GSO 4.1 Mod Help

A

Anttheknee

Joined
Feb 19, 2012
Messages
384
Hey Guys! So I received a GSO 4.1 in the mail yesterday that I ordered from the exchange. I'm already in love with this blade! Eventually I will post a full review but being as I am always looking to tinker with and tweak things I am going to make a few small mods first. First thing I'm doing is just switching the clip on the sheath for horizontal weak side carry. Next I'm going to put a nice mirror polish convex on it with my stick , leather, and sand paper setup. The last thing I want to do, and the reason for this post is to put either a ferro notch or a sharp flat spine from the jimping to where to tip starts tapering off. My issue is this - I prefer a sharp flat spine because I like that it's more versatile than a ferro notch as I can use it to shave fine tinder from wood and what not also, whereas a ferro notch seems to have just 1 specific purpose. Problem is that I want to sharpen the spine in a way that doesn't make it look ugly and too out of sync with the finish on the rest of the knife. If this is not possible I will settle for a ferro notch that I feel I can easily put on with my Dremel tool. So what would you guys do, or rather how would you sharpen the spine to achieve the best fit and finish (belt grind vs Disk grinder?/grit?/DMT stones?/something else?)

I know this seems like a silly question because ultimately it is a working tool and all, but I can't help but care about the small stuff. :confused:
 
Its the lil things in life that matter. :) making it yours is part of owning knives guns or any gear for that matter. As for the question, I would say something like a small dremel with a sanding drum. But remember, sanding with low grit can go faster then some people think. Keep it cooled down with water often and check your progress often.

Congratulations on your 4.1 (what steel did you get) and welcome to the group. Share your modifications when your done, and let us know how it turns out.

PS also I would wait on others to chime in as there has been others do mods like this, and I have not. I would hate to have recommended something that ruins your new blade.
 
Thank you for your input Texas! I will definitely take it into consideration. The GSO 4.1 I have is CMP-3V, OD Green Kydex and what looks like either Gray or Brown Micarta Scales? I Can't seem to tell which color they are. I will absolutely post pics when I am finished with the mods as long as I can figure out how to post pics lol. I'm going to give this blade my undivided attention on Tuesday when I am off. so Hopefully I will have a finished product by Tuesday night. I will try to post before and after pics.
 
Photo bucket works well for me and some others. You just pick your picture, click the share icon, and choose 'copy link to clipboard' then choose the 'IMG' link. Then all that's left is posting in here which consist of just pasting :D enjoy


Here is my natural canvas not oiled.
 
Think I found a way to do it with Dropbox (check that, photobucket) . This is my GSO 4.1 I guess maybe its tan or brown depending on the lighting.

IMG_20160207_114906_zpspnhkrop9.jpg
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Anttheknee said:
Hey Guys! So I received a GSO 4.1 in the mail yesterday that I ordered from the exchange. I'm already in love with this blade! Eventually I will post a full review but being as I am always looking to tinker with and tweak things I am going to make a few small mods first. First thing I'm doing is just switching the clip on the sheath for horizontal weak side carry. Next I'm going to put a nice mirror polish convex on it with my stick , leather, and sand paper setup. The last thing I want to do, and the reason for this post is to put either a ferro notch or a sharp flat spine from the jimping to where to tip starts tapering off. My issue is this - I prefer a sharp flat spine because I like that it's more versatile than a ferro notch as I can use it to shave fine tinder from wood and what not also, whereas a ferro notch seems to have just 1 specific purpose. Problem is that I want to sharpen the spine in a way that doesn't make it look ugly and too out of sync with the finish on the rest of the knife. If this is not possible I will settle for a ferro notch that I feel I can easily put on with my Dremel tool. So what would you guys do, or rather how would you sharpen the spine to achieve the best fit and finish (belt grind vs Disk grinder?/grit?/DMT stones?/something else?)

I know this seems like a silly question because ultimately it is a working tool and all, but I can't help but care about the small stuff. :confused:
Click to expand...

For the brief period of time where we did a few 90 degree spine requests we used the belt grinder to slowly remove material. The key to keeping it looking nice is to start at the jimping and work out to the tip in one motion. With the new spec knives you could get by just sharpening the spine on a stone. The old spec knives were tumbled quite a bit so there is a lot more material that needs to be removed. Good luck!
 
SURVIVE! Ellie said:
For the brief period of time where we did a few 90 degree spine requests we used the belt grinder to slowly remove material. The key to keeping it looking nice is to start at the jimping and work out to the tip in one motion. With the new spec knives you could get by just sharpening the spine on a stone. The old spec knives were tumbled quite a bit so there is a lot more material that needs to be removed. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thank you Ellie! I feel like this is the best option as well. I guess I'm just a little afraid to mess it up. I have a 80 grit 2" belt. Gonna be scary but I think I'm just gonna go for it!
 
The thought of using a belt sander or grinder on one of these makes me cringe but if you're capable I say go for it. I squared up a spine on an Izula a long time ago with a good cross hatch file and then cleaned it up with some 120 grit but that was even a pain. I'm betting 3v would be a pain to do by hand.
 
Standard78 said:
The thought of using a belt sander or grinder on one of these makes me cringe but if you're capable I say go for it. I squared up a spine on an Izula a long time ago with a good cross hatch file and then cleaned it up with some 120 grit but that was even a pain. I'm betting 3v would be a pain to do by hand.
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Yea, it's definitely scary but I feel like I can do it right. If I succeed It'll look and perform like a champ.
 
Anttheknee said:
Yea, it's definitely scary but I feel like I can do it right. If I succeed It'll look and perform like a champ.
Click to expand...

I bet it will. This stuff isn't soft like O1 or 1095 so that spine shouldn't round over easily.
It'll be cool to see what you come up with bud!
 
Haha! I think you'll be good though. This stuff isn't soft so there should be less of a chance to mess up.
 
Anttheknee said:
Thank you Ellie! I feel like this is the best option as well. I guess I'm just a little afraid to mess it up. I have a 80 grit 2" belt. Gonna be scary but I think I'm just gonna go for it!
Click to expand...

Just remember: you can always take more material off of the blade, but you can't put it back on.
 
Congrats on landing the knife and wanting to make it your own, I love stuff like that. I've definitely hacked some up, luckily no S!K blades. I'd start with a finer belt if you have one available, maybe a 150-grit. Just judging it in my mind, the 80-grit seems a bit aggressive if I were to slap it on my burr-king and go. You can always go coarser if you need.
 
Hard Knocks, the only belt I have right now is a cheap 80 grit. I Plan on wearing it down a bit on a piece of scrap before I take my 4.1 to it. Hopefully that will take away some of the belts aggressiveness. After that I'm gonna use the DMT stones to refine the finish a bit and probably stop at 600 Grit.
 
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