Customized GI Tanto

Damn, you made it look cool. I want to do this with mine and i wasn't sure it'll look good but you made it awesome!
 
Good stuff. I woke up this morning thinking about a CS GI and how I would strip, mod it and etch it. Your's is pretty close.

BTW OP, is that etch spots above the saber grind line or just specs in the steel? It would look cool if it had an acid etch like on some stripped, modded BK2's.
 
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Blackie Scantling said:
Good stuff. I woke up this morning thinking about a CS GI and how I would strip, mod it and etch it. Your's is pretty close.

BTW OP, is that etch spots above the saber grind line or just specs in the steel? It would look cool if it had an acid etch like on some stripped, modded BK2's.
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nope, no etch. Its how the steel looks like after the coating was stripped with paint stripper and a wire brush. pits, dark material and a semi-smooth surface. The saber grind part showed heavy tool marks from a factory grinder. It takes some time to sand it smooth like it is now. Creating a two tone effect.

Can you post a link of the etched Becker? sounds interesting.
 
pietje said:
nope, no etch. Its how the steel looks like after the coating was stripped with paint stripper and a wire brush. pits, dark material and a semi-smooth surface. The saber grind part showed heavy tool marks from a factory grinder. It takes some time to sand it smooth like it is now. Creating a two tone effect.

Can you post a link of the etched Becker? sounds interesting.
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I found this http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7272/6887281878_862346c415_z.jpg but there are a number of stripped BK2 and 16's that look good stripped and etched, especially a Limited BK 16 with a saber grind. Just google Etched BK2 or BK16.

I like the fact the GI is pitted and has tool marks above the saber grind line as it should take on the etched BK2 look. I think the modded GI like yours could hold it's own with Beckers.
 
pietje said:
I recently finished a customization project of my Cold Steel GI Tanto. Shortened handle, stripped, added choil & jimping, sabre-convex grind, kydex-G10 handles, stainless handle fasteners and looooooots of sanding and polishing. All done with basic hand tools. Although a lot of blood and sweet was spilled, it was major fun!

The mean lil ...... feels nice in hand. Needless to say its razor sharp ;)

Scrol down to see the pics. Hope you like it too!















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How did you construct the handle? I see you have the screw through it and then it just jumps to the finished product. I'm looking to mod my Tanto and any help would be appreciated
 
Hai DIYknife, The bolts are uses to get the steel and handle material lined out + to fit the approximate size. What followed was a lot of grinding and sanding to get the handle material in the right size + shape. After that I glued the handle material and stainless metal pins together. Then a lot of grinding, sanding and polishing to get everything flush and smooth. I've no pics of this in-between steps

Using the bolts is a step that can be skipped. Because it was my first project like this, I used the bolts as a intermediate step, just to get a idea of how everything lined out.

There is a ton of info on the forum about project like this. Educate yourself before you start removing material and have fun with future projects!!

btw drilling holes in the 1055 steel was a huuuuuuuge pain in the ass. It took forever + a lot of drills, even WITH the right equipment!
 
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