Nuclear Dilemna

nick681

nick681

Gold Member
Joined
Nov 22, 1999
Messages
1,931
Greetings Fellow INFI Addicts,

I have a dilemna regarding my Zero Tolerance Natural Outlaw. The thing is just too pretty for use. Now while I know everyone here will tell me either use it anyway or send it to them and they will use it, I can't bear to part with the thing. The knife is the perfect weight. I have already used the regular Natural Outlaw in the field and I love it. I have always had the rule that any knife I own must be able to go to the field with me and be used. I have bent this a little with my Sebenza and Microtech LCC/DA but never with my fixed blades. I can't afforf to spend the money on a knife that will just sit with the others and not earn it's keep. On top of all this the ZTNO is a very limited prodution run and sure to go up in value. I even traded a Mint Condition Straight Handle SteelHeart II for my Natural Outlaw because I couldn't use it (too big).

My problem is this. The knife is not tactical enough in appearance. There is no way i will be able to blend in in my surroundings with this beautiful hunk of INFI strapped to my LBV. The blade and the tube fasteners are too shiny. While I can darken in the fasteners with Emnu I can't do that with the blade. If I draw the blade in the field I am way too visible. it's bad enough that I seem to be surrounded by non knife people having a big shiny knife would make it worse.

What I would like to do is have the blade either blasted or coated so as to be non-reflective and get another handle so that I can have subdued fasteners, preferable the old style Busse fasteners. I would prefer to have the good folks in Wauseon do this, failing that does anyone know where I can have these things done so that I can carry this thing to the field and destroy something......I mean uhh..... make tactical use of it. ;)


Yours in Nuclear Camoflage,


Nick
 
Hmmm, does Busse bead blast knives? I've never seen a blade offered with that finish, but have seen several Busse's bead blasted.
 
I know you can send a knife back to Busse and have them bead blast it for a small fee. In order to remove the handles I think that you would destroy them so I don't know what you could do with them.

My personal opinion if I were to coat the satin blade is to go with a Boron Carbide coating. Check out the following thread to see what Bronco did with his Sebenza http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=175667&highlight=black+sebenza
You would need to contact Bodycote(coating expert) to see about the cost and turn around time but I think it would make a great blade when you are done :D:D
 
Jerry,

Thanks for answering on both forums, I know you are busy. I will get with you via email.

Eric,

You read my mind.

I have read both threads on this cating with great interest. Given the properties that were stated, wear and corrosion resistance and lubricity, I am very interested. I think I will give it a try.

Just think a Busse Folder with all parts coated in this stuff.:eek: :D

We really need a drooling smilie. :drool:


Yours in Nuclear Anticipation.

Nick
 
I'm sort of in the same boat. I ordered the ZT set, and I have the ZT NO. My 13 year old wants to hang it on his web gear. I keep telling myself the ZT set is an "investment," and that I'll soon be able to exchange it for enough filthy lucre to get a CG NO and still have my money back --- at least that's what I told Sara... :D

I may not have "ZT lust" quite as badly as you, though. I am USING my straight handled Steelheart II, and not about to swap it off. Beats hell out of the average machete, though it is at the upper limit for hanging on one's web gear.

Oh well, maybe I'll change my mind when I have the ZT SH and the ZT BM. I may no longer be able to resist using them. :)

Hey, I gotta solution for ya. I was at Lowe's and they had some flat black spray paint for 96 cents a can... :p

Lane
 
Originally posted by Eric Isaacson
You would need to contact Bodycote(coating expert) to see about the cost and turn around time but I think it would make a great blade when you are done.
Click to expand...
Eric, I absolutely agree that Bodycote finish on a Busse blade (especially a fighter) would be an exceptional blade! The combo finish of their finish topped with some K-Tech ceramic sounds especially tempting.

Caveat: For Bodycote to deposit their finish on a blade the handles have to be off. So you may have to coordinate with the Busse shop to put the scales back on after Bodycote is done with the blade.

When I get my shop set up (this winter if work schedule allows ;) ) I have some mods I want to try on a Basic #5 or #7. Sending it to Bodycote when I'm done is part of the project. I don't know if Busse can recast a Basic handle on the tang after the Bodycote has been applied. I may have to come up with an alternative handling method for it.
 
I have definitely got "ZT Lust". This knife just begs to be used. The weight, the feel,mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Zero Tolerance :drool: (still waiting on the drooling smilie).

Seriously, once I took this knife from the box I knew it must be used. Now it must be suitably modified. I am planning to send the knife to Jerry have him remove the scales, blast it, return it to me scaleless,send it to be coated, and have Jerry re-scale it. Assuming Jerry will cooperate. :). I think this coating has serious potential. Next will be a custom sheath. It's almost like building a hot rod car and putting on multiple coats of hand rubbed laquer instead of taking it to Earl Scheib. Unfortunately my plans will have to go on hold for a while.

I am kind of hesitant due to the monetary value and the collectability but only a little bit. This thing is going to be used!

I think I will enjoy using the knife even if it is worth a good chunk o' change. One of the reasons I couldn't stand to pay so much for a Custom Emerson is the price. While I 'm sure they would be great knive for my uses, the $1,000+ price tag, even if I could afford it, makes the whole idea silly. These are great knives with great designs, priced and collected to the point that has defeated their purpose. They are like the Ferrari in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. No disrespect to the Usual Suspects:).

Oh well... A work in progress.

Yours In Nuclear Hot Rods,

Nick
 
As you can see from the attached scan, I went the opposite direction with my BM and removed the coating a few months ago. This week, I also rounded the handle slabs to match the look (and I imagine feel) of some of the knives pictured from the New York show. The steel holds up great without the coating (no rust and minimum scratches) but I knew that it would because I had removed the coating from my Basic 7 last year. My final touch was replacing the BM's sheath with a Greco La Duena sheath. The BM fits this sheath better than its original and the original BM sheath fits the La Duena perfect.
Bubba
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=314358&a=4192287&p=56042883&f=0
 
I posted a similar thread about my ZT-SH. This blade is the perfect weight and size to do anything. I left it in the box for a few weeks until I finally couldn't stand it any longer. Just took it out back and started clearing some bushes and scrub oak trees. SATISFACTION!!
So now its offically a used knife and I obsess no longer.
I have owned many exotic, collectable firearms and shoot them all I want, so why be different with a knife?
The boron carbide sounds like a great project.
Maybe a concealed sheath too.
 
My question is this. For the most part, when it comes out of the sheath, are you not moving around enough using it to give yourself away anyhow. Its also funny how Mad Dog knives, which they tout as tactical, tactical, tactical all have non-black type blade finishes. I think bead blasting to lower overall reflectivity is all you need do. What finish is on Strider knives. They seem to be flat gray which is usually bead blast. Also in vietnam many Randall knives were in use. They have never had black or darkened blades. But I do understand the emphasis on non reflectivity.
 
Mike,
The blade finish I am looking to achieve is like the Strider with out the tiger stripes. I have a Strider fixed blade and I like the knife and the finsh very much. Now I want something similar on a Busse and I think that given the properties of the Bodycote that have been dicussed I think it will compliment a "blasted" finish very nicely.
Cutting down on or eliminating the shine of the blade is indeed what I am looking for. As far as movement in using the blade I won't be given away unless the enemy is extremey close. I would not be doing any hacking or chopping when there is likely chance of contact unless it was absolutly necessary. However with a blade that is reflective as the blade is now I could give me away at a great distance. Flat grey is a more "natural" color.

I am aware that Randalls were in use in Vietnam and some Randalls are in use today. They are fine knifes and set the standard early for limited production Combat Knives. However I am willing to bet that more knives with a subdued, i.e. Parkerized, finsh were used by people whose business was sneaking around and remaining unseen. I will have to ask and get feedback from some of those who did the sneaking in Vietnam next time I get the chance.

As for Mad Dog Knives, they are available with coatings on the blade as far I as I know. I just went to their web sight and looked. Several models were pictured with coatings on the blade. I will have to check out a Mad Dog knife with the standard Hard Chrome Finish and see it in person as photos often don't tell the whole story. I would like to test out a Mad Dog knife for myself and see if it performs as well as my Busses and Strider.

Whew....all that for a simple question.:)


Nuggett,
I agree with you on the use of knives, be they collectable and/or exotic. The joy is in the performance and quality. It's just that I need cerain characteristics to use them professionally. And besides, something that nice, expensive and rare is difficult to use at first. It's like dreading that first ding on a new car, once it happens everything seems to be alright after that.
In case no one has noticed I am a car guy. Unfortunatly I cannot afford to build a proper hot rod car. But I can build a hot rod knife :D :D or at least have one built for me.

Bubba,

Nice Blade:)

Please excuse all spelling errors not only am I a GRUNT but after several 14-16 hour work days in a row I am a little out of it.


Yours in Nuclear Folder Anticipation,

Nick
 
Nick681,
I'm not a big fan of black coatings on my knives but I do like it for covering hot rods. My GMC Syclone in the scan started life off with 280 advertised horsepower (actual produced 300+) but after many dollars and many modifications it now has 400+ horsepower. Knife content coming. When I was in the service (1966 thru 1972) I carried a Buck 110 then a Gerber Mark II. Some real hairy guys that I met carried and used KaBars (standard dark blade). I think that these guys would have been lethal with a SAK.
Bubba
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=314358&a=12149028&p=44162536&Sequence=1&res=high
 
Bubba,
Nice Truck!!! I like that. Nothing like a little horsepower.:D I definitly like the black coating on your truck.

I am not a big fan of most black coatings on knives either. Although I must say the Crinkle coat on my NO has faired quite well and I am happy with it.

Regarding blade use in Vietnam era, I thought as much. The few "operators" that I know, of which I am not one, if they carry any kind of blade have something that is subdued. Even though I am just a simple line grunt, I know enough not to be shiny;)

Yours in Nuclear Need For Speed,

Nick
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top