Sheath retention fix for my BK5 and BK15

[Gary W. Graley]

Thanks sir I'll put the 16 a little higher on the list of wants
G2

 

[zakjak221]

Bk16 or 17 are both mighty fine Gary!
I have the 17 & it's a great knife!
Slick idea with that leather insert..I'm all about simple!

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Thanks sir, and simple is good, even if it's just a simple sling blade

Looking at the 17, that's pretty nice too, so many choices! I have to limit myself on that, while the 16 is full flat ground, which I favour, I would most likely be looking to get one of those first.

And the insert will certainly help folks like their stock sheaths a lot more for sure! Made a world of difference on these two sheaths.


G2

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Well I caved and sold off the 5 but will hang on to that 15, it'll be enough for now, I have an active interest in getting either the BK2 or BK16, can't do both, but hopefully one by Christmas

G2

 

[TravisH]

I have an active interest in getting either the BK2 or BK16 ...

If the 5 was "too large" have you considered the weight of the 2?

2 - 10.5" , 5.25" , 16oz
5 - 13.5", 8.00" , 12oz
15 - 10.4" , 5.50", 6.4oz

Though the 2 is about the same length of the 15, it's 2.5x the weight.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

I haven't held the 2 yet but I'm thinking of TANK performance something that you have no worries doing what ever it takes with it.

thanks for that comparison, that will give me something to ponder over!
G2

 

[[Mantodea]]

That's a really good idea right there, slapping myself for not thinking
of it myself. Super excited to be getting my first bk5 and bk15 in less
than a month, might have to modify the sheaths in a similar way.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

You're most welcome, it truly turns a rattle type sheath that most people go ugh over into a sheath that you enjoy to use. It'll take some experimenting to get just the right thickness, also you can use a butter knife to help push the insert down behind the sleeve as well as into the sleeve.

G2

 

[[Mantodea]]

For a couple years now I've been thinking about making a sheath for my BK9 because
of the plastic dulling the blade, but maybe I'll figure out something similar for that
problem too.

 

[grind monkey]

Well I caved and sold off the 5 but will hang on to that 15, it'll be enough for now, I have an active interest in getting either the BK2 or BK16, can't do both, but hopefully one by Christmas

G2

I have both of those knives and love them both, either way you go you wont be sorry. Every time i show off that bk 2 to someone who has never seen a knife like that Kabar gets another sale. The bk16 gets a similar reaction do to its EDC utility awesomeness. All that being said I use and carry my 16 all the time. With a horizontal kydex sheath you forget its there. That is until you need it. You may need both

 

[grind monkey]

Hey GWG ........

I carry and use the Sixteen now more than any other Becker other than the Eleven........ The Two is also a great choice, methinks........ The Sixteen is just so handy....

Thanks again for your business .......

E

I couldnt agree more, that little guy sees so much time in my hand my folders feel neglected. I loooove the tweener knives. Thanks for the great tools Mr Becker!

 

[zzyzzogeton]

G2 - I really like the back flap idea. I had tried just sliding a piece of leather in the liner to cut down on the rattle, but experienced what you have solved... the leather strip getting pushed down inside. Now I'm looking for thin, soft leather. May have to go buy a jacket at Goodwill.

 

[Yetidayhiker]

Hello Gary,

Thanks for posting that sheath mod. I performed it to my recently acquired BK15 & BK5 and it fixes the lack of friction and rattles of those sheaths. I now longer feel like the knife will fall out if I accidently disengage the snaps.



You were right that the BK15 needed sciving to get the leather thickness just right. I found that the BK5 fit so loosely that even with long pieces of leather it still rattled at the tip. I found that adding a small square piece (seen in photo next to the green polishing compound stick) fixed this tip rattle as well. It's very quiet now. I also rubbed green polishing compound to the stiff leather's smooth side, in a pinch it can be used as a improvised strop as well. I still have to dye the visible end so it doesn't stand out against the black sheath.

One other tip I learned is if you use double sided tape (I used Golfsmith golfgrip tape, it's like double sided masking tape) , you can dryfit the pieces to get a perfect fit before glueing them, this makes working on the pieces a little easier.

Thanks again for the mod.

I'm so glad the forum members mentioned the BK5 &BK15 are no longer being made, I never would have thought to have purchased them but at recent low prices I couldn't resist. Those are sweet handling items; its just a shame they haven't sold well enough to be kept in production. The BK5 did a fine job carving up Thanksgiving turkey.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

good idea on the double sided stuff, and you're welcome it's a nifty fix for those sheaths.

On the one piece I used some cork that came from a motor gasket, it's the rectangular section that isn't used when you apply the gasket, but it has self adhesive on the back plus being made of cork it has some give, a perfect thing for this application!

G2

 

[Gary W. Graley]

I had sent my BK15 out to a friend to enjoy, lives out west, I would have just ordered him one and had it shipped to his house, but I preferred that he got one that I put an edge on, and my lanyard as well as the friction fix for the sheath

I think he was worried that I sent mine and no longer had one, so my replacement arrived when I got his email, luckily! and I took a Proof of Life photo next to the screen monitor that had his email

The new knife is just as nice as the previous, while it felt sharp and did cut, it wasn't crazy sharp, so a bit of work and now it's fine. But the sheath's lower strap snap doesn't retain well, and having the snap mounted inside the material, which is very nice btw, I can't replace either part to get a better fitted snap closure. I did the leather in the sleeve thing so it's not going anywhere if it comes un done, plus the top snap has good retention. I've read others had some trouble with the snaps too?

And on a side note, my wife's uncle brought along his BK2 in a very kool special leather sheath, man that is ONE tank of a knife and the sheath weighs almost as much but it's so very well made, I forget the name of the maker of it, but they sure do great work!

G2

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Well, I took the scales off the BK15 and taped up the handle from the area with the logo to the end, I wanted to keep the coating on in places I want to protect better, like under the handle scales.

I went to Lowe's and picked up a can of Jasco Premium Paint & Epoxy Remover, 15 minutes. A LOT of trepidation as the can's warnings are pretty severe so take caution if you do use this!

I found a small box that I could rest the blade into and took the box and knife outside and with a plastic glove on I sprayed the blade, it comes out in a stream of foam, not like paint spray, which I was glad for! and coated both sides of the blade liberally.

I brought the whole thing back inside, as there is a temp warning on the can too, and let it sit on the table and soak for a while.

Then I took what looks like a doctor's tongue depressor, a wide popsicle stick and cut off one of the rounded ends so it was flat with a chisel type edge on the wood. I used that to start scraping off the black coating, it came off very easy! Again you don't want to be touching that foam so be careful when you are scraping it off the blade. The small box worked well as when done I just tossed the paper towels that I used to wipe the blade off and the wooden stick all into the small box to burn/throw away.

Then I took some 150 grit sand paper and started cleaning up the sides of the blade, as with the coating off you see the discolorations which are most likely the heat treatment given to the blade. 150grit, 400grit and 600grit was enough. I laid the sand paper sheet on top of some cardboard so there was a little give as I stropped the blade back and forth. Came out pretty nice, not mirror polished but now she slices through material much easier and nothing trapped on the surface of the blade. It will need to be maintained since there isn't a coating, but that'll be fine, I would rather have the better cutting ability and just do my duty to the knife when it is in need of assistance.

G2

 

[22-rimfire]

The leather inserts is a good idea. Merry Christmas and I hope Santa brings you a BK-16 or the BK-2.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Thanks, got my micarta scales today, VERY nice addition to the knife. Here's a shot of the knife with the new scales and the blade coating removed, slices a lot better without it, I left it on by the handle but where the edge is, she's nice and smooth now.

I think I'll still leave the blade shape as it is, cuts great!
G2

 

[Norse_Nightcrawler]

Simplicity is the way to go. Brilliant idea
Time to silence my 15.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Thanks sir, works well, holds secure, very handy
G2