Best Day Ever With My New BK11

[thatotherguy]

time for some nice homemade micarta or wood scales!
Maybe you can find some sheds in the spring and use those for some handles... That would look sweet.

 

[arcadiaknives]

Oh I have all kinds of handle material in the shop. Lotsa wood, antler and micarta. I'm fixin' to make at least 2 sets of scales. The hardest part will be deciding what to use. Want to strip it this week, may even do it today.

 

[thatotherguy]

make a set from each material and switch em out depending on your mood. Sounds good to me.

 

[arcadiaknives]

So a budy came over to the shop to turn a pen on the lathe and I decide to take the paracord wrap off. It was totally bloodsoaked from dressing out my deer, and stinking. Now I have to p!$$ or get off the pot. I took the knife over to the grinder for Mod #2. I gave myself a little extra finger room at the front of the handle. It really does make a difference. I had to do a bit more jimping on the spine cuz my thumb felt like it went further up the blade. And Mod #3 rounded the spine a bit just cause.

By the time I finished that I started looking for paint stripper and found a can on one of my shelves for Mod #4. After loading the knife up with stripper it seemed like nothing was happening so I checked the can label and saw it needed to work in a heated area. Turn on a space heater and let it sit while I cut up some burl for handles. After a good hour the coating came off with a little elbow grease.

So here is my knife ready for Mod #5 - burl scales to put on and the other stuff is home made micarta from black denim. I'll probably cut out a few pair just to see what I like. That burl is sweet and will dress it up quite a bit.

After making the larger finger area I noticed that it will need a new sheath. Reckon that'll be Mod #6, but I'll report after scales are on. While looking at the pic I noticed another mod is hand sanding the blade. I'll do that before I attach the handles.

 

[arcadiaknives]

Well yesterday I cut the scales out of the burl in the last pic and routed the inside with my dremel router attachment so there wouldn't be as much play in them. Works pretty good but have to find post screws to fasten to the blade. I want to look real good plus be able to change them out when I want to. The lighter colored scale are going to BrewCityMike because he grew up in MY old neighborhood of Milwaukee. All the old places I used to get in trouble...Oh Yeah lots of trouble.



Hope to get out to the shop tomorrow to sand the blade and set the scales.

 

[CowboyStyle]

Wow nice mods and scales. The bk11 is looking good. Can you post a closer pic of the spine? - Leo

 

[arcadiaknives]

I'll get some after playing tonite. Have a lot to do to get it back around the neck. I'm jonesing big time.

 

[Esoxlucius74]

Well yesterday I cut the scales out of the burl in the last pic and routed the inside with my dremel router attachment so there wouldn't be as much play in them. Works pretty good but have to find post screws to fasten to the blade. I want to look real good plus be able to change them out when I want to. The lighter colored scale are going to BrewCityMike because he grew up in MY old neighborhood of Milwaukee. All the old places I used to get in trouble...Oh Yeah lots of trouble.

View attachment 250218

Hope to get out to the shop tomorrow to sand the blade and set the scales.

Those scales made me wanting a BK11 for the first time!! Nice ones!!

 

[arcadiaknives]

Hey Cowboy here's the spine pic taken before sanding the blade.


So then I sand the blade, first to 320 grit on diagonal.


Next was 400 grit opposite diagonal. No pic.
Finished with 600 grit, sanded the length of the blade.

Kinda shiny hey? I'll take care of that soon enough.

I drilled the scales for my fasteners. First drill for flat head torx screw. Second drill for the standoff in the center which will hold screws from both sides. Third countersink scale for screw. I had to buy an 82degree countersink just for this operation.


Next was shaping the handles a bit to fit my hand. I haven't sanded these for final finish yet. Hunger forced me to wet them and get a teaser pic for y'all.


This weekend will be forced patina. Didn't have any Perma Blue left so a buddy is gonna hook me up. Have a little bit of some extra strong bleach so I don't think it will take long to work. Pics will follow.

 

[arcadiaknives]

Well I put on the super blue in kind of a shark tooth pattern and here's how it looks.


Then I get my container with distilled water, bleach and gotta have my coffee. It is only 06:40


After 30 minutes in the bleach solution, here's how it looks.


Then I neutralized it with baking soda, dried it off and set it aside till I get a chance to sand it and see what it looks like.

 

[arcadiaknives]

Ok this is it. Finished the scales and made a new kydex sheath for it yesterday.


That's probably the last of the mods for this one. Until I decide to change the handle out.

My new BK7 is in the mail right now.

 

[Jonny1280]

Wow! That looks fantastic. I just got my first BK11 yesterday. What a great knife!

 

[arcadiaknives]

You'll totally have fun playin' with it. So much you can do. I would have gotten the best pic ever yesterday but the guy I was with left his camera in the car. There were 5 or 6 Barrett rifles in this shop owned by Barrett, but I couldn't got the porn shot. Heavy sigh!