Removing the Ramp on a BK9

Col Defender

Col Defender

Joined
Nov 11, 2011
Messages
1,398
Good morning

I've seen a number of guys here who have removed the thumb ramp on their BK9. IMO it does give the blade a cleaner appearance and I like it. But are there other reasons to do this? Function or cosmetic?

And what is a safe way to do this without overheating the steel - or is that just not a problem (like with a grinder).

Thanks.

Steve
 
I don't use 'em, and I hate 'em. :D Well, hate is too strong a word, but I think they detract from the appearance of the blade, and I use the spine of my knives to strike firesteels and to scrape wood for natural tinder, so, almost all of my knives suffer the same mods,

strip the blade- I find it moves easier through different media, lessens friction
Grind the ramp- not gonna use it, so, why should I have it? allows me to have an area with a good squared off spine
square the spine- makes the entire tool more useful for how I use it
patina- keepin' teh evilz rustz away from ma blade

I use a belt grinder, the trick is to keep the knife cool enough to touch to your lips, if you can't give your blade a little smooch, then you need to back off and let it cool. I also keep a bucket of water by my grinder, and give it a dip in some cold water after a 3-5 pass on the belt.

Moose
 
nice tutorial Moose, i was wondering the same thing on how to do that....guess i will try it this weekend
 
Actually this is all planning ahead since at the moment I do not own a BK9. But it is almost Christmas :D and if Santa does not bring one I am sure I can figure out some way to come by one! I have seen Psyop's and watched him demonstrate batoning and I was impressed!

Steve
 
yup - what moosez said -- light passes and frequent dips in a bucket of water.
I use a clean 80 grit belt on my 4x36 belt sander. "blue" belts (zirconium or silicon dioxide) last longer than "red" (aluminum oxide, gaarnet) ones.
i tend to pinch the blade with bare fingers roughly 1/4" above where I'm grinding - so long as it's no more than warm, I'm in no danger of getting the metal too hot. 2-3 short passes (about a second each - that's actually a lot of time with a sharp belt), then 3-4 seconds in the water. wipe with a towel and see if it's cool to the touch. if yes, back to grinding, if no - dunk it again.

I also clean my sanding belts with a chunk of crepe rubber frequently.

Col, one of these days you, me, and your son should meet up at the legends for a burger and/or brew.
 
I go around to all the beckerhead shops and garages and scoop up their fallen thumb ramps and weld them to mine. Supa ramp, supa control.
 
No ramp makes the blade look longer.

It's like the old architectural trick where you "trim the hedges real low to make the building look taller."
 
clich said:
I go around to all the beckerhead shops and garages and scoop up their fallen thumb ramps and weld them to mine. Supa ramp, supa control.
Click to expand...

Bk10Yo.jpg



:D
Thanks Dubz.

Moose
 
Birdkiller said:
Moose, Why do you use your spine to scrape the wood instead of the edge?
Cole
Click to expand...

Its very hard on your edge to hold the knife perpendicular when you scrape, dulls it REALLY fast. I prefer to keep my edge as good as I can, for as long as I can when I'm in the woods. So, I use the spine. There is a whole lot more to a knife than just the edge, you have to learn to use it to the fullest, and maximize all of your resourses.

Here's me scraping. I did a short knife basics post in March, as I was getting ready to head down to the ESEE Woodland class, so, I wanted to brush up on ma skills. Doesn't pay for an instructor to be rusty. :D

100_1909.jpg


Here's the thread if you wanted to check it out.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ime-((PIC-HEAVY))?highlight=ESEE+basic+skills

Moose
 
Moose, I've held some of my work with my lower chest and pressed the workpiece against a tree for scraping tinder, what are you thoughts on that??

I mean sometimes I find it more comfortable and less cumbersome then trying to hold the piece any other way, especially when you're using a large knife..

ETA: sorry OP I just realized this was a thumb ramp question, didn't mean to derail thread..
 
I use the area of my lower chest, and belly.

100_1881.jpg


Moose
 
SleepyBadger said:
Do you find that scraping with the squared spine dulls it over time or is that not an issue?
Click to expand...

Yeah, just like any piece of steel, with use it will dull. The harder the use, the faster it goes. I've squared my spine up a few times, but you don't have to remove enough metal to worry about altering the knife too much. Just a touch up really.

Moose
 
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