Basic Becker Modding 101

[tjswarbrick]

Unless the factory hardware is also 1095CV, there is a potential for trouble.

Galvanic Corrosion is a complicated process. Without going overboard, stainless steel is generally less reactive than carbon steel. Hence the word 'stainless'. ; )

Anything that separates the metals from direct contact (coating, patina, oil, etc) is good.

Again, with occassional maintenance it's not an issue.

But, as Ethan has oft said - meh, what's a little rust?

Galvanic corrosion is rarely an issue with through-holes, and even less so if the coating is left on the scales.
I'd be concerned if the nut and the bolt were made of dissimilar materials. And, yes, rust is more likely on the carbon steel hardware than on either the black-oxide coated or the stainless, though some is still possible with either.
A little care and maintenance and you should be fine for a long time.

I love how you put so much effort into removing the black coating just to turn it black again! But, really, the end result looks top-notch.
Nice job, and great write-up.
You've given me food for thought on my next project.
And the foil tape - very nice. I have some lying around, but used blue masking tape on the 5 and 15. The citristrip got underneath it a little bit.

As for scale spacers, I've used aluminum, kydex, micarta, thin HDPE sheet, and G10. I much prefer the results with G10, but due to the fiberglass and epoxy resin you've gotta be careful working the stuff.

 

[granitestateofmind]

A little lube on stainless bolts (or some loctite) will prevent anything from happening, really. Galvanic corrosion (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion) just isn't going to happen between stainless steel and 1095. It isn't that complicated; just get the bolts and know that at least they will not rust. I've got 'em on nearly every Becker I own - they're a cheap & easy (my favorite kind) upgrade.

 

[Fuori]

If someone just put the factory bolts in vinegar wouldn't that force a patina and end the need to change them though?

 

[JWheel]

If someone just put the factory bolts in vinegar wouldn't that force a patina and end the need to change them though?

I believe most guys just leave the factory ones on. Patina plus some oil is probably going to be fine so long as you keep it dry. Sounds to me like there's no perfect solution, just several different degrees of good enough. Stainless isn't perfect either; just a higher degree of good enough. The patina plus lube will almost certainly be good enough. And if it results in some rust at some point, you can swap for stainless if and when that happens.

 

[TravisH]

Regarding TravisH's comments, I'm still totally confused. TravisH, please make this easy for everyone. Is rust/corrosion more likely to occur on a Becker if it has its original 1095 hardware or if you replace that with stainless hardware?

Sorry about that.

Rust is more likely to occur with the original factory hardware. And it's more likely between the nut and bolt, not the knife.

Stainless hardware reduces this from happening.


And, again, a periodic wipe down with oil and rust/corrosion is not an issue, regardless of hardware.

 

[JWheel]

Sorry about that.

Rust is more likely to occur with the original factory hardware. And it's more likely between the nut and bolt, not the knife.

Stainless hardware reduces this from happening.


And, again, a periodic wipe down with oil and rust/corrosion is not an issue, regardless of hardware.

Awesome. Thanks for clarifying!

 

[JWheel]

I love how you put so much effort into removing the black coating just to turn it black again! But, really, the end result looks top-notch.

Thanks! I eat too much citrus and vinegar-based condiments for that to last though.

If I host a fancy dinner, 5 minutes of sanding and another bottle of vinegar will spruce her up. But this patina serves its purpose just as well as the purty black one.

 

[Yester5]

Very nice work. I bet that black patina would look nice after 30 minutes or so in a tumbler for a nice distressed finish

 

[HazeGray]

Quick question about electric etching - is it necessary to remove some of the finish for a good contact or is the finish conductive enough without stripping the contact point?

 

[JWheel]

Quick question about electric etching - is it necessary to remove some of the finish for a good contact or is the finish conductive enough without stripping the contact point?

I've only done it the one way (stripping an area for better contact). You can also try to clip to the blade edge where there's no coating, but that's a little tricky. Or you can experiment and try to clip to a coated area and give it a whirl. It will either work or it won't. You should be able to judge as you're doing it.

 

[TravisH]

Quick question about electric etching - is it necessary to remove some of the finish for a good contact or is the finish conductive enough without stripping the contact point?

The coating is fairly nonconductive so you need a good metal-on-metal contact. The bolt holes may enough contact space. Try using the nut-n-bolt to secure the electrical lead. If not or can't get a secure grip there or on the edge then you'll need to scrape away a spot.

 

[HazeGray]

I'll just scrape away a spot - I'm stripping the whole blade anyway so it isn't a big deal.

 

[granitestateofmind]

I'll just scrape away a spot - I'm stripping the whole blade anyway so it isn't a big deal.

It'll work easier this way. Of course you could prolly make it work as well with the total, er - backyard engineer? - method with a bare wire duct-taped to the edge.....

 

[JWheel]

Quick question about electric etching - is it necessary to remove some of the finish for a good contact or is the finish conductive enough without stripping the contact point?

Well this got me thinking. I wondered if there was a simple way to increase the surface area of exposed metal on the blade edge without removing any coating. I don't know much about electrical work, but I did take 8th grade physical science. My experimental technique was NOT a complicated one:

It looked like it was working. But see if you can spot the big mistake I made here:

That's right. I let my Four Roses get too watered down. :grumpy:

But the aluminum foil worked like a charm:

I'd been meaning to future-proof this 9 anyhow. No plans to strip now, but I'll want to once the coating starts to wear. And now I don't have to worry about scratching off any of the laser engraving before it was time to etch and strip.

 

[HazeGray]

Well, that's a smart idea. I don't want to strip my bigger knives until the coating wears too, now I know what to do!

But first a return to basic questions: what the heck size are the tweener hex bolts? I had assumed they were the same as the big knives, I assumed wrong. 3.5 mm?

 

[HazeGray]

And btw I stripped a spot on my 15, and etched it just as instructed and it worked great. Thanks for gathering all of this info in one spot!

 

[JWheel]

And btw I stripped a spot on my 15, and etched it just as instructed and it worked great. Thanks for gathering all of this info in one spot!

Happy to!

As for the hex bolts, I can't help you. I bought most of my Beckers from Coyle Outdoors and he includes free stainless bolts (in several color/head options) with his orders. But stainless is definitely the way to go. Use a little Loctite and forget about handle hardware.

You can also order the hardware from him without the knives if you were so inclined.

 

[granitestateofmind]

Well, that's a smart idea. I don't want to strip my bigger knives until the coating wears too, now I know what to do!

But first a return to basic questions: what the heck size are the tweener hex bolts? I had assumed they were the same as the big knives, I assumed wrong. 3.5 mm?

IIRC, they're 8-32....if you're going to the hardware store, just bring one with you. Check the Becker DB sticky, tho, if you're mail ordering them.

 

[dontesme]

Thanks for the thread, very informative.

 

[52100]

SUPERB write-up Wheel. I missed it last month, but someone bumped it to the top and I really enjoyed it. Thank you.