Wow, This forum really has had an influence on me! I joined here not long ago and all the chat and browsing of pics compelled me to take my 2 Beckers - a BK2 and a BK11 and make them my own. Pics attached.
The BK2 was my first and I just stripped it to bare metal. I am still considering other enhancements including different grips but for now it will remain untouched. The sheath will be getting a ESEE pouch and a sleeve for a firesteel as a next upgrade, and there are 2 lovely slabs of spalted maple on my workbench waiting to be turned into scales.
The BK11 is something I am kinda proud of, I took it from something functional but slightly uncomfortable and turned it into a blade that will probably be a constant companion when I am out in the woods and flyfishing. I did a standard strip on the epoxy finish using a 15 minute paint and epoxy remover and cleaned things up using steel wool and just gave the blade an oil coating for now, will probably blue it down the road. I made the scales out of some maple blanks that I got from an auction site and I decided that I have other options as far as bottle openers so I made them to fit the full length of the handle...WOW! This a comfortable knife now for my big hands and I am really pleased with how they turned out. They were my first scale project ever and I finished them with Tung Oil and a bit of sawdust mixed in to give a good looking sheen but also a slight bit of "grippiness" to the handles.
The BK2 was my first and I just stripped it to bare metal. I am still considering other enhancements including different grips but for now it will remain untouched. The sheath will be getting a ESEE pouch and a sleeve for a firesteel as a next upgrade, and there are 2 lovely slabs of spalted maple on my workbench waiting to be turned into scales.
The BK11 is something I am kinda proud of, I took it from something functional but slightly uncomfortable and turned it into a blade that will probably be a constant companion when I am out in the woods and flyfishing. I did a standard strip on the epoxy finish using a 15 minute paint and epoxy remover and cleaned things up using steel wool and just gave the blade an oil coating for now, will probably blue it down the road. I made the scales out of some maple blanks that I got from an auction site and I decided that I have other options as far as bottle openers so I made them to fit the full length of the handle...WOW! This a comfortable knife now for my big hands and I am really pleased with how they turned out. They were my first scale project ever and I finished them with Tung Oil and a bit of sawdust mixed in to give a good looking sheen but also a slight bit of "grippiness" to the handles.
