How to add or enlarge a choil?

skorpyd

skorpyd

Joined
Jan 24, 2010
Messages
303
I'm thinking about adding a larger choil on one of my B4's.

Any thoughts from those whom have done this on what to use and how. My thoughts were using a spindle sander and quenching often so as to not effect the heat treat. But maybe there is a better way.

Also anyone with info on how easy it is to drill?
Not for trying to drill out the choil, but to possibly add a talon hole higher in the blade as in the Hog Muk or SAR 5
 
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I had Nate (norcalblacktail) do mine. It's an Active Duty/Game Warden and it's also my favorite knife that I own.

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I have used a dremel tool with the spindle sander attatchment, go slow and cool it down often. its real easy
 
Nice blade amflud. I see Nate does great work. I'm hoping to try this myself just to say I did it.
 
Skorpyd, I have ground larger choils with a Dremel and it worked okay. Slow progress and light touch is the order of the day. I used stones for the heavy work and sanding drums for the finish-up work and rounding the shoulders of the choil. If you have a spindle sander, that should work well too.

However, I will ask a silly question: What is the reason you desire a full-finger choil on a short blade? Usually I value them on long blades as a mechanism to change the balance of the knife in hand to a more neutral weighting or for doing fine work near the heel of the edge. With a 4" blade, the B4 will both place the heel of the edge near the hand already and provide pretty neutral balance in hand. TIA for enlightening me re: the larger choil on a B4.

Amflud, nice mod on that AD!! :)
 
RokJok, Thanks for advise on the dremel.

I have a few reasons for a possible modification to the B4. I have always wanted to do a modification just to do it and make it something different. I sometimes like to use a choil on even a small knife especially when field dressing and skinning game. I thought it might look good. So it makes a 4" blade into a 3 1/2" - 3 1/4" blade, then I won't have to buy the next 3" offering from Busse & Kin. I looked at the pic of the B4 and visualized a larger choil where the small choil and talon hole are now and it seemed to work for me, kind of like amflud's AD mod, and at the price of the knife I wasn't worried about potentially hurting the value or compromising some of the uses.

There are a lot of Busse offerings especially some of the variants that for me have no practical use, but if someone likes it great for them. I would guess that more than 1/2 of the Busse knives produced never see any use anyway.
 
I was thinking of doing exactly the same mod. For me, the question would be - why not? Grind out the talon hole and there should be enough space for a finger choil without any reduction in the cutting edge. So you don't lose anything (it's not like the talon hole is needed as a guard given the handle shape), but you gain the ability to choke up right next to the edge for those tasks where it feels more comfortable.

I will use a dremel. I know it will work. Only question is whether it ends up looking nice or like a dog's dinner. The answer probably depends on my level of patience and concentration, but either way, the Basics should be users.
 
Exactly what I was thinking Brummie, you won't lose much blade and gain that choke up ability. I was also possibly wanting to drill another talon hole up higher to kind of keep the Busse signature. That idea may or may not look right. You would just have to think about it after doing the choil.
 
I kinda wish there was no choil on the Basic 4. Like the CABS, the cutting edge goes all the way to the talon hole. Then our hands would be close enough to the blade we would not need a choil. Also we would gain an extra 1/4" or so of edge length.
 
Imho, The best way is to have the custom shop do it. Then it retains its warranty.
 
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