Convexing my BK16 and other mods.

C

Critikill

Joined
Jun 19, 2012
Messages
150
Hi all, first post after lurking for a while. :nevreness:

I recently acquired a BK 16 and like it a lot but it's still a work in progress. So far I've stripped the blade (blade portion only) and added some liners under the scales. I like it a lot more than factory but I'm not done with it yet ;) The next step I want to take is to put a convex edge on the knife.

Seeing as how I've never convexed a blade before, I wanted to make sure I was doing it right so I used the all powerful Google. I ended up finding this guide. I wanted to ask for you guys' help and see if you all thought, in your infinite wisdom, if the method described was correct, and if you had any tips to add.

While I'm convexing the edge, I also plan to sand the face of the blade. Please tell me if I'm correct in my thinking: When I removed the coating from the blade, I found that the face has some horizontal tool marks on it from edge to spine. I want to remove these for 2 reasons: 1) I feel like they may cause a bit more friction when slicing and 2) I feel like this would be a good place for moisture to gather and start rusting the blade faster than if it were smooth. I also think it will look prettier so I plan on sanding it anyway as long as there are no negative side effects, which PLEASE tell me if there are any negatives. I figure 320 grit working up to 2000 grit should give it a near mirror shine.

After that I plan to force a patina with mustard. I know, I know, takes away from the mirror shine but I want to see how it looks and I think it will further protect from rust. Note: I'm not supposed to force a patina on the edge, correct?

Finally, I am going to use a soldering iron to add texture to the scales.

Any thoughts or opinions are more than welcome! Sorry for the wall-o-text!
 
Howdy and welcome to our corner of the asylum! First off, you done good stripping the coating and adding liners on, they make a world of difference. Second, let's talk convexing. I find that the old method of sandpaper and a mousepad works, but very slowly, and is pretty difficult to get the hang of. Personally, I have had a great deal of success with the process outlined here:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...tory-edge-to-convex-with-the-BK2-(and-others)

That is the method I use on every new knife, and it is quicker, cheaper, and a little easier to get the hang of in my opinion. Either route though, convex is definitely the way to go.

Third, for the tool marks, they don't cause that much of an issue. While they could conceivably hold moisture, they also can hold patina better and provide more protection. I left mine on and the areas between them are rust free with no issues because the patina in those small valleys is not affect when the knife is used and abraded against other surfaces.

Fourth, for the patina, do it first, then sharpen your knife. It is much easier than trying to tape off a tiny section of the knife, and will make for a more even finish at the end (depending on how you sharpen).

All that aside, welcome to our home, make yourself comfortable, and post up some pics of you knives, cause we live for pics!
 
First off, welcome to the forums. I think you'll like it here :).

EDIT: Derek beat me to the punch on this, but here this is anyway.

From what I understand, there are a few different ways of convexing, and also different types of convexing. You can convex just the edge sharping the knife on something with a little bit of "give" (I usually use an old mousepad and some wet/dry sandpaper, but that link you showed works about the same way), and you can also convex the whole entire blade (much less common, and seemingly harder to do on an already FFG blade).

If you plan on sanding on the face of the blade, I would do that before I convex it. That way you don't have to worry as much about this crazy sharp edge you just put on it. I also might tape the edge of the blade (blue painters tape works well) for the same reason. Those marks are from the large wheels that ground the primary bevel on your knife. There is really no negative to removing the tooling marks, and it is a common thing to do when you strip the blade.

And yes, sanding everything smooth should help with rust prevention. With a finer finish, there is less "microscopic" surface area for rust to form on, so you'll get less rust. Patinas take it a step further by forcing a non harmful form of rust to prevent damaging rust from forming. You can patina an edge, but you'll need to resharpen it before you want to actually use it. If you're wanting to patina it, I would actually do it after I do the finish sanding, and before I convexed the edge.

Good luck man, and welcome to the fun :).

We also demand photos of said completed mods :p.
 
Thanks for the tips! I may have to raid my girlfriend's beauty bag for a spongy nail file :devilish:

OK, so sanding the sides is the next step. Suggested grit to start... 300 or so?

After that convex it, then patina it, and finally sharpen the convex, correct?

Photos will be coming (promise) but I want to finish the spiffication (technical term) of the knife first!
 
I would probably start with lower grit than that. If your BK16 is anything like my BK2, it will take a long time by hand, so I'd go with something more aggressive at first. I think I used 150 for reference.
 
120 on a sanding block, saves time and sore fingers. Bring it up from there.
 
When I did my BK-2 I started with 150 to remove all of the tool marks, then progressed through 220, 500, 800, 1000, and 1200 w/d grits. Worked out pretty nicely.
 
Thanks for the tips guys! I think I'm finished modding my knife :thumbup:

As promised, here are a few pics.

First a shot of what I found to convex the edge (thx Derek). I think Derek's file may have worked better, but this got the job done.
2xLIT.jpg



Next a few shots of the knife after I finished sanding it (went up to 2000 grit)
GcOVZ.jpg

5uxw3.jpg

5towH.jpg


And finally, after I forced a patina, sharpened the now convex edge, and made the handle more "grippy"!
r7Vfn.jpg

JSZuS.jpg


Found the 5/8, 8/32 brass screws at lowes. I like the flathead > hex.
CDBm2.jpg

3Scct.jpg


You can't see from the shots but I have some opaque liners. All in all I think everything came out great! Thanks again for all the help. I owe you guys a beer. :very_drunk:

P.S. Sorry Ethan if you read this. I wanted to keep the Ka-Bar and BK-16 logos, but they got in the way of removing the machine marks when I was sanding. :( I love you knife good sir.
 
welcome. I convex mine on a belt sander. Takes practice, but once you get the technique, you can play the sander like a violin. heres my edge. I skip grits and dont go too high. Leaves my with a nice toothy convex. Im not slicing paper while im in the woods, i want a working edge that holds it long

20120614_174148.jpg

20120614_174159.jpg
 
Nice work on the knife and sweet convex there Clich.

I use sandpaper and a piece of leather as a backing when convexing...Its time comsuming and needs a hell of a lot of elbow grease but it works for me since I'm no expert on the belt sander.
 
Welcome!
Now that you got your first post over and done with you don't have to be a stranger.lol
Your 16 turned out nice.

How did that 150 grit pad work for getting the tooling marks off? Pretty fast?
I'm asking because I've got a little sanding project going on and the tooling marks are being a B to get off.
 
Jonny1280 said:
How did that 150 grit pad work for getting the tooling marks off? Pretty fast?
I'm asking because I've got a little sanding project going on and the tooling marks are being a B to get off.
Click to expand...

Lol. No. Not at all. Honestly, if I did it again, I would have start even lower. The machine marks where either deeper than I thought, or the 1095CV is harder than I thought. Took a lot of elbow grease.
 
For a belt sander I have heard the Work Sharp knife and tool sharpener works great. You can even somewhat set the angle on it. Can be had for between $70-80.
 
Last edited:
SW9VEman said:
For a belt sander I have heard the Work Sharp knife and tool sharpener works great. You can even somewhat set the angle on it. Can be had for between $70-80.
Click to expand...

Yep, the Work Sharp is the easiest way for a sharpening newbie to convex a knife that I know of.
 
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