Flak Jack - Rounding the Pommel

Cheesehead_Slasher

Cheesehead_Slasher

Joined
Apr 21, 2016
Messages
533
My Flack Jack Custom Shop Snowhole has been an EDC for me over the past few years. However, the spoked pommel irritated me for the last time. I lam considering rounding the spoke off so it doesn't dig into my side when I bend over. I haven't used it and would prefer the knife much more without it.

I have stripped and sanded a few of my Busse's but I have never ground down the INFI to this degree. Before I tackle the task I am curious to hear your input from experiences doing similar work. Thanks in advance!
 
Maybe consider sending out ? I know Josh at Razors edge could handle that the correct way. I think Dave aka Buy brown sheaths has modded SOB variants the way you want. Hopefully he and others will chime in :-)
 
If you have a belt sander and any experience in it's use, go for it! You would have to try pretty hard to screw it up. Just give it a quench after each pass, to keep it cool and you should be good. You will receive great satisfaction in the process of making it your own creation and save some money to boot.
 
I have both a belt sander and a grinder. I have done butt-jobs (minor and radical surgery) on a number of Busses with results posted elsewhere here. As per Hooker's sound advice above, quench frequently, and especially if grinding (pretty necessary for radical surgery and quicker overall) most definitely quench, quench, quench. Pommels are very easy to work on due to their accessible location to a belt plane or grinder edge, and remember, this is as far from the cutting edge and blade in general as you can get, so really I do not think there is any fear of ruining the heat treat or harming the integrity of your knife. Some years ago after a few years of JSA study, I determined I had to have a "skull crusher" pommel removed from one of a pair of beautiful Wally Hayes "tactical" Japanese style Wakizashis. I sent it in to him in Canada for the job. Now after what I believe is the successful modding of many a Busse, I would do it in my backyard. And as said, it IS satisfying!
 
I stripped and sanded both my TGLB and NMFBM so I certainly understand the satisfaction of doing it yourself. I will put my knife in the vice and bust out the belt sander. I'll report back when I make some progress.
 
I had some treeman knives where the skull crusher was actually sharp, and after one time on my lbe and reaching down to grab it once in the dark it cut my hand open. Sent three of them back to have the skull crusher removed. The Busse sjtac is not near as bad and if you put your weak hand on the back to plunge it in hard, it actually is at the right angle to fit perfect to not gouge you. But , when I had the opportunity to order tank busters when there were a bunch of options, I opted for no skull crusher, and when Jerry gives the option I don’t want it. I think you would use the back for hammering stakes, nails, etc a bunch more than using the skull crusher.
 
Cheesehead_Slasher said:
I stripped and sanded both my TGLB and NMFBM so I certainly understand the satisfaction of doing it yourself. I will put my knife in the vice and bust out the belt sander. I'll report back when I make some progress.
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Party on! BTW I have been advised that though technically a butt job may well void the warranty, Busse Combat may well decide to honor it anyway, and that this has happened after similar, if not much more radical modification. Do not quote me, and do not rely on this, of course. It is at their discretion. But as stated, a butt job is pretty darn safe territory integrity wise.

Re the sander, I do not know how much you intend to take it down. A sander may work well, depending on the belt grit, for making it not so sharp and pointy, but if you intend radical transformation down there I would start with a really rough grit - or better yet, a grinder, if available. Of course, any erosion will get there in time. After all, the Grand Canyon only took a few tens of millions of years!
 
I cut the spike off my BURP Coach. I felt terrible doing it, but every time I even picked it up, it was stabby. Dremel cut-off wheel, follow by hand sanding. It is still more prominent than the Varsity's butt, but not stabby anymore. I didn't even worry about quenching. I hit is with water as soon as the cutting was done. When sanding, it never got hot.
 
Sometimes rounding the pommel, even a bit, can make a big difference depending on how you plan to use the blade.

This one was in with Josh from REK for another reason and I asked him to round it just a tiny bit, and it really makes more of a difference than I thought it would.

49558767737_1414844f79_k.jpg
 
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