Buck 105

C

ckpj99

Joined
Aug 31, 2012
Messages
25
Hey folks. I have an "old" Buck 105 from the mid-90s. It was my camping and hiking knife when I was in my teens. It's sat in a drawer since college, well cared after, but rarely used. It's nothing too special, but I've grown fond of the stainless steels Buck uses. They sharpen pretty easily and take sharp edges.

Anyway, the handle is scuffed and dull. I was wondering if I could polish it up with a dremel tool and some compound. I have no clue what the handles are made of. Current 105s are listed as having "Phenolic" handles. Any idea what that is?

I've never polished knife scales before, any help you could give me would be appreciated.
 
Your knifes handle, if black, is phenolic. Simply put, phenolic is a resin polymer, formed using heat and pressure. It's very tough stuff, as in countertop or steering wheel tough. It can be polished with a wheel and compound.
Another option is to send it in to Buck for their "spa" treatment. They will make the entire knife look like new for a modest fee.
 
Duane's got it: send it in to Buck, and for less than a Dub they will give it a fluff&buff to make it look like new again! I've had great success doing this; their CS is top notch, and their work is impeccable.

And... Jack's got it too. We need photos! ;)
 
Good call, guys. It's not in really bad shape or anything, I just think it could really shine up.

And photos? Photography is only what I do for a living!

buck105pic1.jpg


A little knife porn for ya.

And here's a more practical image of the handle itself.

buck105pic2.jpg
 
With that phenolic resin, polishing must be just that: polishing.
If you treat it like wood, and think "ahh, I'll just buff this up with some steel wool," you'll wind up with a cloudy mess. It's such a smooth/homogenous material that you'll want to *actually* buff it - with a cloth wheel and some rouge - to make it shine.

Nice photos! :thumbup: :)
 
Thanks. I have a couple Buck knives, so I may get adventurous and try my hand my polishing, but it's good to know that I can send them in for service if I want.

Thanks!
 
Man oh man!! I wouldn't send it off to anyone. I'd just get some polish (automotive paste wax would do) and work on polishing up that handle myself. Maybe even just take an oily rag and buff it. If you send it ot Buck for their spa treatment, they'll send it back all shiny but that will take the character out of it.

Nice knife.
 
I think if I was gonna use it I would take some 80 grit sandpaper and rough it up, for a better grip.
Those phenolics seem very slick to me when polished up.
 
Here come the conflicting reports! lol. I need to work it into my rotation again to see if I want to make it a user. It was a gift, so I'm not getting rid of it. But if I'm not going to use it often I'd like it to look nice.
 
Interesting reading,

Everyone has your best interest at heart.......in their opinion. So do I, but here's the list.

As stated Buck does a outstanding job on SPA treatment, it will come back looking brand new and should also come back sharp enough to shave a skeeters beak. The best way to do this is to email or a quicker phone call to them to get the details and costs. You say you got some other Bucks send in a couple at a time. They will tell you how to box up, address and insure. An likely in shorter time than you guess they will be back.

There is a school that likes rough 100 series handles, I don't mean bastard file rough, but no gloss velvet like rough. They feel the phenolic gets slick when in water or blood. I have bloodied a couple over the years and could see the issue if you were smooth handed. I wear a surgical glove now and it assures grip.

Phenolic should be treated like you are buffing the fender of a mint 57 Chevy. The kinder and gentler the better. After you get it glossed up that way a little paste wax or car wax shine up won't hurt things.

So there you go, several different ideas take'em or leave'em your call. If our Traditional patrons aren't enough info for you venture over to the Buck forum and ask this question and you should have a evenings long read.....ha

300Bucks (most of my knives fold up)

PS As a newbie and a photohog please return here often we do enjoy nice well done photos of Traditional knives.
 
ckpj99 said:
Here come the conflicting reports! lol. I need to work it into my rotation again to see if I want to make it a user. It was a gift, so I'm not getting rid of it. But if I'm not going to use it often I'd like it to look nice.
Click to expand...

If you simply want it to look nice, I'm with the other guys that suggested sending it in for a Spa treatment. When I sent in my 20+ yo 501 it came back looking literally better than new. A beautiful job by Buck.

I also have a 701 that I inherited from my Dad when he passed. That one I would not send in because I want it left like it was when I got it. So, it kinda depends on what you want.

But if your goal is just to make it look nice - send it in. When they are done, it will look great. :)
 
300Bucks - you mentioned paste wax? I do some woodworking and absolutely love paste wax. Is the purpose of that to add a little protection or just add some shine? Since paste wax (especially on plastic) is removable and non-damaging, it might be just the ticket for some of my other knives.
 
ckpj99 said:
It's really a very odd shaped handle, right?
Click to expand...

Actually, that is a classic handle shape. Used to be very common. Western, Schrade...any number of knife companies had knives with similar shaped handles. KaBar still makes knives with a similar handle shape. You will have to remember that Buck developed the basic 105 shape in the 1960's. It is only when compared to handles on current designs that it seems oddly shaped.
 
black mamba said:
I think if I was gonna use it I would take some 80 grit sandpaper and rough it up, for a better grip.
Those phenolics seem very slick to me when polished up.
Click to expand...

Yeah, ya got that right!

After I almost lost my 102 over board while rinsing off some fish slime and bait stuff, I did just that. Made things a lot better and much more usable.
9902483144_165fa09b0b_c.jpg
 
If it is just a collection of small scratches, brasso does a good job on plastics. Might be a tad more abrasive than the auto waxes. Should also clean up the aluminium guard and pommel as well.
 
Jeff and Carl, you are smart men. I got a 119 last year and used it for hunting season, it was a bit slick. This year, 80 grit sandpaper to the handle and it's quite a bit better without doing too much work.
 
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