Extreme makeover idea - Bussecraft Knife!

[foxyrick]

OK, so I've had this crazy idea for a while now. I want a decent 'bushcraft' style knife, you know, like the Skookums and Kosters, etc. I just can't bring myself to pay the money for a high-end bushcrafter though because I really want one in infi. Plus I want it to fit my hand perfectly, which means something that's not off the shelf. No choil, grip almost up to the edge, blade about an inch or so high and handle shape a bit like the Culti but bigger.

I've got a spare unused black snake BATAC. As much as I don't like to 'wreck' a perfectly good knife, it seems like it would make a good starting point for some sawing, filing and grinding into a bushcraft blade.

Now, it might take some improvisation to handle it, given the shape of the BATAC. I might end up with a hidden tang, but that's OK. I won't be hammering it though rocks. I'm trying to work out how to get the snake handles to fit, but I don't think that's really going to work due to the change in shape and position. Probably go with some new grips.

If I do it, the work will take a while as I don't have much in the way of tools, or experience. I do have a fair bit of patience, perseverance and perfectionism though. I'm thinking - arrange the basic shape with a hacksaw and diamond disk on a dremmel (cooled of course), followed by file work and grinding. I need to plan it all out on paper first though.

So, what do you think? Good idea or not, any thoughts?

 

[Matteo Escobar]

Sar5?

 

[Last Visible Canary]

while I did cut off an inch from the butt and replace the handles, the handle and blade grinding was done by the custom shop from a sar5.

if your willing to put up 150$ (probably less), and wait 4-12 months it's well worth sending to the custom shop. try to think of everything you want to have done before sending, so you dont get it back exactly to spec like I did mine and realize that you requested an off balanced design.

I have no idea what you want in a bushcraft knife, but seriously the sar5 is a great low cost blank format for a lot of customized designs.

 

[foxyrick]

Thanks for the suggestion.

I thought of the Sar-5, but I want the blade edge close to in-line with the bottom edge of the handle. On the Sar-5 I would have to grind back a lot of blade to do that, and I think I would end up with not enough blade height left.

That said, I haven't handled one. It is possibly closer to what I'm looking for... I'll try to find a flat photo of one where I could see exactly what I could do with it.

Thanks!

 

[Last Visible Canary]

I just realized your in england. given that I've -never- had a good overseas shipping experience, if I lived there i'd probably end up doing it myself as well. good luck :thumbup:

 

[foxyrick]

while I did cut off an inch from the butt and replace the handles, the handle and blade grinding was done by the custom shop from a sar5.

if your willing to put up 150$ (probably less), and wait 4-12 months it's well worth sending to the custom shop. try to think of everything you want to have done before sending, so you dont get it back exactly to spec like I did mine and realize that you requested an off balanced design.

I have no idea what you want in a bushcraft knife, but seriously the sar5 is a great low cost blank format for a lot of customized designs.

I was typing a response to Matteo when you posted this. That looks quite close to the sort of thing I am after! So close that I might rethink this idea right now and sell/trade the BATAC for a SAR5.

Thanks much!

 

[Last Visible Canary]

something that might also be worth considering, call busse combat and ask if it's possible to have the production team send a tank buster directly to the custom shop instead of shipping it to you when it's done, and then have them customize it and send it out to you.

it kinda depends on what you want to have done, and how extensive, but you could end up with a knife you want for fairly cheap. the tank buster (from the factory) is an equally cheap format to start from, and if you could get it directly from the factory in a custom state, that would be ideal.

 

[foxyrick]

Not a bad idea, but I think the tank buster is a bit too much knife, too thick, for what I'm after and still has the funny-shaped handle issue.

My best bet is probably to get a SAR5 and have a go myself. Yours is close enough that I think it's the right solution. I can play with the handle shape until I get it just right.

 

[RoyalM]

Hi Rick, i've got a SAR5 I could send you to have a look at. Let you see if it could be turned into the design you want or not.

I do have a Koster to should you want me to send that along for a feel also.

 

[BlackHills]

I gave a lot of thought to doing something like that with a Culti. I think you could cut down the tang to where it was straight and then mill out a piece of wood to fit over it puukko style. If you went far enough forward with it you'd only have a tiny bit of the choil left. In the end I decided it was going to be more work than I was probably talented enough to pull off.

 

[foxyrick]

Hi Rick, i've got a SAR5 I could send you to have a look at. Let you see if it could be turned into the design you want or not.

I do have a Koster to should you want me to send that along for a feel also.

Thanks RoyalM, that's a very gracious offer!

A good photo of the SAR5 would suffice though, I think. Taken from a good few feet away so that the knife comes out 'flat' with no perspective issues. That's how I took a photo of my BATAC to print out and play with.

I keep looking at that Koster Bushcraft for sale on the British forum... very tempted to give it a try. If I delay long enough though it might sell and then I'll be saved having to make the decision to spend the cash

 

[DWRW]

Foxy,

I just sent you an email. John and I have discussed modding the SAR5 before. It is a great blank for quite a few design mod options.

Truthfully, because of the BATAC's tall blade profile, the BATAC actually has even more versatility. But, modifying a BATAC into a smaller Bushcraft knife will require a LOT of steel removal and best to have the proper equipment.

The SAR5 is limited because of it's smaller size and lines. But, if you can get the design you want out of the SAR5 blank, modifying a SAR5 would be a LOT less work because of a lot less reshaping and steel removal.

I would spend some time getting a detailed and accurate feel for what you are ultimately trying to achieve. If you can't get exactly what you want out of a SAR5, then I wouldn't waste my time. It will be a LOT of work by hand.

Truthfully, if you want a Skookum or Koster, I would get a Skookum or Koster. But, that is me.

INFI is the KING of knife steels, but seriously, Skookum offers A2 ,O1 or CPM 3V. Koster also uses CPM 3V, 01, 1095 and 5160. While not INFI, for Bushcraft sized knives with proper heat-treatment, they are VERY good.

O1 is particularly suited for a Bushcraft style blade. It can't handle quite the extreme abuse and prying of INFI. But, O1 is quite tough, holds a VERY sharp edge and sharpens easily. It oxidizes pretty readily. But, I thought a lot of you British guys liked the patina on a good Bushcraft blade.

3V is also very tough, gets VERY sharp, not quite as easy to sharpen as O1, but probably a bit more corrosion resistant. It won't make a "nice" patina like O1. But, it will spot and pit nicely if allowed to. Still, 3V is a VERY nice knife steel IMO.


I like Koster's designs a lot and have a few of his knives on my wishlist.

Another maker who's designs are of significant interst to me are Nick's at NWA.

Considering their prices being fairly reasonable - not too outlandish.

I don't know if you will be able to come up with the exact Bushcraft design you want with it or not with the SAR5 or BATAC, but based on design tinkering LVC and I have come up with, I think you should be able to get a very good Bushcraft design from the SAR5 and possibly very close to what you have in mind. (?????)

I still have some of the photoshop drawings LVC and I discussed. Jerry has requested I not post photoshop stuff. He might come up with something similar someday and wants to avoid possible legal issues. So, I would rather just email you the info rather than post it.

Let me know.

 

[resinguy]

not quite a flat view...

 

[foxyrick]

Thanks for your offer Doug, I've mailed you back.

I've just been laying out some ideas on the BATAC and they fit more easily than I thought they would. You are quite right about there being a log of steel to remove though.

I really should come up with exactly the design I want first though, so I'll spend some time refining that before I decide on what 'donor' to use.

If life wasn't throwing me a continuous succession of curve balls at the moment I would probably just buy the Koster anyway, just to try it out. As it is though I've got to watch the money, just in case.

I have one from Nick, the W&SS forum knife in O1. I'm well impressed with it. I want something really to my own design though, and really would like to try making my own. I might as well make it out of infi.

I've no real experience with CMP-3V, apart from a Ferhman that I didn't use much because the handle didn't suite me. Seemed OK, if a little tough as you say, to sharpen; I convexed it. I know Eric does a particular heat treat on the steel so I'm not sure if his blades can be compared exactly with someone else's CMP-3V. That's all getting a bit off topic for the Busse forum though.


@ Resinguy, thanks for that photo. Could you possibly tell me the exact length, say from the point to the pommel, in a straight line passing though the rear lanyard hole please? Like below. Then I can work out a scaled version.

 

[resinguy]

9 7/8"

btw, I have one for sale..

 

[DWRW]

Rick, I just emailed you back with some of my sketches and photo shop stuff. The original base sketch was from LVC. I hope he doesn't mind me sharing.

Here are some more pics of the SAR5 that might be usable for photo edit tinkering:

Good luck. :thumbup:

.

 

[DWRW]

apart from a Ferhman that I didn't use much because the handle didn't suite me.

Yeah... I have owned 3 Ferhman knives and had to sell all because the handles weren't right. I had the Last Chance, Peace Maker and Thru Hiker.

He basically has two handles on about 6 different knives.

Large handle on Final Judgement, First Strike and Last Chance

And Small handle on Peace Maker, Shadow Scout and Thru Hiker

The small handles are just too small for my hands period. I considered grinding forward into the guards to increase usable size, but decided not to and just sold them.

The large handle is actually very nice and feels very good, but on the Last Chance and the handle was just WAY too large for a knife with a 5.5" blade IMO. I really don't want a 5.5" blade to be that much of a tank, but again that is just me. I still liked the knife. I LOVED the quality and attention to detail. But, the proportions were just way off on the Last Chance for my preferences. So, I sold it too.

The large handle size is probably suited for the Final Judgement and my guess is the Final Judgement might be the only Fehrman with reasonable proportions handle to blade, but for a knife as large as the Final Judgement, I will take FSH, NMSFNO, NMFBM, DFLE or Battle Rat, etc. :thumbup:

.

 

[randucci]

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I did a handle only mod (except I did strip the coating off too) for Tony G on a SAR5, here are a couple of pictures.

 

[DWRW]

.

I did a handle only mod (except I did strip the coating off too) for Tony G on a SAR5, here are a couple of pictures.

Wow Ducci. That is VERY similar to a couple of the photoshop sketches I emailed to Rick.

I wasn't going to post the photoshop pics, but what the heck... you posted the actual knife.

Here are some of my tweaks. I prefer the smaller/shorter handle with a spear-point. I don't think much is gained by having the longer handle.

.

 

[DWRW]

One of my favorite handle shapes for a 4" - 5" blade is still the RMD's handle.

And my favorite all-rouind utility purpose blade shape is the SJTAC's if the thumb ramp is removed or more like the RMD's Ramp.

http://www.swampratknifeworks.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=10;t=005684#000000


I would love the RMD handle combined with the SJTAC blade minus the thumb ramp in micarta/G10. Personally, I would love it skeletonized to lighten the handle.

I would love to try both options with and without the choil.


Along with a SHBA without choil, the above would be another Grail knife for me. :thumbup:


The Mudder handles are nice as well and personally, I LOVE SR-101 almost as much as INFI and even more considering price. So, I am looking forward to the S5 as well.

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