What's The First Thing You Do?

MsNaughtyIrish

MsNaughtyIrish

Joined
May 23, 2012
Messages
148
I'm full of questions. :)


Let's just you have been waiting and waiting for the lovely postman to bring you a package. Finally when it arrives it's your new knife. You are as giddy as a school girl ready to play. What's the first thing you do?

Do you make little touch ups right away? Do you have an instant need to go attack the first tree?

Just wondering what's the first thing you do when the new girl arrives?
 
I usually tweak the edge if it needs it...they usually do. Then test how I did on the nearest downed branch.
 
usually, I fondle for awhile, get a feel for the ergos and balance....inspect it for Fit and Finish, then I take it out and whale on something with it. Then a stripper bath as soon as possible.....I dont like new shiny black coatings LOL upsets my perception of what a Becker is for! They should show signs of hard honest work IMO
 
Someone from way back described it almost perfectly, or at least for me. Same thing if someone held one for the first time. You hold it in your hand, wave it left and right a little, bounce the thing from hand to hand, start making ludicrous stabbing motions, all while a ridiculous grin starts to spread from ear to ear. Takes me about half an hour to get past that stage. Then I do nothing. I use it for a bit. And then I remember that it has the factory edge and that is why it isn't working the way I am used to, and then I put my edge on it. From there it depends on the knife and what I think it needs.
 
thrillbilly said:
usually, I fondle for awhile, get a feel for the ergos and balance....inspect it for Fit and Finish, then I take it out and whale on something with it. Then a stripper bath as soon as possible.....I dont like new shiny black coatings LOL upsets my perception of what a Becker is for! They should show signs of hard honest work IMO
Click to expand...

This is pretty much the same way it is for me. If I don't go and mark up the blade within the first hour, I will probably never use it at all. Gotta get the factory prettiness off the blade ASAP.
 
My BK9 the first thing I did was to strip it and put on micarta..... after that its all about cutting stuff that probably does not need to be cut or chopped. My BK15 went to work in the kitchen right after it arrived at the door. Have not stripped the 15 since the coating is amazingly tough so I want to see how it holds up over time.
 
I usually start by attacking the box it came in, somehow cut myself in the process then throw the sheath somewhere.
 
Fondle, fondle, fondle, play with paracord wraps, fondle, remove paracord wraps, inspect/mod sheath, inspect fit&fin, beat the hell out of it, sand coating off, beat the hell out of it, and that's about it.
 
The reviewer in me insists on taking lots of pictures of it, then testing it on various things (paper, cardboard, wood, then paper again) to see how the factory edge holds up. I almost always see if it is shaving sharp too. Then the martial artist (or mall ninja) in me insists on checking the balance and speed of the blade to see how I'd want to use it in the unlikely circumstance I'd ever have to use it to defend myself. If it's a folder, I then put it in my pocket, and give it a week of exclusive carry to see if it can knock my Gun Hammer out of my pocket. If it's a fixed blade, particularly a Becker, I make a set of wooden handle scales for it. Then it gets used for a bit, and joins the pile of steel in my collection.
 
Inspect for manufacturing irregularities and determine if those irregularities are flaws (which they usually are not).

Fondle it and touch it inappropriately.

Check the edge to see if it is sharp by my standards and if I like the geometry of the edge bevels. If no, that gets remedied.

Evaluate edge quality and edge retention.

Fondle it and touch it inappropriately some more.

Wish The Walking Dead was a documentary.
 
Wolf_1989 said:
Inspect for manufacturing irregularities and determine if those irregularities are flaws (which they usually are not).

Fondle it and touch it inappropriately.

Check the edge to see if it is sharp by my standards and if I like the geometry of the edge bevels. If no, that gets remedied.

Evaluate edge quality and edge retention.

Fondle it and touch it inappropriately some more.

Wish The Walking Dead was a documentary.
Click to expand...

that's awesome! Made me laugh!
kinda like every time I pick up an AK47 I wanna scream ''WOLVERINES!!!"
 
Go pick up a half inch (or so) hard maple branch and put a point on it. If it won't do it in three cuts, I head for the grinder or stone and strop.
 
MsNaughtyIrish said:
I'm full of questions. :)


Let's just you have been waiting and waiting for the lovely postman to bring you a package. Finally when it arrives it's your new knife. You are as giddy as a school girl ready to play. What's the first thing you do?

Do you make little touch ups right away? Do you have an instant need to go attack the first tree?

Just wondering what's the first thing you do when the new girl arrives?
Click to expand...

Giving the knife a good inspection right out of the box is needed. While literally 95% of the KABAR made knives I have bought in the last year have been virtually perfect, mistakes can happen. Even if the rest of the knife is great, you might want to go over the factory edge. Many of them are a bit rough /dull out of the box which is typical for factory made knives .

As far as hacking on trees - I HIGHLY recommend that. Actually, green limbs ,brush etc. With the BK 7 you have coming, you should learn the rear pommel hold/lanyard technique with a rolling snap cut.. It makes a much better chopper out of the #7..

It's also a great stress reliever. Hacking away on green limbs is kind of a knife nut's version of a punching bag.. There is a reason why such personable and socially well adjusted folks Like Mr Becker and Ronald Reagan have enjoyed Brush clearing so much.. It's a lot of fun.
 
Last edited:
1. Take it out. Get a feel for balance that leads me to any differences in technique I might need (e.g. bk-9 to Machax chopping angle differences).

2. Admire the factory edge. they're not bad. will usually shave a little. Take time to marvel at its magnificence.

3. Safety third! (but before the first cut) If it's big enough to chop with, it needs a lanyard. So I add a lanyard.

4. Put it through its paces with the factory edge, it's fun and respects all the good folks in Olean that work hard to make it impressively sharp out of box!

5. Put a convex on it (degree varying by application) and evaluate any tweaks to it I want.

6. Begin regular use. Drag feet on most of the mods I want to do, but use it at any chance I can find an excuse to do so.

7. Finally get un-distracted by my new steel enough to start a thread/post after I've already broken it in properly.:D
 
JbK2596....Ummm...Hi. My name is Naughty. I like long walks on the beach and stabbing things. LOL. I think you were talking about a knife. I'm pretty sure. Maybe....humm. I must re-read your post again.

ThrillBilly...Not a fan of the black coating. I just can't get in to it. Knives to me have always been shiny. Plus I don't like the way the black feels on my hands. It's just strange. Then again...I'm strange.

Skystorm...Sounds much like a kid on Christmas who gets socks in his box instead of a shiny toy when you talked about the sheath.

CrimsonFalcon...I always seem to forget that these are considered weapons. :rolleyes:

Wolf...Who's to really say it's "inappropriate" touching. She may like that kinda thing. ;)

From the way it sounds the factory edge just has to go right away. The other little tweeks are just a personal things, but factory looks sucky.
 
Last edited:
I have a special little pile of wood in my backyard just for when I get a new knife (or to test an edge I just put on a knife). After some initial awe of the unboxing and a little waving around to get the feel of the heft and maybe some paper slicing to see how fine that factory edge is I will take it into my backyard and try making a few feather sticks, baton if it's a blade I'll be using to baton, chop if it's a chopper. Then I know what I've got to work with after that. THEN comes the mod planning...

Of course, this only applies to fixed blades. Folders are a whole other story...(flick open, flick closed, flick open, flick closed, repeat X10000)
 
I convex the edge and modify the sheath.

And I post pics of the process and the initial unboxing...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top