Introduction + BK11 Question

Wasty

Wasty

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Aug 3, 2015
Messages
718
Hi together,

I'm Wolfgang from Germany and as I'm slowly becoming a knifenut, with a special love for the Becker knives I thought my first post will be here:)

35 years, living in Stuttgart with my girl and three cats I was hooked on to knives when I was 9 and started to be a boyscout then.
Since then, I am constantly carriying a knife with me. (where allowed :D)

I own three types of Beckers, two BK11 (one original and one modded) a BK17 and a BK7 and yes they are definitely my most beloved ones, as they do exactly what I want from them,
they perform every cutting task I throw at them under every circumstance.

My favourite Becker is the BK17, the blade design, the ergonomics, the durability - great!

As my current EDC I'm carrying the modded BK11 and well here's my question (please don't jump on me, I already tried the search button) :

Are there any scales available made of isolated plastic or rubber?

The knife is sometimes used on a live wire.
bk11.jpg

I have the micarta scales on it, but the tang is still exposed.
I tried to use
- liquid rubber (plastidip) but over time it rubs off the handle.
- shrinking tube (slippery when wet)
- different kinds of tape (sticky when too hot)

Thank you for every idea you might have...
 
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You can use a piece of horse stall mat. You can shape it by cutting, sand it down for thickness desired and texture it if need be, drill the holes and using washers should be sufficient on the bolts to stop the heads from pulling through.

You can also use the 11 as a stencil and mark the tang on the mat then cut away the inner parts to act as a glove of sorts for the tang as well as acting as effective scales. Yoy mag need to experiment with what epoxy should be used for sealing the two sides around all contact surfaces between the mats.

Welcome aboard!
 
Like njbillk said, I'd try and make some rubber spacers, but I'd do a folded version so you'd get a but more coverage... Or maybe cut out a large "S" and then you could get both sides.... By elongating the ends of the "S" and cutting into the other side to make them fit
 
I was saying to trace the 11 onto the mat then gouge that out to have full coverage, not just liners.
 
What if you took some bicycle tire inner tube, wrapped the handle and then put the micarta over it?

The rubber should insulate you from the metal and the micarta should be plenty grippy when wet. The mounting hardware shouldn't contact the tang so you should have to worry about those piercing through the rubber tubing.
 
Hi Wolfgang! Welcome to the fray! Lots of wonderful, helpful people here that will be happy to give you the time of day. You'll love it here brother.

As for ideas to solve your dilemma? Sorry, I don't have any as I'm next to useless (you'll find this out as you read my posts. I'm just here for comic relief. Poor comic relief).

Anyway, pull a chair up next to the fire pit and enjoy some magnificent company. You'll even see the Boss drop in from time to time. Onya Wolfgang!

Springy..
 
First of all, thanks for the nice welcome:)

Well, the horse stall mat seems to be a really good idea, as it is quite a tough, yet workable material.
This thought triggered my memory: I still got some rubber sole material (that is quite similar to a horse stall mat) from a shoemaker somwhere in my basement... I'll ought to give it a try...

The inner tube idea is also sound but as it protrudes over the scales and is not clinging to the bottle opener end part I've got to think it through..

I also now entertain the idea to use some food safe potting compound (I don't know if this is the right word:)), dip it a few times and sand it down to fit my hand.
The downside of this solution ist, that is it could be a little fragile if the knife falls down.

I think the best solution would be to dip it in the same stuff as my knipex pliers, but I don't know where to get this...
 
Plastidip as it is called in the US is available in many hardware stores and should work. It holds up on other tools. You also might be able to use a pick up truck bed liner material, or the roll on garage floor covering, the vinyl stuff.
 
The other slightly easier solution is get a BK-14, it's the same blade you're already used to, and use that at work since it's a slightly easier handle to insulate. Then carry the 11 when not working. The benefits of this is 1) you get a new knife, 2) you get an easier handle to insulate, 3) you can feed the addiction.

Only kind of joking. I do think this would be the best way to go, the 14 with the zytel scales with a piece of intertube over the handle should properly insulate you from any accidental touching.
 
Chameleonbear said:
The other slightly easier solution is get a BK-14, it's the same blade you're already used to, and use that at work since it's a slightly easier handle to insulate. Then carry the 11 when not working. The benefits of this is 1) you get a new knife, 2) you get an easier handle to insulate, 3) you can feed the addiction.

Only kind of joking. I do think this would be the best way to go, the 14 with the zytel scales with a piece of intertube over the handle should properly insulate you from any accidental touching.
Click to expand...


This is what I'd do. The 14 is so comfortable!
 
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