Makael custom BK4 sheath + making fire + beat up BK16... basically, omnibus Becker thread with PICS

19-3ben

19-3ben

Joined
Jul 27, 2015
Messages
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This started out with me finally getting to use the awesome sheath that Makael Makael made for my BK4 a few weeks back. I was super busy when it showed up, and then it was so hot the past week or so that we were hiding indoors, and it just hasn't gotten the use I wanted. Today it finally got to go play outdoors.

So with that, I'll post some pics of the beautiful workmanship. Then I'll tell you about the sheath.

Sheath on her own.
IMG_5374.JPG IMG_5376.JPG
Top down view of the fold over, and how the knife fits in there. You can also get an idea for the thickness and weight of the leather. IMG_5379.jpgIMG_5380.jpg

Love the way the tip area of the sheath turned out, and check out the coloring.
IMG_5381.jpg
IMG_5382.jpg

Oh, it's nice on the outside, but you want a peak under the hood you say?
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Check out those sexy curves! (referring to the pic above... definitely not the one below!)

A pic of the sheath and knife on my belt.
IMG_5400.jpg

Not a great shot, tough getting a selfie of my own hip/thigh area.

The top of the handle rides just to the top of my belt, which is just how I like it. I didn't want it so low that it was banging into my shins, but wanted it low enough that it wouldn't get in the way of a waist strap on a pack.

The leather is a gorgeous rich dark reddish brown. It's a heavy grain, and feels like it'll outlive me. The stitching is perfect, and I find the lines on this to be just lovely. This sheath is an aesthetic and functional wonder. If you need a sheath made up for any of your knives, really, Mike ( Makael Makael ) is just an awesome guy to work with, and does an amazing job.
More to come in post #2.
 
Anyway, I wasn't just out in my back yard for a photo shoot. I am a knife USER, and come hell or high water, we were gonna get a little use out there today.

Obviously, the BK4 came out to play.
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While I was at it, I brought out the BK16. Now, of all my FB knives, the BK16 probably sees the most use. It just gets mercilessly and unapologetically beaten. This is not a glamour queen. She doesn't get pampered at all. I beat on her till the black coating was so worn that I was afraid of water migration under the coating, so I stripped it. Then let her patina naturally though use. Those who like 'em pristine will call her ugly. Those who like them looking used, will think she's beautiful. To me, there's no vanity involved and what the BK16 looks like is irrelevant. She's simply "been there and done that." Camping, backpacking, day hikes, back yard fire pit, bouncing around in the glove box, construction/demo work, kitchen duty... you name it.
The crazy thing is that it's my most loved knife. I don't have a "cheap beater" because I wouldnt trust a lesser knife to handle the things the BK16 can handle. It's a tough little SOB, with the most perfect ergos I've ever felt. I am eternally grateful to @Ethan Becker for designing the BK16.
IMG_5402.jpgIMG_5404.jpg

If you look at the pics, you can see a few vertical streaks. That's my fault because as I was batonning/clubbing through a piece of wood today, I didn't realize it had a staple in it. Put a few nicks in my edge I'm not pleased about, but hey, they'll sharpen out.

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Oh well. I'll sharpen and then strop her up tomorrow. The blade is always deeply patinaed, but the edge is always mirror polished.
 
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Finally, just to finish it off with a very Becker-appropriate fire pic...

My son, Jake, wanted a fire, so who am I to say no. We were already splitting some firewood away, so.. i mean... if you're brewing beer, you're drinking while brewing, and if you're cooking dinner, you're sampling while cooking, so why not burn wood while processing it... right? Jake loves to baton with the BK4. He's 4 yrs old by the way.IMG_5386.jpg

I knew we wouldn't be out there too much longer, so I set up a small lean-to type fire. Once I got the small stuff burning, I put two slightly larger pieces of wood on top, and then a half-circle of bark, just to keep in and direct the heat. Check out how it shot the flames out the side!
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Standing down-range of the jet of flames!

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And finally, a gratuitous picture of Jake on our hike this morning.

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Time wid da boy always a great time throw in a becker and some flame, hope you caught a fish and had some dinner either way looks like a time to remember, KEEP EM SHARP and always have a sharp blade, great photo's thanks for sharing
 
Gorgeous sheath.
The 16 looks so well loved.
Fun times. The boys face says it all. :D
 
Love the pics.
Great tools snd amazing lesthetwork from Makael.
Nice to see the kis enjoying the outdoors.
Tough my nephew and niece how to light a bbq yesterday.
Was great fun.
Poor kids only knew gas or electric bbq... no charcoal until yesterday :D
 
Thanks guys. Yeah the BK16 and BK4 are just an awesome combo. Between those two knives, there is no knife task that couldn't be done.

Makael's awesome workmanship is going to help me get a lot more use out of the knife. He's also a hell of a good guy to work with. You know that he hadn't made a sheath for the BK4 prior to this and he kept making prototypes. He'd make one and I'd say "wow that looks great" and then get a message back saying that he wanted to change this, tweak that, etc... He's a perfectionist that lets the customer see the work in progress and the creative process that gets to the end result. It was a hoot. I think the one he sent to me was BK4 sheath v4.0. His prices are also stupidly reasonable. I honestly expected to pay much more than what this ended up costing.
 
Today was a canoeing day for Jake... He loves being out on the water.

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On the water is one of the few places I sometimes don't bring the BK16. I sometimes do, but frequently substitute a Mora Companion SS just so I dont ave to worry about corrosion.
 
That sheath is awesome. Looks like your dad skills are top notch as well. Jake is going to have these memories and skills for life.
 
TravisL said:
That sheath is awesome. Looks like your dad skills are top notch as well. Jake is going to have these memories and skills for life.
Click to expand...

Thank you. I take being a dad very seriously. Of all the "hats" I wear, I enjoy being a dad the most. Enjoyment of nature, and an active outdoor lifestyle offer an education and transferrable skills/knowledge as good or better than one can learn in a classroom.

Example: At a young age, when we'd hike, I taught Jake about trail markings on trees. Understanding that there are routes through the woods, focusing long enough to look for the "red dot" or "blue dot" on the tree and then searching for the next marking, and understanding the significance of those dots on the trees helps develop attention, mapping skills, and pattern recognition.

Jake has learned about capillary action by learning about a tree's roots absorbing water, and how the water flows up the tree to the leaves where it is evaporated into moisture in the air, which then gets into a discussion about the phases of matter and the cycles of water.

For that matter, I can even make it goofy and talk about the cycles of poop!
Poop-->soil-->plant-->herbivore-->carnivore-->poop

I wish I had these experiences from when I was a kid. Alas, my parents are, as Jim Gaffigan would say, "Indoorsy."

Edit to add:
This doesn't even get into the physical benefits of fresh air, exercise, and developing vision through looking at things both close up, and focusing on more distant objects like markings on trees down the path, birds on horizon, etc...too many kids these days never get to see farther distance than a computer or television screen.
 
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19-3ben said:
This started out with me finally getting to use the awesome sheath that Makael Makael made for my BK4 a few weeks back. I was super busy when it showed up, and then it was so hot the past week or so that we were hiding indoors, and it just hasn't gotten the use I wanted. Today it finally got to go play outdoors.

So with that, I'll post some pics of the beautiful workmanship. Then I'll tell you about the sheath.

Sheath on her own.
View attachment 940819 View attachment 940822
Top down view of the fold over, and how the knife fits in there. You can also get an idea for the thickness and weight of the leather. View attachment 940824View attachment 940826

Love the way the tip area of the sheath turned out, and check out the coloring.
View attachment 940827
View attachment 940828

Oh, it's nice on the outside, but you want a peak under the hood you say?
View attachment 940829 View attachment 940830
Check out those sexy curves! (referring to the pic above... definitely not the one below!)

A pic of the sheath and knife on my belt.
View attachment 940835

Not a great shot, tough getting a selfie of my own hip/thigh area.

The top of the handle rides just to the top of my belt, which is just how I like it. I didn't want it so low that it was banging into my shins, but wanted it low enough that it wouldn't get in the way of a waist strap on a pack.

The leather is a gorgeous rich dark reddish brown. It's a heavy grain, and feels like it'll outlive me. The stitching is perfect, and I find the lines on this to be just lovely. This sheath is an aesthetic and functional wonder. If you need a sheath made up for any of your knives, really, Mike ( Makael Makael ) is just an awesome guy to work with, and does an amazing job.
More to come in post #2.
Click to expand...
Wow, thanks for the nice words. I did enjoy making the sheath. I love the 4.
That one made me re think a time or 4. Lol

I'm glad it fits your needs.
 
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