Boye Basic 2

[crom]

So, my dad is always buying knives ( in bars, estate sales, God knows where)that he either keeps or gifts to me. He calls me tonight and tells me he "found" an Indian Kris and a Boye Basic 2 in excellent condition with nylon sheath. A little research on this one turns up "dendritic 440c" for blade steel. I'm aware the newer ones are dendritic cobalt, does anybody have a 2 and can share any info?
thanks,
k

 

[Bob W]

I may still have an old AG Russell catalog from when those were first sold. If I can find it, I'll scan the ad and post it.

 

[Mike157]

I'm not sure which model the basic 2 is. I'm guessing one of his fixed blades? I have several of his older models made with the dendritic 440c steel (His shop used to be about 10 miles from where I live). I have at least one folder, a couple of fixed blades in different sizes, and a kitchen knife. I'm a light user so they don't get pushed very hard. I carried the folder for a number of years and it held up well. The kitchen knife sees the most use and has also held up well. I don't know the Rockwell hardness of the blades but they hold an edge in normal use very well in my opinion. I have not done any testing though. I haven't been to his website for awhile, but he used to have a fair amount of information about the steel and the processes he uses along with some high magnification photographs of the "dendritic" carbide formations. His very early knives were actually made from old lumber mill saw blades. I believe both the 440 and cobalt steels are cast which is supposed to give the advantageous carbide formation. The nylon sheaths that came with mine were lined with brass sheet to protect the sheath. In my opinion, they are nice knives and work well if the blade profile and grind suit you. Here's a quick picture - please excuse the lack of photography skills. Mike

 

[crom]

Thank you Mike and Bob. Yes, that's the one in the pic that my dad has with the same sheath. He's an old sailor so he was surprised to find out it was designed for marine environments.