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- Apr 27, 2011
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- 3,202
So I pulled the handle off my Warthog to thunderous applause. Don't expect much of that with what's to follow.
See, not only did not a single one of the following mod attempts actually come off, I realize now that I totally screwed up by even touching this knife. I *love* the stock Warthog. I loved MY stock Warthog... loved the handle, loved the coating, loved it in all it's deadly beauty. So yeah maybe the handle rattled; yanking the yanyard tube, putting in some epoxy, and replacing the lanyard tube should have been the sum total of my work on this. Maybe a custom sheath too.
But noooo... I had to get the kooky idea in my head of making an "apocalypse chopper".... something rusty and all tore up and scary that would be a sight to behold. Fine, maybe not a terrible idea, but I'll be durned if I didn't get about as far from my 'vision' as could be imagined.
During a crazy weekend where I spent modding the heck out of a bunch of my bladed toys, I put some time into failing all over my Warthog.
FAIL 1: DYING THE KRATON HANDLE
I bought dark brown Rit dye. I painted some on the handle. You can't tell.
Not a good beginning.
FAIL 2: FACTORY GRIND MARKS
The cute part of my 'apocalypse chopper' idea was that the secondary bevel was going to have a nice purdy satin finish. Would have maybe been a nice contrast with what I thought would be a grody, rusty, messed up patina (which surprisingly was exactly how my Becker BK2 and BK11 turned out. Go figger.). But once I started in on the Warthog, I spent a solid two hours getting down to 60 grit with a palm sander and could simply make no progress on the factory grind and sanding marks. I think that the only option would have been a belt sander, or perhaps having skill...
But time was a-wasting and I wasn't going to mess around waiting for the right tool to become available, so I just barreled on ahead.
FAIL 3: ETCHING
So I have no idea how to successfully cold-blue etch a knife. I messed up bad on this Warthog, and messed up slightly-less bad on my BK11. And to think I first practiced on a cheap WalMart machete!
First I painted the blue on in several layers, letting them dry between each application.
Then in to clean bleach we go... the reaction started right away, but I think I left the knife in the bleach maybe 1 or 2 hours. Note the specs of 'rust' where the reaction is taking place... I put NO blue anywhere on the blade, only on the flat area up near the spine, but yet there was etching going on all sorts of random places.
Ta Da! Bruce Sucks!
I put the blade post-etch in a bucket of water and went to work with it with 0000 steel wool. Here's the final etch, in all kinds of places I didn't want it. And not particularly deep or interesting in the places I did want it. Plus you of course still have all the grind marks.
FAIL 4: PATINA
I wanted this brown and rusty looking. My Beckers came out brown and rusty looking. The Warthog looks like I spilled a glass of goat urine on it. BAH.
The only thing I think I need to try to see if I can salvage the patina is that with the Beckers, I did several 'coats' whereas the Warthog I only did one. Maybe it takes multiple applications. We'll see.
First, heat up to 275 in the oven *if your wife is not around*.
Next, find a ratty glove with holes in the fingers, grab the super hot knife blade, scream, curse, drop onto old BBQ grill.
Wipe on brown until the knife is cool to the touch.
Hit with steel wool then despair at the terrible, terrible color that wouldn't have matched the handle even if the dye had worked.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of I Suck At This.
See, not only did not a single one of the following mod attempts actually come off, I realize now that I totally screwed up by even touching this knife. I *love* the stock Warthog. I loved MY stock Warthog... loved the handle, loved the coating, loved it in all it's deadly beauty. So yeah maybe the handle rattled; yanking the yanyard tube, putting in some epoxy, and replacing the lanyard tube should have been the sum total of my work on this. Maybe a custom sheath too.
But noooo... I had to get the kooky idea in my head of making an "apocalypse chopper".... something rusty and all tore up and scary that would be a sight to behold. Fine, maybe not a terrible idea, but I'll be durned if I didn't get about as far from my 'vision' as could be imagined.
During a crazy weekend where I spent modding the heck out of a bunch of my bladed toys, I put some time into failing all over my Warthog.
FAIL 1: DYING THE KRATON HANDLE
I bought dark brown Rit dye. I painted some on the handle. You can't tell.
Not a good beginning.
FAIL 2: FACTORY GRIND MARKS
The cute part of my 'apocalypse chopper' idea was that the secondary bevel was going to have a nice purdy satin finish. Would have maybe been a nice contrast with what I thought would be a grody, rusty, messed up patina (which surprisingly was exactly how my Becker BK2 and BK11 turned out. Go figger.). But once I started in on the Warthog, I spent a solid two hours getting down to 60 grit with a palm sander and could simply make no progress on the factory grind and sanding marks. I think that the only option would have been a belt sander, or perhaps having skill...
But time was a-wasting and I wasn't going to mess around waiting for the right tool to become available, so I just barreled on ahead.
FAIL 3: ETCHING
So I have no idea how to successfully cold-blue etch a knife. I messed up bad on this Warthog, and messed up slightly-less bad on my BK11. And to think I first practiced on a cheap WalMart machete!
First I painted the blue on in several layers, letting them dry between each application.
Then in to clean bleach we go... the reaction started right away, but I think I left the knife in the bleach maybe 1 or 2 hours. Note the specs of 'rust' where the reaction is taking place... I put NO blue anywhere on the blade, only on the flat area up near the spine, but yet there was etching going on all sorts of random places.
Ta Da! Bruce Sucks!
I put the blade post-etch in a bucket of water and went to work with it with 0000 steel wool. Here's the final etch, in all kinds of places I didn't want it. And not particularly deep or interesting in the places I did want it. Plus you of course still have all the grind marks.
FAIL 4: PATINA
I wanted this brown and rusty looking. My Beckers came out brown and rusty looking. The Warthog looks like I spilled a glass of goat urine on it. BAH.
The only thing I think I need to try to see if I can salvage the patina is that with the Beckers, I did several 'coats' whereas the Warthog I only did one. Maybe it takes multiple applications. We'll see.
First, heat up to 275 in the oven *if your wife is not around*.
Next, find a ratty glove with holes in the fingers, grab the super hot knife blade, scream, curse, drop onto old BBQ grill.
Wipe on brown until the knife is cool to the touch.
Hit with steel wool then despair at the terrible, terrible color that wouldn't have matched the handle even if the dye had worked.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of I Suck At This.
