epoxy. They sell some that has longer set up time which won't rush you. ( Got mine @ Wal-mart) I use a very fine needle out of my wife's sewing box clamped perpendicularly in a surgical clamp. This allows me to "lay" the expoxy precisely in the crack without making a huge mess. I used this setup with a great deal of success while filling the gap on a horn handled WWII.

-Craig
 
I experienced the same thing with my horn-handled 15" AK. There is a similar sized gap between one end of the butt-plate and the horn. I've only had it for a few weeks and it wasn't there before. I probably should have tried the hoof stuff as soon as the knife came in.
 
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