Sandblasting Beckers

Pàdruig

Pàdruig

Reap What You Sow
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Dec 1, 2016
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I have seen a couple posts where users here have given their Beckers a sandblasted finish. I love this finish, particularly on the BK5, which is the knife I've seen displayed here a couple times. I currently have an unaltered BK5 that I have been holding off doing anything with in regards to mods since I haven't been certain what I want the end result to be. Now after seeing another sand blasted beauty pictured here, I have decided I would like to attempt something similar. If I like the result in person as much as I like it in pics, I may consider the same treatment for some of my other Becker knives.

Being ever the "Do-it-yourself" kind of guy, I have been looking into building my own sandblasting setup. However, after some research on the interwebs, it appears that building a good setup can be rather expensive up front and I simply cannot justify that cost right now as there are other priorities in the cards at this time.

So with that said, are there any folks here who have might have some tips, tricks, or general advice in regards to building a setup less expensively, or would I be better served just finding someone to ship it off to who already has the equipment?

Any input is appreciated, thanks guys.
 
Send it to me, I'll sandblast it for you. After sandblasting, it will leave a matte chalky finish that will scratch very easily, similar to a brand new CRK finish. I usually take some fine steel wool or super fine grit sanding block to knock off some of the matte. Or you could just use it and wear that matte finish off yourself over time!
 
Well that's awesome of you, I very well might take you up on that. I probably need to see the matte in person to come to some sort of conclusion on it (whether to buff it out or not). Otherwise, there is nothing wrong with a knife that looks like a user.
 
Your CRKs look fantastic after your "spa treatment", it has to be awesome having access to the right equipment. Nicely done.

One of these days I will get my own CRK, just haven't taken the plunge yet. Plus there is the small issue of convincing my better half that I need a $400+ knife, barely was able to get her on board with me getting a $300 ZT a few years ago. To this day, it is the most expensive knife I own.

Regardless, I'd love to take you up on your offer, just let me know what you need from me. I think a sandblasted BK5 will be a good place to start the transformation process. New scales, new sheath, etc.
 
Pàdruig;17007859 said:
Your CRKs look fantastic after your "spa treatment", it has to be awesome having access to the right equipment. Nicely done.

One of these days I will get my own CRK, just haven't taken the plunge yet. Plus there is the small issue of convincing my better half that I need a $400+ knife, barely was able to get her on board with me getting a $300 ZT a few years ago. To this day, it is the most expensive knife I own.

Regardless, I'd love to take you up on your offer, just let me know what you need from me. I think a sandblasted BK5 will be a good place to start the transformation process. New scales, new sheath, etc.
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I blast with the handles on, so it leaves the coating underneath. This is mainly to help with corrosion underneath the handles. Shoot me an email to
 
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Sounds like a great alternative to using stripping Jasco! That stuff looks pretty nasty to work with.

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Jasco isn't too bad as long as you've got a decent workshop or garage, and good gloves.
The CitriStrip stuff isn't bad at all. Barely stinks, and though I don't recommend it I've touched it briefly with bare hands with no ill effects. Just takes a bit longer.

I'll go back and look - 91b, did you strip your BK's prior to blasting? Or just blast the coating off?
 
tjswarbrick said:
Jasco isn't too bad as long as you've got a decent workshop or garage, and good gloves.
The CitriStrip stuff isn't bad at all. Barely stinks, and though I don't recommend it I've touched it briefly with bare hands with no ill effects. Just takes a bit longer.

I'll go back and look - 91b, did you strip your BK's prior to blasting? Or just blast the coating off?
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I blasted the coating off by sandblaster only. To me, it takes out a lot of the elbow grease of having to sand through different grits to get the polish that you need. Blasting removes all the rough machining marks.
 
91bravo said:
I blasted the coating off by sandblaster only. To me, it takes out a lot of the elbow grease of having to sand through different grits to get the polish that you need. Blasting removes all the rough machining marks.
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Wish we had a place that offers sand/media blasting, only 8k people in this small Montana City lol
Services are limited, plus I wouldn't trust just anyone
 
Necroposting to point out that if you sandblast a carbon-steel blade, you ABSOLUTELY must oil it, as you have just doubled the surface area exposed to oxygen and made tons of little nooks and crannies that can hold moisture or skin acids. Cro-Van is not as susceptible as some other steels, but sandblasted/etched finishes make it more vulnerable than a more polished finish.
 
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