Hidden tang an option?

krakoa

krakoa

Joined
Jul 10, 2003
Messages
174
This may be a really stupid question, but has anyone tried grinding down the tang on a Becker, and modifying the scales to make a hidden tang knife? Would such an endeavor even be possible? I reckon one could shave some weight, and make a more temperature-neutral gripping surface by doing so, without sacrificing much in the way of strength, but I could be wrong. For the record, I'd want to preserve some steel jutting out the bottom, for pounding on, and this is just a concept, I have no pictures to document something that hasn't been done yet.
 
sounds like an option, i havent seen it done but then again i heard noone saw a swedged bk2 until i ground one in mine :D do it up. heres my thinking on taking down the tang tho:

which becker knife? that changes my opinion drastically

do you plan on batoning and or chopping with said becker? again since its never been done im thinking a missed swing with that baton and youve just cracked your handle material, and a good chop into a knot would put unnecesssary stress on the material as well. again it hasnt been done to my knowledge so this is speculation

the tang on full size beckers isnt too too wide so would you be shaving like 1/8"? or more? with a skeletonized tang, im thinking taking some off would actually affect the strength. but again i could be wrong.

dont listen to me just do it since i wanna see pics anyway
 
btw there are no stupid questions around here man, just stupid responders, remember that. we all started somewhere
 
ok let me ask some clarifying questions, when you say you wanna leave some steel for pounding on, did you mean on the pommel or on the bottom of the tang? im guessing pommel. When i made custom scales for my bk2, i made sure to leave some of the spine exposed for pounding in. check out the pic, you can see the scales arent flush to the spine. my figuring was that is rosewood, i didnt wannt hit it with a baton log

451207289_photobucket_63772_.jpg
 
it would likely be easier to mod the handle to be bigger than the tang, but as mentioned it would depend on the Becker.
but that's just my 0.02

Edit: Also the handle is skeletonized. Be careful of that as well.
 
SaturatedShadow said:
I think it would be most feasible on a generation 1 BK2, which won't have the tang cutouts.
Click to expand...

Exactly. To do a fully enclosed tang, the Gen 1 BK2 would be the only solid option. You would have to take your time grinding the tang down to make it thinner, and then you could put whatever handle material you wanted around it, such as two scales with some spacers on the top and bottom to fill it out. You would also have to make sure there are no squared edges where you grind, because sharp angles (versus curves) introduce weaknesses and stress points that could cause it to fracture under stress, from what I understand.
 
Wow. I never expected so many responses, especially in one day! I was just curious as to whether or not the concept was inherently flawed, I haven't even started on planning the project. But for those who are curious, this is just part of a much larger plan, to see just what all can be done to/with a BK2. I figure a slightly slimmer grip will make the knife more comfortable to carry, especially concealed. And yes, I want to leave the butt exposed, for hammering stuff, and pounding the knife into things. I know the tang is skeletonized a bit, but I don't think I'd remove enough material to significantly weaken the knife. Anyway, the concept is to maximize the tool's versatility, not just to focus on it's invulnerability. Of course, I'd need a new sheath... This may be more complicated than I thought. Clearly, I need to invest in more Beckers to experiment on. Don't worry, if anything comes to fruition, I'll be sure to get some pictures.
 
I agree that a gen1 bk2 would be the only option for a stick tang. The cut-outs in the newer ones would thwart your plan.

Daizee modified a 2nd gen by removing the pommel, middle cutout, and thinning the web. He saved some weight, but I can't find his thread. It was thorough and had pictures of his knife on the scale.

Anybody have a link to that thread? I'd like to see it again myself.
 
also worth considering is if KA-BAR does a differential heat treat on the Becker handles. They do on the stick tang knives like the Warthog so it'll bend, not break.
 
Ok, so I just got done moving, and internet access is hard to come by. I've looked into it some more, and I've come to the conclusion that it won't work, for two reasons. The first is kind of subjective, but the handle would actually be too small/narrow to be comfortable, at least for me. I should have just taken the scales off and bolted them to each other as soon as I thought of this. The second reason is that the contour of the handle scales is such that I would wind up having to remove WAY more material than I'm comfortable with, since I do indeed have the 'new' generation BK2, with handle cutouts. I don't think I'm gonna lose any sleep over this hair-brained idea, and focus on my more practical mods. So far, I haven't done much, unfortunately, but I'm hoping to grab up some free time soon. Until then, I'm enjoying seeing what y'all are doing to/with yours!
 
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