I was literally just about to start a thread similiar to this. I am looking to strip my BK2, and from searching the forum I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to get the coating off. But what I'm worried about is trying to get a nice smooth polished finish on it. So I start with maybe 300 grit wet dry sandpaper on a block on gradually move to finer grits. I don't know much about wet/dry sandpaper, but I'm assuming I don't actually apply water to the sandpaper.. or do I?
As Moose and maethor said, yeah, get it wet or oiled up. One thing I didn't see anyone warn you about though, is to keep your sanding strokes going the same direction from beginning to end. Either length-wise or top to bottom, never both. I advise going length-wise, but you're going to have to be real careful near the edge. A butcher's glove could come in real handy for that procedure if you either have one or can get one easily.
So when I get to the highest grit I can find, is that going to bring it to a shine? Will I need to polish it with anything or does the sandpaper achieve that?
This you will have to figure out just according to your own preferences, but sure, if you use a polishing compound of some sort after you're done sanding, your finish will show more shine or luster. Applying a compound will help in getting rid of the micro scratches left by the paper, but if you're thorough and even in your sanding, that's not going to be much of a problem anyway. As far as what kind of polish to use, it can be a paste like Semi-Chrome, or a white or red rouge on a buffing wheel. I used both a paste and white rouge on my BK9.
Here's a thread where I kinda go through the steps I used, but it's really more juvenile double entendre than anything. But it does show pics from beginning to end, and if you like what you see and have any questions about the corny romance novel kind of "code," just ask, but you're on the right track starting with 300 (might want to start a little higher actually) and going up to 1000, or maybe 1500. Only go to 2000 grit if you're going for a full-on mirror finish. I was going for satin, and stopped at 1000.
Any recomendations on what to coat it after all is said and done? I apologize in advance if any of my questions are moronic. Thanks for the help.
No moronic questions around here, only stupid, long-winded answers! LOL I coat mine with whatever's handy. WD-40, gun oil, whatever. Most of the time I just wipe it down after use and don't oil it at all, unless I think it will be sitting unused for an extended period of time. All you need is a very thin coat of whatever you use.
Hope that helps.
I'm pretty much just seeing what can be done.
The only thing I might do right away is change the bevel on the 13&11 to something able to cut through cardboard and rope easier.
Or do you think the standard edge will be just fine for that?
Are you asking if you should reprofile the edge or not? If that's what you mean, I'd say leave it alone and just dress it up as needed on crock sticks or a steel or a strop. You really have to work these blades hard to actually dull them, and even harder to roll the edge or put chips in it. I would strongly advise against doing any kind of real grinding or removing of metal unless you really know what you're doing. Once you lose that built-in geometry, it's hard to get it back if you're not pretty well practiced at it. Then again, you may want to use one or both of those knives for learning that skill, and in that case, have at it. Just know that the learning curve can be fairly frustrating. But it is definitely a skill worth learning.
Blues
