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BK16 Mod Project. ATTEMPT #2 starts on post #28 DONE!

gentemanndvm

gentemanndvm

Joined
Nov 2, 2010
Messages
770
got mine. love it. needs micarta. so that was first. also handle first so when i hit the tang sanding the handle down i'd only beat up coating i'm taking off anyways.

the tough parts:
1) making a hexagon-shaped hole in micarta with only a dremel tool is a capital 'B' B*tch.
2) the BK16 socket heads are not 1/4 wide (too small), and they aren't 3/8 (much too big). apparently Ka-Bar has a magical 5/16 Forstner Bit for making flat-bottomed holes that you can't get at Ace, Home Depot, Lowe's, DoItRight Hardware, or either of our 2 local lumber stores. so enlarging a 1/4 inch forstner bit hole to about 5/16 with a dremel tool is hard to do well. it's not hard to do, it's hard to do well. as evidenced by the irregular hole sizes you can see in the pic.

really like the barbwire micarta, excellent grip....
bk16micartahandles.jpg


next comes the stripping and the clich bath/etching. hoping to classily destroy the FIRST PRODUCTION RUN monstrosity, but still keep Ethan's sig legible. my acid baths are always an adventure in random, so we'll see how that goes. next pic in the next couple days. hope you like.


oh yeah, also replaced hardware with stainless.
and on the handle, i extended it full length to the back instead of the cutout around the lanyard hole. i cut out the lanyard oval with the dremel tool. feels good in hand that way :)
 
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more info on the micarta!! that looks awesome, what exactly did u use to make that batch???
 
thrillbilly said:
more info on the micarta!! that looks awesome, what exactly did u use to make that batch???
Click to expand...

totally cheated and bought it. texas knifemaker's supply. was going to use it for another knife, but decided i couldn't wait for the micarta to come out.
 
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looks great, lovin the pattern/color on it. Wonder if that site explains the process? Must research.....
 
That sure looks purtty...

I love that micarta, was it hard to work with?

-orangish ducktape
167a.png

“Simplicate, and add lightness”
-Colin Chapman
 
Clich army fall in! Looks great man can't wait to see the finished product
 
It would be nice if Kabar made a round nut(to match the otherside) w/a hex head fitting
 
well, not all that starts well, ends well. i'm not that happy with my end product. nothing about the knife itself though. love the 16. LOVE it. i convexed it and it slices like a demon now, too.

but this is the first time i haven't loved the etch pattern i ended up with. i look at it and go 'meh'. i liked it better stripped and unetched. happens, i guess.

on top of that, like an idiot, i decided to try and hand-scotchguard-sand the blade with the medium conditioning belt for my belt sander for some dumb reason. i was trying to go low pressue and slow and gentle instead of hooking it up to the belt sander and whaling away at it. but what that did was scratch the holy h*ll out of the blade. sigh. live and learn.

so, here's what i ended up with. i may be ordering another one and starting this all over again.
BK16final.jpg


i figured i'd show the results so others don't get discouraged if bad stuff happens to them while modding away. it happens. and everything i did was a fun process. and now i have got a serious beater 16 to do stuff with. so, meh on the cosmetics, LOVE the knife itself. try number 2 will be epical, i'm sure. i don't think that's actually a word, so it'll definitely be epical.

my lessons in case it helps someone else (and also for me when i have to go back to this thread later to remember what not to do the second time due to excessive alcohol intake and memory loss):
-like the barbwire micarta a lot. i think i'll do that again.
-really like the full length handle. definitely doing that again. feels even better in hand with full length.
-i either need to find a 5/16 forstner bit online, or i need to practice a lot more with my dremel tool.
-need to figure out the hex-shaped holes better. i had some scrap micarta so i tried the heat up a hex nut and press technique per daizee's great advice. it sort of worked. i don't have a drill press, so i couldn't push hard enough to go full depth of the hex nut, much less deep enough to bury it. but maybe repeated tries by hand would work. i can't buy both a drill press and another BK16, so i need to figure out a 'by hand' method. :)
-stainless hardware when you strip it. looks good.



as an aside, once i decided i wasn't that happy, i figured why not try out stippling on the grivory and mess that up while i'm at it. that works awesome, great grip. just took a soldering iron and tapped like a woodpecker for about 20mins. no pics of that yet, sorry. but don't be afraid to try it. great feel in hand.

anyone happen to like this one and want to trade for a new one so i can start over? :) :) :) :) i kid. sort of.
 
I like it. Not enuff to trade my 16 for ;) (only cuz I got plans for mine, if I had 2 I wld so swap u!)...but I think it looks great. Put that baby in the Trade forum....it will sell like free pancakes I wld bet!
 
That's the bad thing about etching, the pattern is random, and permanent, unless you sand it down to nothing, haha. It seems a smooth blade would be slicier as well. I think I'll steer clear of any type of etching, unless I just want an art piece. I did have something in mind too....
 
warrior - sometimes it turns out awesome, though:
BKMOD2.jpg


in fact, it USUALLY turns out awesome. just not this time. first time and i've done several knives, and several cold steel tomahawks/axes as well. it's kind of addictive, really.

i worried about the etching and sliciness too - insignificant difference for me once i did it and compared. i couldn't tell. i'll guess and say b/c the etching goes in, not out. like the fancy ovals on one side of the santuko knives. maybe it even helps :). yeah that's it. it helps.
 
Well done Sir! I'm impressed with the attempt, and the outcome. I would guess that the only reason your disappointed is that you had a slightly different outcome in mind. For someone like me with no expectation if pretty sweet :)

Kudos on a round two if that's the way you choose to go
 
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