Care and Feeding of Busse and Bussekin?

[Flying Guillotine]

Greetings Hogs, Dogs & Rats,
As a relative newcomer to Busse and kin knives, I'm finding that I am acquiring a number of blades at a rapid rate, but have little knowledge about the particulars of the brand. I know that everything from the Yard, Swamp, and, um, Hog Wallow(?) is well nigh indestructible and a joy to hold, behold, and use, but can someone fill me in on proper care and maintenance please?

• Does exposed INFI, 154CM and otherwise need a bit of mineral oil for surface oxidation protection?

• Should I be concerned about water getting into mudder style handles?

• Is it okay to immerse any Busse or Scrap Yard or Swamp Rat in water (soapy or otherwise) for a good cleaning?

• Should anything be applied to the canvas/paper slabs for protection/longevity?

• For someone who is not an accomplished sharpener (I have a Lansky rig), is there a recommended blade angle that's close to the factory angle?

That should about cover my immediate questions, but if you can think of anything else a FNG should know about taking care of these great knives, please illuminate this humble disciple.

Thanks people, your input will be appreciated

 

[steelnut]

I never put anything on INFI or the 154 CM,
The Swamprats and Scarpyards need more attention

Some people run them through the dish washer,
they are certainly safe to submerge.

Micarta and G10 need no protection,
When you see people oiling them it's for looks...

It's hard to give a specific edge angle,
Busse are close to custom and the edges will vary from knife to knife:thumbup:

 

[RobStanley]

Welcome to the Busse fun!

I usually put WD40 on all my Busse blades, infi or otherwise, when stored. I live near the sea and the salt air gets into everything. Doing this though keeps them spotless.

I also wash them in hot as well as cold soapy water, and yes, even in the dishwasher, no dramas (I haven't done this with Res-C, but I can't see it being a prob). Just make sure they're dry when you put them away.

As far as sharpening them goes, I just reccomend honing them until they're sharp. You'll figure out the technique which best suits you to get an edge on them.

These knives are designed to be used, even the shmancy customs, they'll take anything you can throw at them.

Use them, abuse them and most of all - enjoy them!

 

[Bigfattyt]

I don't put anything on my Infi. I wash them with soap and water.

Hell, I have even taken Infi swimming on more than one occasion!!!

Once I had to dive into a pool fully clothed (shoes, phone, wallet etc) to rescue a drowning child (Hotel pool the day before the Washington Bar Exam, not my child). Ruined my phone and leather wallet.


I changed, and went out shopping. Forgot to wipe off the knife or dry the sheath. About 6 hours later, pulled the knife out and it was still covered in condensation. The infi was fine. No discoloration or spotting with chlorine watter.

I have had meat and BBQ sauce etc discolor naked infi immediately, and it does not wash off with soap and water.

No problem, though if you have a strop with some buffing compound. A few strokes on the naked infi, and it comes right off. This, over time will polish the infi more than the factory satin finish.

As for sharpening angle, I reprofile all mine anyway to a convex edge.

On the Lansky, I would probably use the 25 degree setting depending on the size of the knife and the intended use. That is much, much shallower than the factory edge angle on most Infi from the factory.

Infi is not "stainless" but it is also not rust agressive. I get mine wet, slimy, sappy, etc and often don't clean it for days afterwards (like camping etc).

I have never had any real rust issues etc, but I don't live on the ocean.

You could take your Infi diving in the ocean, just give it a rinse and wipe when done.


As for SR101, it is relatively rust aggressive. More so than 5160, and I have heard than 1095 maybe.

If you had it naked, you might want to keep it coated with protectant.

I like a patina on my high carbon steels, and do it intentionally with mustard, or a vinegar. (one way I like to do this is to wrap the blade in a vinegar soaked paper towel then let it sit for a few hours or more!

Or put the mustard in patterns on the steel and let it sit for hours or longer (have done it over night, and the etch is deep enough that you would have to sand it to get the marks out).