Kershaw R.A.M. + Dremel = Ghetto Wave :)

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kennyj

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Feb 24, 2006
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Spine.jpg


Spent some quality time with my Dremel, inspired by Charlie Mike's brilliant work on his Sebenza. Any ideas on where I should go from here? Can't decide if I want to punch out the remaining thumb studs, continue the opening all the way across like a real Emerson wave would be, or just finish cleaning it up with my belt grinder. That hunch on the spine needs to get levelled off, but that wasn't happening free-hand.

I kinda like how the spine looks after a bit of clean-up with CrO compound on a worn 1" buffing wheel. I might keep that on the spine, but go satin on the

Also, any suggestions on getting rid of the rest of the DLC would be appreciated.
 
kennyj said:
Also, any suggestions on getting rid of the rest of the DLC would be appreciated.
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Sandpaper, dremel, stonewash (stonewash DLC? super sexy.) or just cut a TON of stuff and let it wear off naturally :eek:
 
Stage-2.jpg


Went over it again with the carbide bit to fully extend the interior of the wave, and also tried to strip the DLC with what I think was a Scotch-Brite wheel or something similar (came with the Dremel) until that wheel wore out. Obviously not done, but I need to pick up a few extra wheels to finish. I might go over THAT with a cloth buffing wheel to smooth it out a bit, but I think part of the reason for the rough appearance is the remaining DLC making it stand out more.

Not completely happy with the results, I had the dremel slip in my hand a couple of times as I got tired/frustrated. I also had a HELL of a time popping out the other two studs; they seemed at least twice as stubborn as the original. I ended up having to cut partially through them to finish hammering them out! Here's hoping the piece finishes up well with some fresh buffing wheels and some polish on the belt grinder (which I am a LOT better with.)

Definitely should have removed the blade instead of keeping it installed while I worked. Lesson learned! Next I need to figure out what I'm doing with the coating on the handle... I know Sharpie works as a temporary measure, maybe I'll end up putting some paint on the front edges to cover up my sins.
 
Also, that wave works PERFECTLY for manual blade opening, and of course the action when drawing from my pocket is everything I'd hoped for. The RAM mechanism seems to lend itself to the Wave opening method quite well!
 
I would take a little off the top part of the wave, but that's just me. Making great progress!
 
Thanks! Yeah, I think when I break out the belt sander, I'll be rounding things off a bit and that should result in it being a bit shorter. The carbide cutting bit I got on my Dremel does a decent job of removing material (especially since it doesn't wear like those belts do) but you can only maintain so much consistency without a jig. It's honesty a little painful seeing it in pictures like this... the rough edges, inconsistencies, and mistakes aren't quite as apparent in real life!
 
More general question: any ideas on refinishing the aluminum handle? Now that I've chewed the front ends a bit, I've been thinking about stripping the DLC off of there as well and going for a raw finish. If I do, though, I'd like to do something with it to keep it looking halfway decent and conceal wear beyond just applying a satin scratch pattern with scotch-brite. I was thinking of maybe just hammering it with a punch or something and going for a finish like the Benchmade Opportunist, though I'm not sure I'm anywhere near good enough for that (see above.) Any suggestions? I could practice with the inside of the back scale, since there are no mechanical components and it'll never be seen except when the knife is fully disassembled.
 
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