KZII Stripping (Satin advice request!)

Skrapmetal

Skrapmetal

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Jul 13, 2009
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Right when I ordered the KZII, I knew I'd eventually strip it. Full height convex grind means little to no INFI dimples, and I'm just not that big of a fan of coated blades.

After my first chopping session yesterday, I knew I couldn't wait any longer. Hit Home Depot this morning and picked up some Klean Strip KS3 stripper and got to work. The coating started bubbling up within seconds, so quickly that I barely had time to finish coating the tip end of the side I was working on before the coating was bubbling at the top. After 15 minutes, I was able to brush the coating off by hand... gloved of course. Even with Nitrile gloves on I still got a bit of burning as it worked through the gloves.

The blade is very colorful underneath, as you can see in the last two pictures. There is some spotting that I assume is decarb, as well. Not a dimple in sight so far... I'm leaving the coating around the handle area for now for corrosion protection since it wont affect cutting performance. Some day I may remove it, but not until I see how it looks once I satin finish the blade.

And, on the subject of satin... anyone have any advice? The only belt sander I have is a handheld 21" belt version, and I don't have any fine grits for it. So this will probably be done by hand. Any suggestions on what grits I should start with? And should I see if I can find some of those Scotchbrite drill bit things to finish it off?

Gonna work on reprofiling the edge grind a bit before I start polishing, but I'll probably spend the day working on it... hope to have some end result pictures before the holiday weekend is over. :cool:
 

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These are what I use. You can get them at Ace Hardware (in-store or online). Made by 3M.
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I went to get some of those scotchbrite wheels and they were out. Just gonna got at it by hand... this is gonna take some time. :)
 
Progress... tired arms, lots of INFI dust, and the glimmer of a light at the end of the tunnel.

Holy crap there was a lot of decarb under that coating.
 

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looking good!

I may have to strip mine soon. I am convexing the edge now, and taking a bit of the shoulder so it bites deeper.

I will leave the coating for a while, at least till I have that process where I want. Keeps from scratching it up if it is already stripped.
 
Still new to the game here (and haven't actually bought one directly from Busse) but, if these are made to order, why not get them in a satin finish or with whatever type of grind you want to begin with?
 
Yeah that Kleen Stip is wicked stuff. It started coming through my nitrile gloves when I was working on a hawk, but they were still working, because I later got some on me direct to skin, ouch!
You can usually find 400 emery at Home Depot. You might start with that and move up.

my .02
 
eljugador said:
Still new to the game here (and haven't actually bought one directly from Busse) but, if these are made to order, why not get them in a satin finish or with whatever type of grind you want to begin with?
Click to expand...

It is considerably less expensive to do it yourself.
 
eljugador said:
Still new to the game here (and haven't actually bought one directly from Busse) but, if these are made to order, why not get them in a satin finish or with whatever type of grind you want to begin with?
Click to expand...

They aren't 100% made to order. A list of options is created for each model and that's what you have to choose from. The KZII options were all coated for the standard model, with the LE version being released later in satin (and a $200 higher price tag).
 
mymindisamob said:
No. They often have pits and are not polished. I would assume so the coating sticks better.
Click to expand...

Yeah, this thing looks like it was practically pulled out of the oven and coated. And the scale of decarb is a beast to sand off by hand. I've got most of it, but it's not gonna be 100% perfect.
 
I like them better when I've done the work too. It makes it personal and I'm not into pristine, shiny blades.
 
Well, I think I've gone about as far as I can by hand. I'm going to have to enlist the help of someone else or invest in a belt sander to get it any farther I think... spent the entire day working on it. The pictures don't make it look too bad, but there's a lot of flaws I want worked out... there's a whole line of dimples that were hidden by the decarb in lines from the machining and/or rolling of the steel.
 

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Man, they look awesome in the after stripped and the satin, but please tell us the # of hours between the stages.

Great job all around:thumbup:
 
knife hunter said:
Man, they look awesome in the after stripped and the satin, but please tell us the # of hours between the stages.

Great job all around:thumbup:
Click to expand...

You can pretty much tell by the post times... Laptop is sitting in here by the old desk I was using as a bench, and I was just stepping out into the garage/driveway for pictures. All together I think it was about six hours from the start of stripping to where I am now, with some breaks to let my hands stop aching and make my stomach stop growling at me. ;)
 
I'd say give the scotchbright wheels a try. I'm curious if they can take off the stuff you've got left.
 
Man nice work!

I guess it makes it easier to understand how much work Busse puts into their awesome satin knives.
 
RobStanley said:
Man nice work!

I guess it makes it easier to understand how much work Busse puts into their awesome satin knives.
Click to expand...

With proper equipment (and practice in using said equipment!) I'm sure it would have come out much better in a fraction of the time. :cool:

I was expecting it to be a little cleaner under the coating due to the full height grind, but I was certainly mistaken.
 
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