Battle Grade FSH rusting under scales

willmtn1

willmtn1

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Joined
Jul 24, 2011
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Hey! I picked up this Battle Grade Fusion Steel Heart the other day and it appears to be rusting underneath the cerakote/scales. See pics -
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I threw the FSH in my friends sandblaster and gave it hell for 15 minutes - it came out looking like this. The rust is cleaned up and it looks like there is some faint pitting where the rust was the worst.

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I'm guessing underneath the scales the rust is pretty bad? Anyone been here before?
 
Just my .02, if it bothers you just drill out the rivets, cerakote under the handles and use female standoffs and screws to reattach the scales. Be careful drilling out the rivets take your sweet sweet time you don't want to hit the scale or crack a scale.

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If you can see it. Guaranteed it has seeped under the scales.

There's other knives with the same issue. Rust under the handle.

With the only way to prevent it is the sealing off of the scales between them and the metal. Epoxy.


What it really needs is removable screws (rivets), that allow the scales to be removed for cleaning. Then you could just keep it waxed.
 
*edit*

Just removed my nonsensical voice to text and just posted the data from my old thread.

Just a heads up the screws and posts come in various lengths, you want to get a female post that goes all the way through the scales and blade AND seats just below the recessed 1/4 part of the hole in the handle scale. Make sure the length of the screws you buy are just under 1/2 the length of the post. If they are over 1/2 you may have to grind them down or they will bottom out into each other and your scales wont be tight.

Also the screws are Torx Plus, it is a lil different than a standard torx bit and harder to find, definitely get 2 bits from the same site so you can hold one screw still and torque the other. A regular torx big works, but will leave a bite mark in the screw head, the proper bits will leave it unmarked for the cleanest install!

Posts

Screws

Bit
www.mcmaster.com

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.
www.mcmaster.com www.mcmaster.com
 
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propbuildervash said:
Edit Posted ∆

Makes more sense
Click to expand...

Thanks! I use Mcmaster-Carr to find random parts for work. Their website can be a pain to navigate, there's so much stuff to sift through.

Also, did the humidity that caused the rust come out of the scales? Can I seal off the scales with oil or ?


By the way, this 3/16" FSH is a fantastic handling knife!
 
So my knives were not rusted. One had removed handles when I got it, the other two had an incomplete strip. I pulled the handles off both and bead blasted. I waxed the HOG ash. The other two I left the busses coating under the handles then waxed the exposed metal and reinstalled the scales.
 
A local gun store here will cerakote stuff for money.

I am thinking about taking the handles off, finishing the sandblast on the steel, and having the blade steel cerakoted.

Then screwing on the handles on top of the cerakote, leaving the handles raw.

Does this seem like a sound plan?
 
willmtn1 said:
A local gun store here will cerakote stuff for money.

I am thinking about taking the handles off, finishing the sandblast on the steel, and having the blade steel cerakoted.

Then screwing on the handles on top of the cerakote, leaving the handles raw.

Does this seem like a sound plan?
Click to expand...
Yes. The custom blades from Busse are Cerakoted by Blown Deadline. Just verify what level of blast finish is enough to accept the coating.

 
Some of the Busse pics on that page are insane!

It looks like they cerakote the knives after the handle scales are installed - I am thinking of cerakoting the steel without scales and installing them afterwards. That should keep the rust from coming back underneath the scales? I guess once I have torx hardware instead of flared out pipe I'll be able to remove and clean the scales no problem.

I have an arbor press - it seems that I could flare out some pipe of my own with a product like this -

 
willmtn1 said:
Some of the Busse pics on that page are insane!

It looks like they cerakote the knives after the handle scales are installed - I am thinking of cerakoting the steel without scales and installing them afterwards. That should keep the rust from coming back underneath the scales? I guess once I have torx hardware instead of flared out pipe I'll be able to remove and clean the scales no problem.

I have an arbor press - it seems that I could flare out some pipe of my own with a product like this -

Click to expand...
With the arbor press and “I think” 3/8 tube you could reinstall the factory scales once the coating is completed.
 
I'll be going down the rabbit hole. Thanks for the information.

When I get the scales off I'll make sure to take pics.
 
In my bag with 20+ Busse Kin there’s at least six fully stripped Battle Grades, including a THICK BGFSH, that have all been used and I doubt any have rust. That’s literally after YEARS of having them. Only one of them has a mustard patina I did, a BG Boss Jack. I guess I’m lucky.

I’ve said it a dozen times. I bought a LOT of Battle Grade stuff and my only regret is not buying more. The value in that caliber of Busse Kin won’t be seen again.

I say strip it, patina it if you want and then beat/use the hell out of it. Don’t re-coat it.
 
I am wholly impressed with this FSH. It deserves to be cleaned up and given a fresh outlook on life. It appears I'll be needing some 1/4" OD tubing. The material I drilled out looks like stainless. My options are stainless, brass, and copper. I might have some scrap 1/4" copper tubing laying around somewhere. Any reasons to not use copper?

Taking the pins out was sort of a delicate situation but with a little effort it all came out smooth enough. I can see how someone could damage the scales during this process without much effort.

The matte finish is pretty awesome, I've got to say. I hate to coat over it but I want to prevent rust from returning. The sandblast/matte finish is coarse and I can see it rusting quickly.

Besides cerakote, what are viable options for rust protection? I can spray paint the handle under the scales. If I used wax, is there a specifc wax I should use?

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