BK7: To strip or not to strip

A

arog5949

Joined
Dec 19, 2013
Messages
11
Hey y'all, so I bought my first Becker (BK7) a few months back and I finally decided to make me some wood scales for that baby. Decided to go with oak and got em finished today. Problem is now I'm thinking with the wood scales she would look better with the coating stripped off and some kind of forced patina (plus the coating is pretty beat up already). I'd like a second opinion though before I go through with it. Here's some pics:
01101519541_zps883aa98f.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
0110151954a1_zps7192e3f6.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
0110151954b1_zpsfd2fd21e.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

Thanks in advance :D
 
I'd strip it personally, just keep it oiled well. Here's a pic of my BK9 that I stripped and forced a patina on.

hSXev8O.jpg


Nice job on the wood scales, they look awesome.
 
arog5949 said:
Thanks! That's a nice lookin patina you got on there, what did you use to force it?
Click to expand...

Thanks, it has hints of the former patina that I didn't like in it. At first I had soaked it in vinegar and put mustard on it, but I left it on too long and it rusted a bit. I had to use a Scotchbrite pad to get the rust and most of the former patina off, then put mustard over it willy nilly and let it sit for about 5 minutes of both sides, washed off with hot water, and oiled it up good.
 
Sweet, I think I'll go with a vinegar soak for mine when/if I strip it. I've done of few of those and I think it'll make a pretty good finish for my beater.
 
I would use it a while stock. Enjoy the knife the way it was made, when you loose coating, pimp that blade, enjoy the best of both worlds.
 
Does it matter what you use to strip it? Does the finished blade vary by the method used?
 
No, it doesn't really matter what you strip it with. (Citriustrip is excellent btw.)

But the 'finished blade' you desire may require additional work such as sanding and etching.

Note - if you want to retain the blade logos, you should consider etching them BEFORE stripping

Also, if you just want a smoother finish, consider sanding the black finish smooth with 400/600 grit before stripping.
 
Noswad0208 said:
I'd strip it personally, just keep it oiled well. Here's a pic of my BK9 that I stripped and forced a patina on.

hSXev8O.jpg


Nice job on the wood scales, they look awesome.
Click to expand...

Sorry if this seems like a silly question; this is the first time I've ever heard forced patina: Is the lighter color where the mustard was, and the darker areas where there was no mustard? I just bought a new, old coating Becker 7 (with the roll mark). I do not plan to strip it and do this right away, as I'll let it wear a little naturally seeing it is new. However, I really like the look of that "pattern", so I'd plan to eventually do that.
 
bsczar1 said:
Sorry if this seems like a silly question; this is the first time I've ever heard forced patina: Is the lighter color where the mustard was, and the darker areas where there was no mustard? I just bought a new, old coating Becker 7 (with the roll mark). I do not plan to strip it and do this right away, as I'll let it wear a little naturally seeing it is new. However, I really like the look of that "pattern", so I'd plan to eventually do that.
Click to expand...

No silly questions exist around here. :thumbup:

The mustard was on the lighter areas, it put an outline of the mustard on the blade rather than actually making a patina where the mustard was sitting.
 
Thanks for the quick response. I have watched a number of videos on forced patina, so I now have a much better understanding of it. So far I think I like the look of the mustard best, but I have a bunch more research to do. I have my own homemade ghost pepper sauce I could try as well, so we'll see...
 
I'm sure you could make it look great if you decided to strip it. Personally, I would rather just leave the protective coating on. With all the BK&T knife owners that strip their blades, it is too bad the company doesn't make the BK models available in a uncoated, more stain resistant metal.


TravisH said:
Also, if you just want a smoother finish, consider sanding the black finish smooth with 400/600 grit before stripping.
Click to expand...

I don't understand.:confused:
How does sanding the coating make the metal smoother?? Any sanding done to the coating isn't going to affect the actual surface of the metal underneath.
 
Blades&Bullets said:
I don't understand.:confused:
How does sanding the coating make the metal smoother?? Any sanding done to the coating isn't going to affect the actual surface of the metal underneath.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that didn't come out.

I meant - try 400/600 grit sandpaper to smooth out the coating BEFORE making the decision to strip. The change in appearance may work with the new scales. If not, then strip it.
 
I would strip it, mostly because I think it'd go nicely with the wooden handles, and as stayed, it will slice better then
 
Gassy said:
I would use it a while stock. Enjoy the knife the way it was made, when you loose coating, pimp that blade, enjoy the best of both worlds.
Click to expand...

I was going to strip and polish my BK-9 but after much contemplation decided to keep it stock and use it. The coating is there for several reasons - don't be in a rush to remove it!

Eric
 
TravisH said:
Yeah, that didn't come out.

I meant - try 400/600 grit sandpaper to smooth out the coating BEFORE making the decision to strip. The change in appearance may work with the new scales. If not, then strip it.
Click to expand...
Okay, gotcha. That definitely makes more sense. When I read the other post I was :confused:.
 
IMHO, cool wood grips you got there - it'll go great with a strip job.

Within the constraints of budgets, once you settle on a favorite model (hard enough choice!!) it's nice to have a "user" and "keeper" or, a show horse and a work horse.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top