Ordered me a monster on Fri 13th!

[Jens Schuetz]

I'm also considering polishing some of mine but then I wouldn't like the loss of grippiness.
Is there a way of having them shiny and still sticking to my hand?

 

[davidf99]

I'm also considering polishing some of mine but then I wouldn't like the loss of grippiness.
Is there a way of having them shiny and still sticking to my hand?

Most collections -- even small collections -- have a mix of users and knives that you might use lightly or not at all because they are essentially art objects. A simple answer would be to not polish the handles of the users.

However, I'm not convinced that polishing necessarily reduces grippiness. It depends on lots of factors, including the handle ring and butt flare, the kind of wood and finish, the exact shape of the handle, etc. Some of the satisaal handles come from HI very nicely polished and plenty grippy. I suspect that the difference in going, say, from 600 grit to 2000 grit is mostly visual -- the way light plays off the wood and displays the grain -- rather than tactile. I could be wrong, but there's a way to test it:

My suggestion is to polish up one of your knife handles, say the one with the nicest wood grain, and see what that does to the grippiness. If you don't like it, you can easily "unpolish" it to any degree of roughness with a few minutes of light sanding or 0000 steel wool.

 

[Jens Schuetz]

I plan to use them all sooner or later at least that's what I keep telling me even if I have enough blades for a few platoons.
Good idea about "unpolishing". Should have thought about that myself
Thank you.

 

[Karda]

I'm also considering polishing some of mine but then I wouldn't like the loss of grippiness.
Is there a way of having them shiny and still sticking to my hand?

Yes, Tru-Oil.
Nice and shiny, durable, easy to reapply, Grippy.

 

[ndoghouse]

Thanks Karda! Will try Tru-Oil. The handle really dont need much polishing. Sometimes when the Kamis polish the brass buttplate they get a little brass oxides into the wood next to it and discolors it a bit. (see blowup pic of handle). Not even noticeable on the dark woods. I just take a piece of new 600 grit and lightly touch up the area sanding in the direction of wood over the brass. The stain comes off very easily. Took maybe two minutes to do it. I just prefer cleaning it up a bit before I seal it or oil it with anything. Probably not even noticeable to most. I have not had a grip problem with any of my Khuks horn or wood so far. If I do Ill send it to Bawanna for some fine checkering:thumbup: I envy his checkering skills!

Yes, Tru-Oil.
Nice and shiny, durable, easy to reapply, Grippy.

Found out Kami who made this blade is Lachhu! Cool!.. my first Lachhu! All these guys are good!

 

[wildmanh]

Anything above 32oz is best used on a chopping block. My favorite camp knife is a 16.5 inch WWII. It works great for de-limbing and campfire prep.

I agree, the 16.5" WWII is also my favorite camp knife. Mine weights 21oz, has a horn handle, shallow fullers on each side and was made by Bura. It's been my go to camp knife for 10+ years now.

Well folks. This is the blade Ive waited all year for! Was a very good day! I am Impressed!

Congrats and good pictures! I love seeing Blades in their native environment.

 

[ndoghouse]

I polished up my little 8.25" Kagas Katne just for fun and wanted to see how well It would look using nothing but sandpaper. No power tools whatsoever just sandpaper and a strip of denim to buff out the last step. This is the gift from HI when I bought my Monster 20"AK. Ill add this to my growing EDC list. I guess they are AEDC (almost every day carry) if ya got more than one. ENJOY!

Even polished the ring grooves!

 

[snowwolf]

You and your ghost blades I love it. :thumbup:

 

[snowwolf]

Hey ndoghouse,

Did you weight your 20" AK?

 

[ndoghouse]

Yeah that was entirely by accident. Didnt notice that till i edited pics when doin my AKB. Thanks man! Didnt weigh my AK20 yet. It weighs almost as much as me:thumbup: Nahh. I dont even think I own a scale. They are supposed to be between three and four pounds depending on Kami. I think they are closer to the three end nowadays from what I hear from others. It surely dont feel that heavy though. You wouldnt want to swing it all day and It wouldnt be my first choice to hike down to the bottom of the canyon but I wouldnt replace it with anything at home near the woodpile. I do love it!

You and your ghost blades I love it. :thumbup:

 

[pugs75]

Dude you have got some serious skills, I love what you did to that Kagas Katne, The metal and wood finish are stunning man, it looks to good too even hold and you pics are tops. Great job brother.

 

[ndoghouse]

Thanks Pugs! Glad ya like it! Ive been rubbing layer after layer of BLO on it and its getting like glass now. I have been using mineral oil on the wood handles but it doesnt ever dry. Boiled linseed oil actually dries and leaves a more plastic like drier finish. Mineral oil never dries. I want to try tung oil or Tru-oil as Karda recommended but just dont have it on hand yet. I had the bright idea of soaking a rag in BLO and wrapping it around the handle of my ABK. Since it does dry it left gel spots where it contacted the wood and then where the rag was not in contact the wood stayed a lighter color. I had to add alcohol to the rag and scrub all the dried gel off. Its submerged in BLO now just long enough to even the wood color out. I noticed it makes the wood a bit darker but still looks great. Love that AKB! Gotta get some smaller ones now for a set! The im gonna go beaver hunting!

 

[philllll]

Ndog, you need to try pure tung oil. It is amazing stuff.

 

[ndoghouse]

OK gonna get me some. Im cleaning up my KLVUK now so ill use tung on it. Too late for AKB cause its already soakin. The dark asaare on my new KLVUK is just too pretty to leave rough.

Ndog, you need to try pure tung oil. It is amazing stuff.

 

[pugs75]

Thanks Pugs! Glad ya like it! Ive been rubbing layer after layer of BLO on it and its getting like glass now. I have been using mineral oil on the wood handles but it doesnt ever dry. Boiled linseed oil actually dries and leaves a more plastic like drier finish. Mineral oil never dries. I want to try tung oil or Tru-oil as Karda recommended but just dont have it on hand yet. I had the bright idea of soaking a rag in BLO and wrapping it around the handle of my ABK. Since it does dry it left gel spots where it contacted the wood and then where the rag was not in contact the wood stayed a lighter color. I had to add alcohol to the rag and scrub all the dried gel off. Its submerged in BLO now just long enough to even the wood color out. I noticed it makes the wood a bit darker but still looks great. Love that AKB! Gotta get some smaller ones now for a set! The im gonna go beaver hunting!

I use BLO as well, and when reading your post when you said about wrapping the rag soaked in it I thought the same thing you posted, it gets gel like. You either have to rub it on and wipe in a few minutes or completely submerge it for a bit and then wipe and let dry just like your doing, I have used Tung oil before as well with great results. The AKB's are very infectious, once you have one in hand your hooked big time. Whew, at least someone is trying to take the heat of me from them dang Beavers.