Dremel on Busse?

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peter469

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Jan 26, 2006
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I'm considering modifying one of my Busses and the only power tool i have at hand is a Dremel multitool. I'm new to this and have a few questions:

What kind of abrasives should i use?
What temperatures should not be exceeded?
Any general advise?
 
peter469 said:
I'm considering modifying one of my Busses and the only power tool i have at hand is a Dremel multitool. I'm new to this and have a few questions:

What kind of abrasives should i use?
What temperatures should not be exceeded?
Any general advise?
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General advice:

High-speed cutting tools are a big no-no on a heat-treated steel.
Also, while INFI is a tough steel, it grinds very nicely. Your best bet is doing it by hand, using a course-grit sandpaper (and progressively finer ones for finishing). If you want large straight sections (such as a false edge), stick the sandpaper to a board and have fun.

I believe the true Hogs will chime in soon enough, but trust me, keep your Dremel away from your Busse knives or you'll learn to regret it soon enough.

Cheers, Rok
 
In the past, Jerry has said that INFI holds its temper even with significant heating. Keep the metal cool by dipping frequently and you probably won't hurt it.

Quoth Jerry in this post: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...42&postcount=2

As for INFI and temperature extremes, it is amazing. INFI is tempered at nearly 950 degrees. It does not begin to lose any significant hardness until it is held above 1050 degrees for a considerable amount of time. I have to believe that it would need to be extremely mishandled in order to do any noticeable damage.

Most of the simpler high carbon steels (of which INFI is NOT a member) can be drawn down in temper in a matter of seconds if the temperature hits above 500 - 800 degrees.
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Rick
 
I think you will be fine, I used a dremmel to make a rounder choil in my AD and I just watched the heat and there was no problem, take your time and you will be fine I think. However if your worried then start with sandpaper or whatever and go from there.
 
If you use a dremel try to stay with a lower speed setting and rely on a lower grit abrasive to do the work for you. Resist the urge to turn up the speed to cut things faster as this will generate more heat. Have a wet towel handy and just damp off the work area often. Go slow and take your time and you should be fine.

I assume you will be using a dremel on the handle and choil area...???
 
Just remember that you'll void the warranty if you do any modifications. Im sure nothing will happen to it. But if you do break it you'll be screwed..
 
jeepin said:
Just remember that you'll void the warranty if you do any modifications. Im sure nothing will happen to it. But if you do break it you'll be screwed..
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Well it really depends on what you do. I highly doubt it that it would void your warranty if you just use it to polish up the spine and choil. What exactly to you guys do that will break a knife anyway? I suppose you can clamp the knife tip down on a vise and try to pry the jaws open.
 
I just assumed when he said Modifying that he was gonna change the shape or something. Polishing I know would not void the warranty. Your right on that. Thanks..:):)
 
while infi DOES maintain its temper up to 900 degrees - dremels do something bad thats not always noticed.

when your grinding the top of the knife or other places, you have a lot of cold steel surrounding your grinding surface drawing heat away from your working area.

but if your cutting area's out, or working with the edge - you may be working with a very thin cross section. be very careful when working on area's like that because it is very, very easy to burn the metal.

jerry has said that infi holds its temper up to 900 degree's, but he has also said that infi distributes heat through its matrix very readily, which is why it's hard to differentially harden. I don't know exactly what that means for localized heat in this application - but I take it as a precautionary statement.
 
jeepin said:
Just remember that you'll void the warranty if you do any modifications. Im sure nothing will happen to it. But if you do break it you'll be screwed..
Click to expand...

the rule of thumb is that if your modification causes the knife to break, it voids the warranty. (edit: that includes major geometry changes that busse has never tested, thus cannot reasonably warranty, as they do not know how that knife will react with that geometry. such cases are still up to busse's discretion however (see last paragraph))

but if you were to, say, change out the handle scales and the blade breaks - the blade itself is still covered.

but, if you recurve the edge and burn out the temper in the center and it breaks there, then that is likely your fault and is not covered.


it's easy to say that if any modifications are done to the knife, it's out of waranty, and I generally stick with that. but busse has really good customer relations, and is generally willing to look at peoples knives on a case by case basis. busse combat's warranty (any warranty for that matter) is only as good as the people who back it, and in this case - busse combat are good people :D
 
If i don't get any good trade offers i'll change the handle shape a little to fit my hands better: Remove the butt and the ramp on the spine, and thin down the handle a bit. That's all :)

shemod.jpg
 
Forget the Dremel it will not work, believe me.
You need a belt grinder with course and fine grit belts.
Cool the metal with water when i is getting warm and take your time.
 
Wicked said:
Forget the Dremel it will not work, believe me.
You need a belt grinder with course and fine grit belts.
Cool the metal with water when i is getting warm and take your time.
Click to expand...

Yes, what Wicked said :thumbup: After seeing the pics...it looks like you will be removing a decent amount of metal. A dremel is not going to cut it. It will probably burn out by the time you are done :D

If not a belt grinder then at least a angle grinder followed by a clean up job with the dremel.
 
Rubberized abrasive, Kratex, very slow, but not much heat, I have used it on Busse knives and Colt 1911s for some years.
 
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