BK15 Observation

S

stvpourciau

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Dec 20, 2012
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It has a slightly hollow grind, As can be clearly seen in the photo below by the outline from the very edge to the top of the grind where the trailing point begins. I discovered this when placing the blade flat and attempting to grind out the very deep tooling marks that I blame for the severe rust problem on this particular BK15.

PaBTQXC.jpg


Also, observation #2, I have a rust problem that's never been an issue with any other kabar, it rust nearly as fast as my Esee izula which is not 1095 Cro-Van
 
I have a couple Beckers as well that seem to rust faster than others. My 9 seems to attract it like nobody's business; my stripped 16 and my stripped and modded Machax, too. To really reduce the rust problem you're gonna want to get it up to at least 600 grit W/D; the finer the scratch pattern, the less problems you'll have, in my experience. My modded 7 I sanded up to 2000 and then buffed with green compound seems the most immune. They'll all patina, but rust doesn't seem to be able to get a hold on them past 600. Luckily, W/D sandpaper is cheap - although the elbow grease is pricey. Good luck.
 
granitestateofmind said:
I have a couple Beckers as well that seem to rust faster than others. My 9 seems to attract it like nobody's business; my stripped 16 and my stripped and modded Machax, too. To really reduce the rust problem you're gonna want to get it up to at least 600 grit W/D; the finer the scratch pattern, the less problems you'll have, in my experience. My modded 7 I sanded up to 2000 and then buffed with green compound seems the most immune. They'll all patina, but rust doesn't seem to be able to get a hold on them past 600. Luckily, W/D sandpaper is cheap - although the elbow grease is pricey. Good luck.
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Thanks granite, I plan use my girlfriend's dremel and either sanding wheels or wrapping the wheel with sandpaper grit of my choosing starting at..120?

No elbow grease here, it's in short supply lately.
NCSlice said:
Force patina and mineral oil...
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Good idea, I've pulled off a near black hot bluing on my Opinel in the past, there's a really good thread on how hot blue somewhere on bladeforums. I'll be wanting to smooth polish it before doing any patina.

This thread is mostly about the hollow grind I was unaware on the 15 and didn't know if the other Beckerheads where wise to it as well.
 
I took the shoulders all the way up to the spine. Then cleaned it up on a 240 belt, then a 300, then a 600, then a 3 Micron.
 
dremel? you'll make it worse... You need a tool that is bigger than the blade, no the other way around.
Some leather will help your sanding block conform to the surface. But there's a reason I always recommend against sanding hardened steel. Get some hard wax on that thing and go play in the woods.
 
granitestateofmind said:
I have a couple Beckers as well that seem to rust faster than others. My 9 seems to attract it like nobody's business; my stripped 16 and my stripped and modded Machax, too. To really reduce the rust problem you're gonna want to get it up to at least 600 grit W/D; the finer the scratch pattern, the less problems you'll have, in my experience. My modded 7 I sanded up to 2000 and then buffed with green compound seems the most immune. They'll all patina, but rust doesn't seem to be able to get a hold on them past 600. Luckily, W/D sandpaper is cheap - although the elbow grease is pricey. Good luck.
Click to expand...

daizee said:
dremel? you'll make it worse... You need a tool that is bigger than the blade, no the other way around.
Some leather will help your sanding block conform to the surface. But there's a reason I always recommend against sanding hardened steel. Get some hard wax on that thing and go play in the woods.
Click to expand...

Really appreciate your input Daizee, what exactly would I make worse?
 
Rotary tools operate at very high RPM (even at a low setting) and the sanding drums/wheels are very abrasive (even the finer grits) so you combine those two together coupled with too much pressure in one spot and a small bit size then KABLAMMO! you've got a divot/mark/notch/indentation/whatever on your blade making the process head backwards at a rapid pace. Like the other fellas have said, just put the arm joint lubricant into it, it'll take longer, be harder to do but it'll also be harder to eff it up. It will work and it will look great. That's my reckoning anyway..
 
Yeap, my BK9 or BK2 doesn't rust on the edge at all. Also the BK7 and 17. But my BK15 catching rust on the edge very fast.
 
You'd be surpised what some scotch bright pads will do to remove rust and give it a bit of a buff. Hand sanding is not all that bad, lots of ways to do it. BUT the guys are right, power tools can make your life easier, but they also can make it worse in a hurry.

Also I don't think it is that uncommon for production flat ground blades to have a bit of concavity to them, just an artifact of the grinding process I'd suppose. I thinned the grind out on my 15, but used a slack belt to "Fisk" it so I did not notice this.
 
If you don't have a big piece of leather, one of them old closed-cell foam mouse pads under the WD sandpaper does the trick nicely.
Expect a good elbow workout.
 
Another possibility is to wait until a bigger coupon pops up for a local hardware store and get a cheaper belt sander.
A 1x30 will work, there are plenty of belts available online, including leather belts for use as a strop too.

You can't do All of that much with a 1x30, but it will work in a pinch. When I am home, I will take a pic of my 5 that I touched up on mine. All I wanted to do was pull the grind marks out and it worked fine with a well worn 120 belt.
 
For what its worth, often "flat" grinds are ground on a very large diameter wheel, which makes them slightly hollow. I'd say thats what you're seeing here. I noticed this same effect on my ZK War sword, and asked Toooj about it in the "ask toooj" thread, and thats what he responded with. So its possible/likely that many other flat grinds on kabar/beckers are similar.

And I'd guess that the variations in rust resistance are likely a compounded effect of the differences between grit/polish level, location (humidity/salt content), personal body chemistry differences, and variations within the specs of 1095cv.
 
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I stripped mine, left the tooling marks and coat with mineral oil after a use and cleaning.

I do want to take my 15 and Prissy it Up nce and shiny - just haven't gotten around to it yet.
 
Glad this thread has gotten so Much input, I technically was using a slack belt as I went into grinding position with the 120 grit belt on my ken onion work sharp, it didn't work for me because of the hollowness of the grind.
 
ocnLogan said:
...variations in rust resistance are likely a compounded effect of the differences between grit/polish level, location (humidity/salt content), personal body chemistry differences, and variations within the specs of 1095cv..
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The other factors my esteemed colleague Logan forgot to mention were the moon phase, you're wifes current menstrual cycle, you're mental disposition and the temperature inside your refrigerator..
 
BeeKayNutCase said:
The other factors my esteemed colleague Logan forgot to mention were the moon phase, you're wifes current menstrual cycle, you're mental disposition and the temperature inside your refrigerator..
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Ah yes! Good form sir.

I'm also looking into a potential relationship between the temperature inside the refrigerator and the length of the power cord on the microwave. Unfortunately the results have not been conclusive as of yet. I'll keep you updated on any developments.

In related news, if you ground it on a slack belt, wouldn't that mean it could have been slightly convex (the belt itself that is)? That would exacerbate the slight hollow grind, if the belt was slightly convex.
 
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