Ever see an AD47?

[PeteyTwoPointOne]

....of course I know it's an AK American Kensei 47 ,

but it is marked "AD" from the compound....

So I figure that "AD" gotta stand for "Awesome Dimples"

Bought this beaut. from Jeff Dickinson off the Busse Exchange.

He had done the heavy lifting with the citrispripping but there was major decarb layer that still needed sanding.

Pretty much finished with it for while I wait on more sandpaper to float down from the Big River site.

Still gotta sand the inside of the talon holes and hit the flats and secondary grind with some 400 grit to give it a little sheen and knock down the shine a bit and blend it all together.

Will have to resharpen also. I fouled the edge in a couple spots when I overran my sanding sponge.

My fine motor control is not what it used to be. Getting old ain't for sissys.

But I had the time, the elbow grease, and the sandpaper, so I was excited to uncover all the Awesomeness. Here's what I found:

I drilled out the tubes. Removed the Micarta slabs and hit them with a wire brush and some simplegreen. Left the paint under the slabs, for the time being. Sanded back past the slab edges because I'm kinda obsessive about not leaving a paint that I can see. Crazy, I know hahah.

Here's the slabs free of grime since probably the day they rolled of the line at Wauseon. The grain on canvas Micarta kinda reminds me of woodgrain:

But ultimately, I'd been waiting on just the right AK to do this sheath justice that leatherman made for me a few years back....

Hope you enjoyed the PICS YOU FILTHY HOGS!!!!

the retention pin, fits into the choil, not the talon hole....GENIUS LEVEL CRAFTMANSHIP!!!

 

[PeteyTwoPointOne]

The og link for the launch of the AK47, I'll leave it here for nostalgia:

Thread 'The Busse Combat "American Kensei 47" ("AK-47") Project Is A "GO" . . . .'

Jul 20, 2005

It's a "GO" boys!!!!! All I can tell you at this point is that the new American Kensei 47 . . . "AK-47" fuses the best of traditional sword making techniques with the accuracy and enhanced performance of CNC technology.

Pics should be posted within the next 24 hours!!!

This bad boy is simply wicked and offers features never before available on a combat sword.

The AK-47 will come in at our target price of $587.00 for the base model!!!!

Thanks and stay tuned!!!!

Jerry

• Jerry Busse
• Replies: 39
• Forum: Busse Combat Knives

 

[MattinLA]

Awesome!!!

thanks for the photos

 

[SpyderPhreak]

Awesome on EVERY level!!!

 

[The Knife Life]

Great thread! You consistently take some of the best pics and I always enjoys your threads and posts because of it. You understand lighting (no shadows!), focus, composure, etc. I'm a detailer by nature so seeing another who pays attention to such things makes me happy. Love it!

Man, that sheath is liable to steal all your attention away from the awesome blade too, it's that good! That locking retention strap is pretty slick and I don't think I've ever seen such a large stingray inlay like that before. What a beauty! The more I look at it, the more I like it. Little touches like how it's not flat at the top but curves up and around to "hug" the curvature of the handle scales really highlight the specialness of this piece.

I had always looked past most of the Bussekin sword offerings being more a knife guy than a sword lover but something about this one I find quite appealing. Might have to think about hunting one down at some point.

What grit sandpaper did you use on the blade? I couldn't really see any sanding marks. Maybe the rough dimpled surface just hides it well though.

And did you use a steel or a brass wire brush to clean the handle scales? Does it seem to affect the texture any like roughening it up some?

I like the addition of the screws vs the tubes. I need to do that to a few of mine. I assume you used a drill press while keeping the blade clamped down? I don't imagine it's so easy with a cordless drill but haven't ever tried so curious to hear what you used.

That old micarta always looks so good too. New black canvas I find looks lighter and more uniform in color whereas the old stuff has more contrasting coloration and sometimes even looks greenish which I like. Not sure if the new stuff will look the same years down the line as it ages or if it's just that the underlying material is different.

 

[PeteyTwoPointOne]

Great thread! You consistently take some of the best pics and I always enjoys your threads and posts because of it. You understand lighting (no shadows!), focus, composure, etc. I'm a detailer by nature so seeing another who pays attention to such things makes me happy. Love it!

Man, that sheath is liable to steal all your attention away from the awesome blade too, it's that good! That locking retention strap is pretty slick and I don't think I've ever seen such a large stingray inlay like that before. What a beauty! The more I look at it, the more I like it. Little touches like how it's not flat at the top but curves up and around to "hug" the curvature of the handle scales really highlight the specialness of this piece.

I had always looked past most of the Bussekin sword offerings being more a knife guy than a sword lover but something about this one I find quite appealing. Might have to think about hunting one down at some point.

What grit sandpaper did you use on the blade? I couldn't really see any sanding marks. Maybe the rough dimpled surface just hides it well though.

And did you use a steel or a brass wire brush to clean the handle scales? Does it seem to affect the texture any like roughening it up some?

I like the addition of the screws vs the tubes. I need to do that to a few of mine. I assume you used a drill press while keeping the blade clamped down? I don't imagine it's so easy with a cordless drill but haven't ever tried so curious to hear what you used.

That old micarta always looks so good too. New black canvas I find looks lighter and more uniform in color whereas the old stuff has more contrasting coloration and sometimes even looks greenish which I like. Not sure if the new stuff will look the same years down the line as it ages or if it's just that the underlying material is different.

Thanks bruddah, for the kind words, but I think my pics stink. Just poor eyesight old dude iphone pics that I don't even know how to fully utilize the tech hahah.

As for stripping, the part I don't like is the actual paint removal. I've used Citristrip and Jasco. The Jasco stuff is pretty hardcore and it'll light you up if you have cracked hands. Hell, it even melts gloves. I stay away from the stuff now.

Fortunately on this one, the previous owner had removed the paint. But there was a pretty heavy decarb layer that had to be sanded down.

Wet sanding sponges + dribbles of water from time:time , free time, tenacity, and elbow grease is what I use. I don't use power tools on the sanding, but other Hogs have said they speed the process a bunch.

On this one I started with 220 grit sponge. Progressed thru 1000. Ran out of 400. I sand in small circles.

And yes, the raw infi does wonders to hide swirls. Another reason I don't use power tools. I go light touch.

I use an abrasive rust eraser to get the gunk outta the dimplidge. Barkeepers secret and green scotchbrite got used this time also. I used mothers chrome polish in areas that had some oily residue left behind too.

I like to finish with light passes of 400 grit sponge horizontally to give it a nice matte finish. Still gotta do that.

Rolled up emery cloth double taped to a wood dowel gets the talon holes. I'll chuck that in my hand drill. Still gotta do that, too.

I drill out the tubes by hand with 1/4" bit chucked in my 1/2 drill driver. I go slow with sharp bit. I also keep the blade sheathed with the spine aligned so it will whack me instead of the edge if the bit catches and starts helicoptering and somehow breaks thru or slings the sheath loose. Be super careful here. For that reason I don't use the press-- just the scabbard, spine facing clockwise drilling rotation, my left hand holding down pressure, slow drill speed 1st gear controlled by me, and a couple bar clamps spaced widely clamping sheath/blade unit. Using that process, I've never had an accident. Drill presses can be one of the most dangerous tools in the shop. I have healthy respect for them and don't use them on knives for what I do.

I use nylon brush on Micarta, but I couldn't find my favorite brush, so I grabbed a metal brush and simplegreen and went lightly. Next time, I'll invest the time and look for the correct tool for the job ha! I finished off handwashing with Dawn under sink faucet. I wouldn't use power tools on these. A good stiffy nylon brush is ideal, imho.

Probably a better way to do every step, but this is my way and it's therapeutic to me this way. My BP only gets up when I get impatient to find something I set down and my feeble ass mind can't remember where I put it. Apart from that, it does me good and gives me more pride in ownership / usership.

Sorry so long, just wanting to share. Have a great weekend!

 

[Jeff Dickinson]

Hell of a job on the AK, Ron. Looks deadly