broke my bark river kephart...

hollowdweller said:
Danny? So I was wondering: Is acraglass heat resistant? I would think since it's meant to set against a hot barrel it is but I've never read it is.
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Yes, Acraglass is extremely heat and shock resistant. IIRC, it was Ed Caffrey and Jon Christensen (ABS Mastersmiths) that told me that once I used Acraglass for bonding stick tangs, I would never look at epoxy again for that application. They were right. No comparison. Acraglass has both excellent shelf and hold life. I purchased my last batch from Brownells. :)
 
Mike Stewart at BRKT has stated for the record that these original Kepharts are the biggest PITA knives he designed. Seeing how short the tang is, I'm really curious why BRKT even went with this design in the first place, perhaps it's because most knives go into "collections" and not for real use?

Never doubted that they'd warranty the knife though.
 
Just spoke to Mike and he said to send it back for a full-tang Kephart. :D

That's the best solution because I really like the blade profile. They're apparently starting the full-tang Kepharts today, so I shouldn't have to wait that long either. It sucks that I broke the knife, but I'm sure I'll be happier and more confident with the full-tang version.

BRK&T customer service? :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
the tang on that is too short, especiallsy seeing as it is not pinned. i have used scandi type knives with tangs that extend all of the way through the handle and are bolted or peened at the other end, these are just as strong as full tangs and hold up to battoning etc. The tang on that kephart is just too short
 
I'm glad BK&T is making it all right! I'm also glad I never just take 1 knife along with me....
 
LeeCQC said:
To be fair, this doesnt happen when battoning most knives, full-tangs in particular. My DP Camp Master could probably baton through just about anything you can throw at it, and never break a sweat. It's built like a tank.
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I agree with you blade is more likely break before handle does with true full tang high quality blade. However I've always dislike using the wrong tools for a job unless you have no other choice.
 
What I want to know is how such a poor design made it into any level of production. It's already been said, a ridiculously short tang + no pins = WTF?!:confused:

Honestly, someone was looking at that on paper and thought "yeah, that'll work"?
 
Dannyboy Leather said:
Yes, Acraglass is extremely heat and shock resistant. IIRC, it was Ed Caffrey and Jon Christensen (ABS Mastersmiths) that told me that once I used Acraglass for bonding stick tangs, I would never look at epoxy again for that application. They were right. No comparison. Acraglass has both excellent shelf and hold life. I purchased my last batch from Brownells. :)
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I used it to fill a khukuri handle once and the thing set up like a damn rock.

I would assume it could be used just like epoxy also? To glue scales on a full tang?
 
hannibal lecter spyderco said:
This is one of the reasons that I don't like the idea of batoning with knives, even though many people on here do it.
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Proper batoning technique puts no stress on the handle.

And remember this knife was damaged while chopping, not batoning; chopping puts maximum stress on the blades/handle junction.
 
If it would have been pinned, that would have never happened. The length of the tang has nothing to do with the handle coming off. Epoxy alone is never enough to hold a handle on especially hidden tang.
Scott
 
As for replacement options, the new Kepharts are coming out soon, i believe. And i can't say enough praise for the Bravo-1. What a great knife!
 
It's hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like there's not much of a radius in the tang/handle junction. I'm glad they're taking care of you.
 
sodak said:
It's hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like there's not much of a radius in the tang/handle junction. I'm glad they're taking care of you.
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That radius would only matter if the blade seperated from the tang, but after talking to Mike and describing how it happenned he said his best guess would be that the epoxy was not mixed correctly and that it allowed the tang to move inside the handle. Once that happenned, the tang can press up against the handle and that's how it got the crack in the top.

hari-kiri-yogi: Have you tried the Bravo-1 against other BRKT blades? It seems kind of brutish. I was curious how well it did at finer tasks. There will definately be another BRKT knife in my future, I am just undecided yet on which one.
 
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