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CGFBM Make-over
- Thread starter hawkinsa21
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- Mar 1, 2006
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The main reason I really wanted the cgfbm over the ltd fbm was for the corrugations. I love them to bits. In my opinion, your stripped fbm is absolutely fantastic! The corrugations in satin look superb. I think you should make sure it stays satin though, not ultra polished. Very good work mate.
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The satin looks really good AFTER he put in several hours of hand labor. The Combat Grade coated knives from Busse cost less than their satin version because the shop puts less time into them. When you strip a coated blade, you uncover the grind marks and INFI dimples that the coating was hiding. I have not yet put enough time into my stripped Ruck Kensai that it looks anywhere near as good as hawkins FBM, but enough time that I have more respect for what he and other guys have done.
I kind of like that look of the dark corrugations against the satin blade :thumbup: If I ever finish the Ruck I might tackle my FBM.
hmmm, think I could use a satin Ruck at Fogo's?
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- Jan 5, 2007
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No regrets bro, get stuck in!! When I first got it, I was too scared to do anything with it... then I used it, then abused it, now stripped it and reprofiled the edge... :thumbup:
INFI works so EASILY with sandpaper... and looks great when you get near the end...
It has had the 600 grit paper and wet paper today, and then stropped the convex edge... RAZOR now, but will need to spend some time when I've got more free time so that I can finish the corrugations...
ps - thanks for everyone's input... it is fun to do, and won't be my last... TBH, the blade looks even solider now that I've taken the coating off... it smells of metal now as well
The satin looks really good AFTER he put in several hours of hand labor. The Combat Grade coated knives from Busse cost less than their satin version because the shop puts less time into them. When you strip a coated blade, you uncover the grind marks and INFI dimples that the coating was hiding. I have not yet put enough time into my stripped Ruck Kensai that it looks anywhere near as good as hawkins FBM, but enough time that I have more respect for what he and other guys have done.
I kind of like that look of the dark corrugations against the satin blade :thumbup: If I ever finish the Ruck I might tackle my FBM.
hmmm, think I could use a satin Ruck at Fogo's?
Thanks resinguy... your correct 100% as well, the dimples are still evident on some parts near the talon holes, so more work will be required... as mentioned the original colour after removing the coating, was a kind of gun-coat colour... so needed a lot of sanding... PS - thanks for the 'respect'... I know all about the hard work put into it
- also, my bro AND other half said the dark corrugations looked great.. but when your putting in so much sanding by hand, its hard to completely miss them, so getting them to stay untouched would be near impossible... well, for my beginner hands anyways!Anyone who was ever thinking about giving this a go... GO FOR IT!! This is the first time I've EVER attempted anything like this.. and working by hand rather than machine means a total novice can compensate really easily for any mistakes... but you'd have to be doing something wrong for a while to make any real damage... I managed to slice up a good few bits of sandpaper with no damage to the edge... which I reprofiled at the end anyone, so no worries there!
Nearly finished! Bit bigger so you can see it in more detail
Alex
mikeymoto
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- Dec 20, 2004
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it smells of metal now as well
Dude, tell me you wore a mask with all that grinding going on! Otherwise it may be a permanent smell with INFI attached throughout your pulmonary and sinus system!
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- Feb 18, 2003
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Come on, get your Irish up and grind off the corrugations.
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Dude, tell me you wore a mask with all that grinding going on! Otherwise it may be a permanent smell with INFI attached throughout your pulmonary and sinus system!
Hmm, I used a mask for the stripping and initial sanding.... more sandpaper grit than INFI, as its a slow process... but I didn't use a mask near the end...
Wait till you see the next pic...
- by hand?? lol, if I had access to a machine... maybe... but TBH, it'd end up losing its character... and the corrugations aren't just for show... they apparently help add lateral strength to the blade... Get this!! Having voiced my problems at home with the corrugations and the black coating in them, just as I posted the pics above, my other half came upstairs with a crafting wire 'toothbrush'... she has done some silver work in the past, and this is one of the tools... it removed the black grit in the corrugations in about 5 minutes!!!!!!!!
Check this out... I will touch it up again once with some 600 wetted paper when I have the time (a good hour of 90 degree brushing from spine to edge), but HOLY OINKING CG FBM SATIN MOD BATMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Awsomeness on a new level... not trying to blow my own trumpet, but I am SO happy with this... its taken about 7 hours over the weekend, including a couple of hours today on my day off.... and I am a COMPLETE novice... anyone prepared to put the time in would feel as good as I do right now
Thanks to everyone whose read and commented on this, I love this forum... Will be GOLD soon enough
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hawkinsa21: man that is some nice work. I really like that industrial look. It gets addicting though.
BTW: as you were sanding, and moving from one grit to the next, did you alternate the direction you were sanding in? Edge to spine? Tip to handle?
It's just me probably but I like the bevels to be darker. When I strip my AK after more coating wear, I think I am going to leave the bevels darker than the rest of the blade. Cool contrast.
Again, excellent work and let us knof if you feel a performance difference.
BTW: as you were sanding, and moving from one grit to the next, did you alternate the direction you were sanding in? Edge to spine? Tip to handle?
It's just me probably but I like the bevels to be darker. When I strip my AK after more coating wear, I think I am going to leave the bevels darker than the rest of the blade. Cool contrast.
Again, excellent work and let us knof if you feel a performance difference.
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- Jan 5, 2007
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- 543
hawkinsa21: man that is some nice work. I really like that industrial look. It gets addicting though.
BTW: as you were sanding, and moving from one grit to the next, did you alternate the direction you were sanding in? Edge to spine? Tip to handle?
It's just me probably but I like the bevels to be darker. When I strip my AK after more coating wear, I think I am going to leave the bevels darker than the rest of the blade. Cool contrast.
Again, excellent work and let us knof if you feel a performance difference.
Thanks Tyrkon, it is addictive... !
When I was sanding I initially went in every which way to get the gun coat colour off... I then started trying to keep a 90 degree angle to the blade by going from spine to edge... but the wet 600 is fine enough that you can't really see any buff marks, unless you happen to put an uneven amount of pressure on the metal when pushing with paper...
The bevel is gone - well, the main one is.. its been completely convexed into one long curved edge... nice :thumbup: - there is about 0.1 - 0.12" from the edge where the convex is more highly polished. I'm still sanding out a dent where I accidentally smacked some concrete... didn't realize it was burried in the sand! (no chipped BTW
)It already cuts better, but thats due to the thinned edge... bites MUCH deeper on chops... highly recommended.... and a convex is easy to touch up with sandpaper and a bit 'o leather, as you know
GO GO GO GO!!! It's SO worth the effort...
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no probs mike. I suspect that being INFI, you could dunk it in Lava and it'd STILL grin back at ya, so I guess a bead blaster would be fine... but I'm speaking outside of my experience though I have to admit, I've never used one...
2 things I will say though... If you apply the stripper, you can just stick a film on and pop back after its finished, or, you could just ask Tyrkon what he used in his NO-E thread, as his was only on for 15 minutes!
Use the strongest stripper you can... and for the record, it doesn't affect the micarta one bit... its nails...
But if your lazy in general, the hours worth of buffing with sand paper might soon get at you! But, its a fantastic finish once its done... and completely unique.
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Man that turned out FanF$#kinTastic !! Congrats on your hard work paying off big time !!!
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- Jan 5, 2007
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Thanks Irezumi, sorry I didn't read this earlier... appreciate your kind words...
Now to save up and buy a load more combat grade knives so that I can put some sandpaper loving on them
(..... anyone else think that sounded a bit weird??
)
mymindisamob
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Awhile back, I stripped and polished my HHFSH (I no longer own) and ST Ripper. I have been all the happier with these blades since. You get to know the blade better and it turns out beautiful, besides gaining appreciation of what Jerry and his crew put into the blades in making them.
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Your right about knowing the blade better... deffinately :thumbup:
Now that its stripped and I can see the small INFI dimplets
, it looks 10x harder than before... I feel like I could chop it through a car door... Oh wait... you CAN chop this through a car door... nice