Nekkid and REK'd...yup, it's Friday nite

[PeteyTwoPointOne]

Pardon me my ignorance, what is the black coating on the handle groove? what purpose does it serve?

No problem.

It's just the left over paint. The blade was originally painted Tanker Gray all over. That's just what was left after the regrind. I liked the contrast, so I asked Josh to leave it behind.

 

[PeteyTwoPointOne]

I had picked up a REK factory Rucki (SR-101) a few months back from another HOG.
It's beautiful, symmetric. What a sight to behold.

It does not have the REK stamp, though

You can request that he leave the laser etch off. That's likely what the original owner did.

Since REK is the best in the regrind biz <imho>, I think it's a wise move to brand the custom work done on the blade.

It shows your blade was customized RIGHT. Not a big deal for the original owner who commissioned the work, because they know the quality first hand-- but, for a secondary owner or your heirs, it can provide some provenance of the quality and maybe some neat history to trace back to.

Just like when you see BUSSE stamped on a blade, it signifies INFI and lifetime guarantee and all the positive stuff that's bundled with the brand.

Plus, Josh's logo is just plain cool lookin

 

[Will York]

That's some very impressive, professional work. The two details that speak to me are the crisp rim of that fuller and the crisp points of his convex-edged blades--no softening at the fuller edges from polishing and no apparent rounding of the point with his convex edges. No production company can compete economically with the labor-intensive, hands-on finish work of an experienced craftsman like Josh--always fun to see him apply his talents to iconic Busse designs and especially satisfying when the images also are professional grade.
Thanks PTPO!