To strip or not to strip?

clich

clich

Joined
Apr 19, 2011
Messages
6,901
Have a bk9 enroute. Do I strip and patina it or do it leave it? Its going to be a work horse. What are the benefits or either.
 
The coating will protect it from rust, but so will a good patina (to a certain degree). The coating will also make the knife stickier in the wood, you will experience more friction than with the bare metal. If you strip the coating off, you could polish it, which would make it very rust resistant and slippery = good for batoning and chopping.

The question is, do you want to care about your knife? You'd have to get rid of the occasional rust spot, keep a tiny bit of oil handy, etc. You know the drill. I like to take care of my blades, and I cut food with every knife I own (sliced some tomatoes with my BK2 today - awesome :D), and I hate to put something I don't know into my food. Sooo, blade coating has to go. It is very calming to do some knife maintenance at camp, a slight touch up with a diamond stone, some steel wool, some oil... I like it.

Your call. Try it first with the coating on, then think again.

ETA people are scared enough of my BK2 as it is now, I don't want that "tacticool" look.
 
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I say leave it. Though I have stripped knives before, I like the look of one with the coating half worn away. Gives it character.
 
Depends what you yourself like. The "benefits" of stripping are 90% or better aesthetic. The other 10% for me was that the coating may have caused a little bit of drag while batoning, but I cannot say I noticed it in real-world use.

On the flip side, the coating protects the metal from rust, and if you like black blades better, stick with it for as long as it lasts, which ain't gonna be all that long if it's really going to get a lot of heavy use.

The Ka-Bar recipe for 1095 includes Cro Van, which is a bit more rust resistant than my Camillus BK9. Even mine requires very little extra attention after stripping though, so I doubt your new one would be any noticeable hassle. You're going to have to oil it where the coating wears off anyway, so if you like silver colored blades, go for it.

Pretty much a wash as far as benefits either way. Just whatever you like best.

Blues
 
Since its gona be a user I think surface rust isn't a issue. I think ill strip it. Pics will come shortly
 
Strip her! Strip her bare!!! well leave the coating under the scales though. Like most have said, it's a personal preference thing. I take pretty good care of my knives so I don't have a problem with rust on my bare Beckers.
 
Well I for one am not a fan of coated blade, I like the more traditional look of the stripped blade, but I leave the coating on under the handle for protection.

As for caring for stripped blades, I don't... I patina it once, and then just use it.... red rust and what not doesn't concern me cause if its on the edge it will come off with the sharpening and if its anyplace else it will come off next time it gets used. I think people are often WAY to over concerned with having prefect looking blades.

5892334369_134c0e50ed_b.jpg
 
Widerstand said:
I think people are often WAY to over concerned with having prefect looking blades.
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What is it to you that others concern themselves with the condition in which they keep their knives? Statements like what you said, which denigrate others over the fact they like to care for their possessions in a manner that is contrary to your own, have been grating on my nerves.

People own cars, they are meant to be driven, doesn't mean that they need to let it turn to crap to prove to people "it's a driver." Same token, people collect cars, doesn't mean their maintenance and care for their undriven vehicle(s) disqualifies or reduces the validity of their statements.

The fact is we all have the same passion for our beloved blades, and if their perogative is to keep their users in pristine condition, that should not be stated by someone else in a negative connotation. I have users which look like new and I have "safe queens" which are kept mint, but personally I am tiring of reading posts which are, for lack of a better term, elitest or 'holier than thou' when it comes to someone who takes pride in their blades.

Just my irked 2 cents.
 
Just a difference of opinion, and an example
I used to baby a new firearm, you know after a day on the town carrying it, I'd field strip it, wipe out the sweat with a Q tip and oil it up. That was 15 years ago, now I use it like I rented it, Get some rust, ah it gives character. Clean em' forget about it, I'll just squirt some more vagisil into it and run it some more. I too think people make too much of keeping them super clean, I demand that they run like a raped ape tho. I won't sacrifice performance. To each his own, right?
 
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EseeDownUnder said:
Widerstand, your BK2 sure had character. It must have quite a few stories to tell!
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Thanks

Arkanian said:
What is it to you that others concern themselves with the condition in which they keep their knives? Statements like what you said, which denigrate others over the fact they like to care for their possessions in a manner that is contrary to your own, have been grating on my nerves.

People own cars, they are meant to be driven, doesn't mean that they need to let it turn to crap to prove to people "it's a driver." Same token, people collect cars, doesn't mean their maintenance and care for their undriven vehicle(s) disqualifies or reduces the validity of their statements.

The fact is we all have the same passion for our beloved blades, and if their perogative is to keep their users in pristine condition, that should not be stated by someone else in a negative connotation. I have users which look like new and I have "safe queens" which are kept mint, but personally I am tiring of reading posts which are, for lack of a better term, elitest or 'holier than thou' when it comes to someone who takes pride in their blades.

Just my irked 2 cents.
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The thread starter wanted input as to weather or not to strip or leave the coating, I gave him my input.

I am not saying go chop up a lawn mower, throw your knives into trees and leave them outside for a month at a time, but I am also saying people shouldn't be super, super, super worried about them as well. If you want to spend a lot of time cleaning and maintaining knives that's fine with me I was just saying that I would rather not.

More then anything it seems like I touched a nerve or something with you but if you feel like I came off as "elitest or 'holier than thou'" in my post, well that's your point of view and you are entitled to it.

OREGON FAL'ER said:
Just a difference of opinion, and an example
I used to baby a new firearm, you know after a day on the town carrying it, I'd field strip it, wipe out the sweat with a Q tip and oil it up. That was 15 years ago, now I use it like I rented it, Get some rust, ah it gives character. Clean em' forget about it, I'll just squirt some more vagisil into it and run it some more. I too think people make too much of keeping them super clean, I demand that they run like a raped ape tho. I won't sacrifice performance. To each his own, right?
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Well said.
 
OREGON FAL'ER said:
Just a difference of opinion, and an example
I used to baby a new firearm, you know after a day on the town carrying it, I'd field strip it, wipe out the sweat with a Q tip and oil it up. That was 15 years ago, now I use it like I rented it, Get some rust, ah it gives character. Clean em' forget about it, I'll just squirt some more vagisil into it and run it some more. I too think people make too much of keeping them super clean, I demand that they run like a raped ape tho. I won't sacrifice performance. To each his own, right?
Click to expand...

I don't know about you O.F. that's 2 vagisil inferences in a span of days... ;) I dig the raped ape line, I'm stealing it.
 
Strip the knife. I did on my old one and had nary a problem with it.
Looked great, didn't bind in wood after the strip
Felt different somehow, kind of like a different knife

Didn't regret stripping it at all.
 
Once the coating on my blades begins to be more of detriment vs. a benefit, Id strip it and end up polishing it. As everyone else has said, avoid stripping the handle so you don't have to worry about maintaining it.
 
I think I'm just lazy. I leave the coating on my Beckers and just let it wear.
It probably adds magnesium or some other essential nutrient to my diet.
Only knife I've stripped is a Camillus BK-2.

No elitism, but I'd rather see someone use a knife and develop skills to the detriment of the knife, rather than baby the knife and limit learning.
Beckers, after all, "work for a living." They were designed as working tools rather than as show pieces.
Some exceptions apply though. Here's a BK-2 show piece.

IMG_1384.jpg
 
Widerstand said:
Well I for one am not a fan of coated blade, I like the more traditional look of the stripped blade, but I leave the coating on under the handle for protection.

As for caring for stripped blades, I don't... I patina it once, and then just use it.... red rust and what not doesn't concern me cause if its on the edge it will come off with the sharpening and if its anyplace else it will come off next time it gets used. I think people are often WAY to over concerned with having prefect looking blades.
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Wiser words were never read. Often I'll notice a little less black and catch myself almost freaking out. You know what man? I'm with you. STRIP IT!
 
Guyon said:
I think I'm just lazy. I leave the coating on my Beckers and just let it wear.
It probably adds magnesium or some other essential nutrient to my diet.
Only knife I've stripped is a Camillus BK-2.

No elitism, but I'd rather see someone use a knife and develop skills to the detriment of the knife, rather than baby the knife and limit learning.
Beckers, after all, "work for a living." They were designed as working tools rather than as show pieces.
Some exceptions apply though. Here's a BK-2 show piece.

IMG_1384.jpg
Click to expand...

To the script of Deliverance, 'Boy, you sure do got a purty knife.'
 
So in order to keep the coating under the handles I should trace em then use a small brush to remove any coating that's visible? I stripped a bk2 before but it was completely and I just oiled the crap under before I put the scales back on.
 
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