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stripping a bk2?

C

c10darren

Joined
Nov 30, 2011
Messages
196
why do people do that?

i'm kinda new around here (lurked for a while). i was given my first becker (bk2) back in october... and i love it. i just don't understand. doesn't the black finish (powdercoat or something?) help protect the carbon steel from rust and other damage? is it all just a cosmetic thing? i'm so confused!
 
Stripping reduces friction when driving it through wood. And it looks pretty
 
oooooh. so there is a practical application. also... it does look nice.

edit: wait! what? should i be oiling my knife? will remoil do? that and vegitable oil are all i have. oh, and wd40.
 
I can't speak for the others, but customizing the knife makes it feel like I had a part of its creation. I stripped and patina'd a few of mine, and many patina patterns come out unique.

That said, I leave some knives with their coating on. The Fisk sharpening method gives coated blades a distinct line that looks bad ass ;)
 
Any oil will do. And if yours is coated just a drop along the edge for storage.
 
clich said:
Any oil will do. And if yours is coated just a drop along the edge for storage.
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While I totally agree, any oil will prevent RUST, I ALWAYS use OLIVE oil. IT prevents rust, AND lets me cut up food and eat...which I really like doing 3 times a day.
Stripping a knife of that nasty paint is the only right thing to do. While, yes, coatings do prevent rust..the reason they are on the knife is totally different.
Knife companies coat blades to save money. They no longer have to pay someone to sit at a buffer cleaning up every little detail of the knife...just spray and pray. Send it out. It means we get a knife at a cheaper price, and they make a few more dollars.
I happen to HATE blade coatings. If you can't take care of your tools, then you don't deserve them IMO.
I am not judging KABAR or anyone else for coating knives...I don't know what company did it first...I bet it was a lesser company and the big guys followed suit.
What I am saying is that I dont like coatings..YMMV.
 
GKN has a point about which oil you choose. However I would like to add do not use food based oils on long term storage knives. Just like any other food they will spoil and stink like hell. Use mineral or olive on food blades. And something heavier on the others. I use turbine or gun oil on both (depends on which I happen to grab) that puts hair on your chest. Enough that you can shave "the gunyon" into.
 
The coating is also for tactical reasons in some cases to reduce glare. But getting rid of it means no toxic paint chips in your food potentially.. and food grade oils are what I use, for the aforementioned reasons of being able to process food with it.
 
I use every knife I have on food now and then, so the coating has to go. I know iron oxide won't hurt anything, but I don't know what an epoxy based coating will release when coming into contact with acids or something from the food that I cut.

Also, it reduces friction, and it gives you lots of possibilities to make the knife's appearance unique, via patina, polish, bead blast, full convex, gun blue & etch etc.
 
Now that you mention it... I did peel and chop a carrot the other day that turned the black finish kinda blue or green. Then the next day I batoned some post oak and it went away. I wonder if I should have eaten that carrot.
 
c10darren said:
Now that you mention it... I did peel and chop a carrot the other day that turned the black finish kinda blue or green. Then the next day I batoned some post oak and it went away. I wonder if I should have eaten that carrot.
Click to expand...

Oh, you're fine. The particulates left behind were in such a small quantity, it wouldn't have bothered you. I've cut up many a dinner with my coated BK5 and we're all still kicking.

GunKnifenut has the right idea on blade coatings, its a process of manufacture. If you strip your BK2, you will see tooling marks, made by the CNC machines as the they brought that blade to life. If the coating wasn't on it, it wouldn't look as good. Unless you like tool marks, in which case it would look awesome.

Also, like Clich is saying, modifying your knife, makes it belong to YOU. Your knife can be just like everyone elses, or it can be a work of art that is your creation, and it FEELS like it belongs to you. Pride in ownership.

Plus, there is a practical side to it, albeit an nominal one, that some say doesn't exist, which is ease of movement threw whatever media you are cutting. I say it works better.

As far as blade protectant, if you still have the coating on the blade, you have nothing to worry about as far as corrosion is concerned, you might want to put some oil on the edge, but even if it rusts, a quick sharpening will take care of it. I don't worry about it, others do. Its a personal choice that you have to make.

As far as oil is concerned, I use mineral oil, or more specifically, Ballistol. Best stuff in the world for knives and guns, IMO. Its non toxic, safe to ingest, and during WWII, the German Army used it as an antiseptic for small scrapes and cuts. Plus, it neutralized the acids in the oils on your hands, so, your own body won't corrode the metal.

If you do strip your BK2, with use, it will develop a patina over time. Basically, a protective "blue" rust shell. It does wear with use, but a real patina made over time, is quite a beautiful thing. You can force one, by creating a controlled rust using an acidic medium, say, mustard, ketchup, hot sauce, meat, and so on. It doesn't take long to do, but it doesn't last as long either. Some patina's can be made, and then "aged", so they are a little stronger.

Welcome to the Becker forum, and congrats on the blade, it will serve you well, and long.

Moose
 
nice post Moose I've been using gun oil but it has a pretty bad taste:D I need to pick up some mineral oil.
 
I bought some generic mineral oil at small farts and it was in a white bottle with GIANT letters that said Lubricant Laxative. I had planned on getting two bottles but chickened out lol.
 
Psyop said:
I bought some generic mineral oil at small farts and it was in a white bottle with GIANT letters that said Lubricant Laxative. I had planned on getting two bottles but chickened out lol.
Click to expand...

I always buy the biggest bottle I can find and I smack it on the counter with a pack of condoms and a light bulb. The look on peoples faces is priceless.

But mineral oil is the way to go. I do mine down once a week for the main users and once a month if I haven't used it. But even that is a bit excessive.
 
Excellent advice guys. Always impressed with the information on this forum.

Got a BK2 earlier this month and was wondering about the same things.
 
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