Has anyone added a bow drill divot to their micarta?

S

Sam Hell

Joined
Jan 7, 2012
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552
Just wondering and if you could post pics it would be cool to see

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I have one on my Esee, but not on any Beckers. I don't have Micarta on my Beckers. The Grivory is fine for me.
 
I haven't. After watching Moose demonstrate friction fire at a gathering, I carry 25 to 30 bic lighters taped to my body. A few taped to my wife and dog too. That's way too much work.
 
5 gallons of gas and a road flare duct-taped to the side. Fire shmire.

On a serious note though I wouldn't think there would be any trouble adding one. A half inch drill bit would make short work of it. I would try to get it to a polished finish though just to limit friction as much as possible, or dish out a dime and glue that in there to reduce friction.
 
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Straight answer no & I haven't seen it on anyone else's Becker either.

I would think you'd need a drill press or similar to do it right. Might want to ask TMHunt. He's the king of Becker mods as far as I'm concerned.
 
I have, but not on my Beckers. I used a benchtop drill press & a 3/4" drill bit (it was necked down to 3/8" at the shank.

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Hard to see but it's there. I put one on each side. Can't imagine it would be any different for a full size Becker though. I will let you know when i get some micarta because i will do it again. I think it is a great mod. Falls into the "better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it" , mod category IMHO.
 
Hmm, Ace hardwhere has an assortment of different size ball bearings, kinda like skateboard wheel bearings. What it you drilled a hole and pressed one in?
 
It is my understanding that skate bearings are not reliable for lateral stresses like you would be applying for a bow drill. Granted this is only what I have heard and not from first hand experience, but I remember someone asking that before and hearing a lot of responses that the skate bearings would jam sooner rather than later due to the lateral stress. They do make bearings designed for that type of application, but I forget what they are called at the moment.
 
I've seen some drilled and left plan and others drilled and then they epoxied a smashed penny or other metal to reduce friction. The bushcraftusa site has a few examples and a ton of video on friction fire. A few showing coals with as few as 6 to 8 strokes of the bow. :)
 
DerekH said:
It is my understanding that skate bearings are not reliable for lateral stresses like you would be applying for a bow drill. Granted this is only what I have heard and not from first hand experience, but I remember someone asking that before and hearing a lot of responses that the skate bearings would jam sooner rather than later due to the lateral stress. They do make bearings designed for that type of application, but I forget what they are called at the moment.
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I see what your saying, skate bearings are pressed in from the side using a seal to hold them in place. The lateral pressure might cause them to bind up or even break the seal all together pushing the balls out of the housing. But if you found a bearing that was designed to hold up under those conditions and this type of application it might be worth a shot. Talk about a smooth bow drill set!
 
i have made quite a bit of friction fires thru out the years and not once can i remember a time when i would of wanted the hand hold to be a knifes handle. a small split log works wonderfully and you can pick one up off the ground damn near anywhere. they dont cause extra weight or anything since you make them on spot and the hand hold requires the least amount of work to make.

if its on the knife than it would need to be sheathed for protection while in use and could end up bulky in use or being balanced when that force could have been being used for friction. I guess it would save a small amount of time but then you would always be at risk of damaging your knife and then if it was a real survival situation you could be screwed. I have drilled all the way thru boards on several occasions very quickly and i wouldnt want to chance puttin my knife in that type of stress when its the main tool i will need in most any situation.

i guess what im saying is i dont understand the risk to reward ratios or the reasoning in this ? but im not knocking it im just simply not understanding it :)
 
TwinStick said:
Yeah, i REALLY like it. So many comfortable hand grips/positions that it can be great for many different tasks, 1/4" thick too.
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Wanna send it to me for testing?:D But on a serious note, I have drooled over that knife for a long time. Did you get it straight from tops? And how much did it run?
 
wrknives said:
Wanna send it to me for testing?:D But on a serious note, I have drooled over that knife for a long time. Did you get it straight from tops? And how much did it run?
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You might have seen it already but check out the TOPS D.A.R.T. Knife. Very sexy blade!
 
wrknives said:
Wanna send it to me for testing?:D But on a serious note, I have drooled over that knife for a long time. Did you get it straight from tops? And how much did it run?
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No, i will not be sending it to you for testing, sorry ! LOL No, i bought it from a knife store called DP knives. NO WAY would i pay retail. Bout a buck thirty & free shipping. I drilled the hole almost all the way through the micarta. My thought process was: in short order, it would wear all the way through & then, when the metal was exposed, the friction would be reduced. Don't know how good my thought process will work in reality though. I am really diggin the Tops B.O.B.---Brothers of Bushcraft knife myself.
 
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