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So I modified my Koster in O1...

Diomedes Industries

Diomedes Industries

Joined
Mar 19, 2007
Messages
7,443
In a moment of bravery (that soon melted as it got tough) I decided to take a dremel to my Koster and modify the scales. :eek:

What the hell was I thinking?

Well - I wanted the handles to allow a little more versitility. It was VERY comfortable in a standard power grip, even a reverse power grip, but I could not choke up on the knife very easily, I could not get my thumb on the blade very comfortably, and thus it was tough to peel, chest lever and other things.

Here is the original handle:

KosterFirstRun007-1.jpg


KosterFirstRun009-1-1.jpg


It looked great - and I am sure for most people it was awesome. I liked it too - but I just wanted to tweak it a bit.

Once I shaped it the way I wanted it basically, I hand sanded the rest. Once that was done - I had to clean up and even out the finish on the blade.

I then forced a patina with mustard and resharpened it on my new Japanese Water stones.

Kosterin01001.jpg


Kosterin01002.jpg


I managed to get the bevels even and mirrored. It took some work - but I think I am happy with how it all turned out. The only thing I am not pleased with is that I lost the Koster symbol from the knife. I may send it back to Dan and see if he will put it back on for me. The patina is not very deep - but it will patina more as I use it - which I plan to - a lot.


TF
 
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Brave man:D It's harder to do that after the scales are on the knife, so I'd say you did well:thumbup: I like the patina, too! You probably better put a bright lanyard on it before you take it into the field, being all camoflauged now;)
 
That patina is very interesting. What/how did you apply the mustard, and did you use vinegar or anything else?
 
Regular Frenches yellow mustard - 30 deree angle or so - both sides - wait 30 minutes - wash it off - put overlapping stripes on.

I did that three times.

TF
 
Nice Job! :thumbup:

Talfuchre said:
I managed to get the bevels even and mirrored. It took some work - but I think I am happy with how it all turned out.
Click to expand...

I just finished up doing one to 8000 grit on the waterstones last night. It is a lot of time, but in the end, it is really worth the effort. While I enjoy sharpening, it is the part of a "new" scandi knife that I least look forward to :D

It is utterly a trial of your patience. You want to "be done" so that you can get to using it, and it just don't work that way :D

Yours looks top notch!

B
 
Thanks Brian, you have a good eye - so I take that as a compliment.

I LOVE sharpening a new knife too - the Japanese water stones make it a joy rather than a chore.


TF
 
What grits did you use please? Walk me through it. Some day I hope to be able to get a knife more that "just good enough" sharp. :)
 
I don't think I would have the patience to sharpen that nicely. However, that being said, it does look awesome. Good job.
 
First, I followed this video - up the part where he stops - I do that differently:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQN4jcXDjbE&feature=PlayList&p=1D594AE116BB34AA&index=23

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a2Jm3pkXqk&feature=PlayList&p=1D594AE116BB34AA&index=24

I bought 800, 1200, and 6000 grit Japanese water stones (they are not cheap however - I paid about 110 for everything Ray uses).


I then strop it on a JRE Strop bat loaded with black, green, and pink compounds.

I then strop it a few times on Jean Material.

I usually then steel it on a ceramic rod or stone. It gives it a bit more bite.

TF
 
That looks great...very nice work.

I recently started modifying scales with the dremel and hand sanding. Easier than I though...but have to be cautions with the dremel. Got sloppy once and cut in a shallow gouge that took some time to smooth out.

I also put a patina on my bark river golok a few weeks ago...quick soak in vinegar then applied streaks of mustard using my index finger. Let it sit for around 45 minutes. Didn't turn out nearly as nice as yours, but I was going for a more rough and tumble look anyway. Hard to see in this bad pic, but I put horizontal stripes on it. Meow.

BarkRiverGolokPinky-12-09.jpg
 
That cat looks like it's askin "What did I do...?"

Tal great work on your knife. That patina and the edges look great.
 
That looks fantastic. Nice work!

How "durable" is the mustard patina when applied numerous times?

The only time I ever experimented with the process, I did an Opinel #8 in a random pattern. I only did one application but left the mustard on for hours. The result was wonderful; it looked just like color case hardening!

But after a little use and some rubbing down with oil, the blade lost its good looks.

Your good looking results have me wanting to try again.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
ahhh not the kittty! Great pictures and write up Tal!
 
TF - good work on the edge! It looks great as does the patina:thumbup:

Can please you show a "in-hand" pic of the chest lever grip so I can see how thinnig the front of the scales is of benefit?

Thanks,
Bruce
 
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