BK 16 Coating

Thomas Linton

Thomas Linton

Joined
Jun 16, 2003
Messages
20,207
New here so I apologize if this has already been discussed in posts I cannot find.

Any number of reviews of the BK16, while giving very -- or extremely - favorable reviews, express disapproval of, or doubt about, the coating. These opinions match my general prejudice against blade coatings. I keep missing sales of BK 16's already stripped.

Has any consideration been given to producing any BK16's without the coating?
 
There has been some talk about the new coatings, people had mixed opinions but for the most part they get striped around here anyway so it doesn't really matter. If striping the blade is something you are interested in its not at all hard to do. You can get paint stripper at just about any hardwhere store or even Wall Mart. Take the handle scales off, place blade on sheet of tin foil brush/spray stripper completely covering both sides of blade and let stand untill all the paint lifts off. At that point use a razor balde or wire brush to make sure you get all the paint off, wash with soap and water, make sure it's completely dry then put the handle scales back on using blue thread lock and you are good to go. :thumbup:
 
I have my BK2 stripped and with patina. I like it. I'm undecided if I'm gonna strip my BK16... The process does make the knife more yours and really is a lot of fun. If you don't like it. Sand it off and start over. I have not tried the Blue etching yet. It seems to be a cool option.
 
Stripping is cheap, fast and easy. Don't let it hold you back from the knife you want. You can do it.
 
Hey HardTripper.....

Maybe Tooj will chime in on this but if the coating WEARS off you are OK soooo, Provided you keep it out of salt water you should be OK.....

All Best.....

Ethan
 
Oh, and BTW I just put a 16 in the stripper, just for yucks and giggles.......probabbly gonna do a plain vinegar patina.....

All Best....

Ethan
 
Planning to strip my 17, so just for kicks I took it to the wire-wheel today; wanted to see how the coating would hold up. Yeah, it's on there pretty good! Need to pick up some chemical kryptonite tomorrow...

[video=youtube;FLN3dPMyXeg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLN3dPMyXeg[/video]
 
So that gets back to Thomas's original question of will Becker be making blades without the coating in the future?

I have a newer machax that didn't make it a day cutting bamboo. The coating has deep, wide gashes in it down to raw metal and will have to be stripped. The coating didn't hold up at all. It looks nice brand new but that was about it.

I have been meaning to post pics but I am internet retarded when it comes to posting pics and making them work.

Love the machax, just scratch my head a little when it comes to the coating.
 
You can whip a finnish off with a wire wheel on a hand held drill in minutes. I did it myself to a BK-2 (but left the coating on under the grip) and wish that I had left it alone. I will never strip the finnish off another Becker. Suppose it depends on your mind set. I prefer to keep the knife lower maintenance and more rust proof.
 
I see where you're coming from upnorth, but I think of it this way. The coating will eventually wear off anyway, and having an uncoated carbon blade reminds you to take care of it. If the coating was still there I might just toss the knife into a bag after a trip and it might not see the light of day until the next one. With no coating, I remember to oil it, check the screws, and sharpen it if needed. All in all it saves time in the long run IMO.
 
The new powdercoating is way tougher than the older paint. I'm actually a fan of it. I didn't care for the old finish that much. About half of my Beckers with the old finish have been stripped and Cliched. But all of my Beckers with the new powdercoat I've kept in the black, since I like the toughness and the rust resistance of the new finish.

The only issue I have with the new coating is that since it is rough, it can create drag when trying to slice things like tomatoes or paper. But that is easily taken care of by smoothing the coating out near the edge with a Work Sharp knife sharpener or a belt sander. Once that is done, the blade will slice without problems.
 
This is great info and rather than start up a new thread on this I am reviving this one. I am debating whether to remove the powdercoating and I'm really undecided. I'm intrigued by the idea of just smoothing out the black coating rather than removing it all together. Has anyone done this? If so, can you post a couple photos of the end product and some advice on how to go about it (grits, etc?). I'm also debating maybe just removing some of the powdercoat, maybe just 1/3 on the cutting edge. Has anyone done that and can you post any pics? I guess I can just give it a try with 400 grit and if I mess it up I can strip it completely, but I'd rather get advice first!!!! Thanks!
 
I've never tried it, Map. Mine get stripped to the metal, everytime.

I find it suits my need better than a coating.

Moose
 
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