“A wise man speaks because he has something to say. A fool speaks because he has to say something.” There are a lot of foolish comments on here that do nothing but brag about being the survivalist they fancy themselves as being. Thank you sir for video! It was enlightening and entertaining.
I'm blown away by how negative people are being in the comments about a guy just having fun and doing a project. I thought it was a great video and had some pretty interesting mods.
I found one of those knives years ago and just tossed it in my tool box. About 7 years ago I decided to use it to baton firewood until it breaks. I use a ball peen hammer. I still use the pos every year.
I think so. I thought it was pretty easy to pickup that this is not a bush worthy knife after modding. It is something to do as a tinker or to test your own skills out with. Better than with a $80 knife imo. 😊
My friends and I all used to have knives like these back in the day like 30 years ago or so. We used to strap them to our legs underneath our pants and hide them but we all carried knives everywhere we went. We just used them as tools and toys. They were all this Rambo style with the hollow handle and usually a compass or cap on the bottom that you could screw off. I used to keep a fire striker in mine!
I bought one of these and I powder coated the whole thing matte black and sharpened it. Really I couldn't believe how good of an edge that thing took. I also have a Ka-Bar Marine fighting knife. I think I will take the Harbor Freight knife apart and reinforce the mounting of it.
@@actionjksn everyone disrespects the knife because they say the steel is not great. But as long as the knife isn't intentionally abused, it is a very serviceable tool.
You described this so well that I was able to go buy this knife specifically to do this project. I don't mess with acid, so I didn't do that part, but I could have, because of how thorough your explanation was. Also, I put the rubber spray on the handle, but I wrapped it in my para chord, as well. I used the set screw to anchor my chord at one end, and tucked the other end into the handle. I kept the striker, and ditched the matches and sewing kit. But I added some saw chord cable inside the handle, with the rings attached. My walking staff is just the right size at one end to make this a spear point by putting the handle over the end of the pole. I modified the sheath to make it useful, and it wasn't much work. Also, I'm blind. So well done, and much thanks.
I don't know if it was just a problem with the series of stock that they received but the one that I have is essentially the same knife except that it seems to have a better survival kit which included several fish hooks a thorough sewing kit a strike on anything striker and a half a dozen sealed waterproof matches. Although the blade was not especially sharp it was made of case-hardened 440c stainless and it is possible to sharpen it, and when it's sharpened up it can be made to be VERY sharp. And lastly unlike yours mine not only had a o-ring seal on the cap it also had an o-ring seal on the other end where the blade came through and mine was waterproof. I added a few things to the survival kit including 10 ft of thin paracord, a couple of small birthday cake type candles, and a small fire starter about the size and thickness of five stacked dimes that I made of a mixture of paraffin, wood shavings, and a small amount of gunpowder mixed with three drops of lantern oil.
I wondered about that. My expectations for a $10 knife would be a lot lower. Imagine investing a lot of time modding something that turned out to be junk! 😭
I picked one of these (and the Buck clone) up from Harbor Freight a few months ago after seeing a few videos similar to this. The knife is definitely a fun base for a low budget project!
I gave one of these to my son in law a few years ago. He loves it. Generally keeps it in tge door pocket of his pickup. Used mustly for cutting bailer twine and other ranch use. End cap no longer comes off from sitting in a field for a few months. I wonder about tge blade attachment but the knife is still fine.
Nice beater knife for the glove box or in the truck. I wrapped one in green twine and it looks like a Rambo #1 knife. Crazy glue the blade to the handle.
A trick I have used to make knife handles longer for a screw-on pommel is to weld a bolt to t tang and then grind t sides flat. You can make it full tang and then use epoxy, that's not going to break very easily. Nice finish.
I like these because you can learn quite a bit about the equipment you need. On a personal note, If it aint a full tang, Im not gonna mess with it too much. I have seen what can happen with survival knives that arent. Although, I do have one or two of these. But only for looks, and yes, I take them out going fishing. My full tangs are for real survival issues. Thise go with me when I camp.
@@royjett6858 ever hear of a m96 Mauser Bayonet? Or the Buckmaster? There have been high quality, hollow-handle knives built throughout history. If it's junk, it usually isn't because the handle is hollow. It's becuase it's not made properly of decent materials. Look at socket sets in your tool box. The socket attatches to the ratchet handle. When a socket breaks, it doesn't break at the joint. That's because it's made properly.
Another sweet mod for this HF knife is to shorten and narrow the blade and put a spring in the hollow handle. If you build a separate impact spring charger and use a die spring you can get crazy speed and distance. The reason to start with this knife is to make a bunch of them and sell them for huge profit.
My knife is one that Harbor Freight {Chinese} copied, but I did some similar mods on mine. My handle mounts with a nut in the handle that goes onto the blades shank to secure it. I sealed too mine for waterproof. My handle was dipped in a plastic coating use on pliers and other tool handles. In the handle I carry a striker and some cotton (lint balls in a small plastic bag) in my handle with some fishing hooks and 2 small floats in a small bottle. The bottle has some real fishing line wrapped around the outside and secure with some tape. I use a 6' hand made walking stick when I'm in the woods and have turned my walking stick down on the bottom so the knife handle can fit tightly into the empty handle to make a spear, should I need one. The longer para cord looped through the cap can be used to tie the knife to notches made in the walking stick for that purpose. Finally, I took some chain saw sharpening files, and angle sharpened the saw tooth blade top so it cuts more like a real tree say. And my scabbard has a plastic liner, so the saw teeth don't cut the nylon sheath. My sheath has a sharpening stone in a little pocket of it, so the blade stays sharp. My 40 year old knife has gone with me on many outdoor trips into the boonies. Although, now that I'm older, I tend to travel more by 4 x 4 rock crawler rigs now than by foot. I now always carry a folding survival firearm with us on our camping trips because on one hiking trip into the mountans, pre gps, we got lost on a hike in 1969 when I was 18 yo, and the only thing that saved us from starvation was my old Mossburg C250 22 rifle and a box of shells. We walked out of the woods with 3 bullets left. My buddy and I survived on ground squirrels and wild onions for 7 days. Fun times that I hope everyone prepares for, but never experiences.
The handle is screwed onto the hilt. I found this out when i tried batoning with it. The handle started pulling off rite over the threads. I pretty much did the same thing to the knife using sheer strength golf club epoxy setting the blade in the hilt and epoxying the handle to the hilt. No more problems, solid!
Great vid and liked the etched blade. I packed the mini-tang with pro-poxy. Plumbers two part clay-like putty that cures hard as steel. It’s my beater knife and can’t believe I haven’t broken the blade.
yes its a basic knife so people please dont get bent out of shape , i have my kbar as my fav knife but i also have several of these , my mod is removed blade , reground end of blade that connects to hilt, so as to slide tang another 2 inches or so up into the aluminum handle, drilled though pin hole and resecured with solid fastener, inside the handle where tang now goes in aprox half way into hollow compartment, have drilled through handle in 2 places and through blade and pinned and filled hollow cavity about half full with jb weld type product which envelopes the blade tang in solid jb mixture about half way inthe handle now , so space cavity is about half of original for storing ferro rod, tinder, etc. leaves me with approx 6 inch blade left which is plenty, blade will never slide out , and when breaks it will be the blade will snap since it is not quality like my kbar but im pretty confident it will take quite a bit of stress to snap the blade, i plan on doing several tests on it to see how much it will take before breaking, and how much weight or pressure it takes to snap it. and when it does break then will just make it into a smaller fix bladed knife. .. i never throw away broken knives fixed blade or folders , can always repurpose into smaller knives. same goes for old sawsall blades , turn them into suvival blades.
When using JB weld on smooth parts , rough up the surfaces to be bonded with 80 grit or similar for good adhesion. No access ?? try sticking a small file in there to rough it up
How thick is the wall of the handle where the set screw is? I was thinking, extend the divot on the opposite side a bit, take a tap the size and thread count of the set screw and put some threades in it to serve as anchor points for the JB Weld. Im assuming of course you didn't put the set screw back in. But if the set screw was used I'd want a longer one. Maybe use medium grade thread locker on it. What i havent seen is any ideas on blade replacement if that one broke. How would you get the JB Weld out or reseal it? It might be possible to source or make that tension clip. Instead of JB Weld, how about a vulcanizable rubber compound to seal around the blade tang?
@@johnruckman2320 first, your idea is sound. In fact many have done just what you propose. I chose NOT to do that to test whether JUST the JB Weld with the original set screw would be sufficient. With respect to replacing the blade....the knife is just $10, so I would just replace the whole thing, I think.
Met Gil Hibben once or twice in Louisville, Ky. That guy could say with conviction " That's notta knife." Reach over to one of his creations, hand it to you and say " Now there's a knife. "
I thought it'd fit the moment. Hibben once remembered working on a piece when Stalone walked into his shop. I belive Hibben was the maker of some of Sly's prop weaponry in his movies. As they talked he asked how much for that particular knife. Wasn't cheap. Hibben quoted a price and Sly peeled off the price in cash and handed it Hibben. They talked a while longer and Stallone left. I believe knife Hibben was working on at the time he called a Butterfly. Handle grasp in the middle with the blades running down both sides of the fist. If you can dream it Gil can make it.
The knife is a tool for cutting, stabbing and chopping of soft tissues. Some silly people are trying to use the knife as the wood chisel and breaking the knifes. Good video
Pretty good project!!! JB Weld is pretty good stuff but I think I would have drilled a complete through hole, slathered the JB Weld to the shank, inserted the blade into the handle and then punched in a steel roll tension pin into the hole and sealed off with JB Weld--absolutely zero chance of that coming loose! You can also make your own handle dip by making a solution of 100% Silicone diluted down to dippable cosistency with VM&P Naphtha, which dries to a rubberized silicone texture. Can also be used for waterproofing cotton bedsheets to make tarps--credit to NighthawkInLight. Was your etching solution sulfuric acid drain cleaner??? 🤔 PS--The Silicone Rubberizing solution can be bottled and stored in a jar for later use. I have mine in a repurposed brown glass kombucha drink bottle.
I put that flexseal stuff on some stocking foot waders and it never did cure. Id use some type of rubber compound that you could hit with heat to vulcanize it. If you can find the right stuff.
Reminds me of my Aitor Survival Knife. Now that's a knife. Regarding the HF knife, I'd consider drilling a second hole through it and installing a second pin through the tang for added strength.
See the Cold Steel Bushman (2 blade profile options). About the same spend, I used a rubber bike grip instead of a spray on, made a HDPE (milk bottlr plastic) finger shaped tube melted to shape and seal with a synthetic cork cap to hold a small hex mounted drilbit with t-bar / set screws for mounting on a pole and tinder, line sinker hooks and a hot glue stick. As a thrower or spear its very spingy and after a half hour of tosses as a spear the tip was fine but your mileage may vary. It also come with a fire steel and plastic sheath.
I love that cold steel Bushman.. I'm trying to find a used Cold steel Bushman mini slightly smaller Bushman.. that cold steel discontinued a while back perhaps someone on eBay is selling one I want the smaller size but I like the fact that you can make it into a spear!!
Hey man I just found your channel and subscribed , I love it ! About the knife mods , another thing you can etch the blade with is Apple Cider vinegar or gun bluing works great. I really like the way the knife turned out , great job. Can't wait to see the next video keep up the great work.
I bought a few of these not for true survival but as for minor things. I also added a foam fish bobber, fishing string and hooks with strike anywhere matches. Will it last long No but it can be used.
@@geraldstamour1312 I agree totally. I am not sure I am ready to handle leatherwork, but that is something I want to try in the future. I have a video coming up on Jan 25!where I do a similar transformation on a Harbor Freight $12 Hatchet.
Years ago I gave one of these to my son. He used it hog hunting and broke the blade on a pig bone when dispatching the pig the dogs had subdued. I had one to but don't remember what happened to it. Clearly this isn't a custom hand made knife but...if you want a disposable knife you can abuse and replace for $9 they are fine. I wouldn't bet my life on it in a survival situation.
If the compass is functional when new, it’s best to remove it from the handle cap to prevent shock damage while trying to use the handle for hammering.
In my opinion, i would not perform the acid based darkening to the blade, but leave it stock. I have found that applying the faux patina on the blade will look nice, but each time using the knife especially for camping duties, the acid coating becomes marred and eventually expose the stainless steel of the blade.
Another tip is to file the tang of the knife and the inside of the handle where the knife goes in and job weld that. That will make a much better bond with the grooves
Was throwing knife bounced flat on 2 by 10 , blade snapped in half / brittle. Crystallized forge If not for that Blade screws onto Klein emt pipe bender handle It's a wonderful thing Better than "frying bumper Jack in the dark"
I have the same knife and the handle that came with mine only has an opening on the cap end and not the blade end thus keeping my knife water tight. Also wanted to mention the cumpus that came with mine actually works. Perhaps manufactured in batches thus the slight variances. Thanks for the geat ideas.
It may be useful when used to baton kindling or other such chores. A bad knife is still better than no knife (except for a paring knife I have, which is horrible at everything).
You may consider yourself an expert, and you may be one for all I know. But always remember this : what you consider "useless" might just be the thing that saves your life. What one person says is useless another person might think is a necessity. And not everyone is capable of affording to "upgrade" a knife as you say.
@@Rick-if5zb I assume that you are talking about the little survival packet that is supposed to fit in the handle? Your comment is not altogether clear.
The only think I really like to do with these "Rambo" style survival knives with hollow handles for storing things was hafting them onto shafts and making spears out of them.
@@CowboySurvivalyou DID say that. You said you took a big syringe of J B WELD and squirted it into the hollow Handle. Some people just don't LISTEN. They HEAR but they don't LISTEN. Big difference.
i did a chemical fix to screw set on all these knives and add seal it if gaps leak water in handle. i also add bit grip cover on outside of handle and add second tie protection. stop it from 1 hold knife in sheath as not fighting knife.
Negativity is a do nothing persons way of being self empowered...strictly weak folk with zero skill or motivation...you show how they are what they are... At 64 being resourceful got me farther than most...go dude!
My knife was so hard that the drilbit didn't cut. So i just epoxied the knife and screw into the handle. And then upgraded the 'survival' items to include lifeboat matches and more hooks and line, ect.
was the compass N heading off about 30 or so degrees? That may match up with where the Magnetic pole is now, major pole excursion, it's skipping along at about 3.4 to 4.3 miles every 2 weeks to 4 weeks. Lately it's been accellerating. It is approaching Russia. Sextant, Sun Compass bandana, Cardinal settings, Star Chart bandana etc may be good fixes.
@@CowboySurvival Too bad it isn't a clock. It could be right twice a day. I am involved in aviation. The runway numbers are changing fast these days. In fact it is so fast that NOTAMS are being issued to flights with the corrections in the instruction. The cost of painting everytime the settings change is cost prohibitive. Now it is done periodically. Sign of the Times.
Bravo, a well done project! The Harbor Freight Survival knifes all need a Locktight Red type of treatment of the Allen Screw and handle to blade contact area. I like how you rubberized the grip. One very good use for such a inexpensive survival knife is in making a telescopic Survival Spear. Just buy a telescopic handle and Paint Roller handle at Harbor Freight and do it yourself for an effective personal safety defensive device, for protecting yourself and loved ones from dangerous attacking apex predatorial animal attacks.
First chance I get, I will take it into the field and stress it some. I will post that video . . . my prediction: At some point, the knife will fail, but it will likely take a lot of punishment before reaching that point.
Not trying to sound like a hater, only came to ooint out the fact that a button compass has a very small magnet...so to use it properly it needs to be turned in both directions and it will find it's range within a few degrees...it's for emergency direction finding not precisely finding the north pole.
Me personally I'd never use this knife, in my opinion it's completely garbage. However, you sir have really cool ideas for making it better. I love the rubber handle coating and the jb weld is a great touch to make it stronger. I really enjoyed the video. You sir got a new subscriber
@@garyalensr I agree that the knife is kind of impractical. It is just SOOO big! But it was a really fun project. Doing projects that are out of your comfort zone is always good for your mental health.
I thought plenty of those knives and modified them similar to what you did and I've actually tried the terrorism of them up oh yeah you can tear them up if you really want to but if you use them correctly they will work and they could save your tail end in a survival situation
When working on attached knife handles blades are usually prtected by wrapping blade in several wrapes of tape. This does two things. Protects smith from getting cut and protects blade from scratches (like when you held down blade w clamp). Sorry, could not continue after that little fiasco. JW
@@jumpnjack8686 that was a good observation. If the blade had been higher quality, I might have thought of that. Honestly, given the cost of the knife, I didn't think about scratches. I was too focused on the process, I guess. With the next one, I will make sure to protect the blade.
@@CowboySurvival it wasn't the value of the blade i was pointing out. You commented in video about blood thinners did not want to get cut. It was about not getting cut that was important and the first of two things tapping the blade does. "protects smith from getting cut" in my original message.
Yesterday, on Fox News, it was reported that a man was arrested in New York for wearing a ski mask and being in the country illegally. The news reported that he was "trying to conceal a 14" knife in his pants." Turns out the picture of the knife was the HARBOR FREIGHT SURVIVAL KNIFE! Did anyone else see that?
Are people that curious what we might be carrying in our pants? ...and I thought ski masks were mandatory for covid protection. I got shouted at for not wearing a ski mask in the liquor store ...that was in Alabama.
I once heard a search and rescue/survivalist or bushcrafter, whichever you prefer, say a sharpened rock can do everything an esee 6 or bark river bravo can, just less efficiently. And I believe that statement. Il stoll take my esee 4
How about putting an eyelet in the point of the sheath to run Paracord around your thigh to make it a little more sturdy for unsheathing the knife when worn on the belt?
I think it’s a pretty cool knife! I bought 2 just to have in case! Has a pretty good edge on it! Junk kit in it! I would put a roll pin in the screw hole! Silicone that blade to the handle!
Thanks for posting this. When reattaching the blade, how about sanding the tang of the blade and adding some epoxy, then using jb weld and the set screw?
I bought this knife years ago. I have never used it but I have survived all these years. 5 stars.
😄 Well why don't you try it and test it out and butter some bread! 🍞 🥳 If it fails, your dead! 😂
So it works...toadly awesome...
Can't argue with success!
Best comment I have seen!
I’ve had one as a bare crap knife never used still works I think .
“A wise man speaks because he has something to say. A fool speaks because he has to say something.”
There are a lot of foolish comments on here that do nothing but brag about being the survivalist they fancy themselves as being.
Thank you sir for video! It was enlightening and entertaining.
Maybe they are
Probly ain’t
I'm blown away by how negative people are being in the comments about a guy just having fun and doing a project. I thought it was a great video and had some pretty interesting mods.
Nothing wrong with the video, its great! But I would never ever choose that knife for a survival situation. Your life is worth much more than that!
@@ironton655 trust me....for survival, I have better equipment. I chose this one just for this project.
I found one of those knives years ago and just tossed it in my tool box. About 7 years ago I decided to use it to baton firewood until it breaks. I use a ball peen hammer. I still use the pos every year.
@@CowboySurvival I wouldn't waste money on that garbage!
I think so. I thought it was pretty easy to pickup that this is not a bush worthy knife after modding. It is something to do as a tinker or to test your own skills out with. Better than with a $80 knife imo. 😊
I removed the survival kit and found a small Harbor Freight LED flashlight fits perfectly!
Or an ounce of PETN.
@@philkearny5587Sir, I like the way you think.
@@philkearny5587Talk dirty to me, Sapper-daddy !!😂😂💯💥🫡
My friends and I all used to have knives like these back in the day like 30 years ago or so. We used to strap them to our legs underneath our pants and hide them but we all carried knives everywhere we went. We just used them as tools and toys. They were all this Rambo style with the hollow handle and usually a compass or cap on the bottom that you could screw off. I used to keep a fire striker in mine!
I bought one of these and I powder coated the whole thing matte black and sharpened it. Really I couldn't believe how good of an edge that thing took. I also have a Ka-Bar Marine fighting knife. I think I will take the Harbor Freight knife apart and reinforce the mounting of it.
@@actionjksn everyone disrespects the knife because they say the steel is not great. But as long as the knife isn't intentionally abused, it is a very serviceable tool.
You described this so well that I was able to go buy this knife specifically to do this project. I don't mess with acid, so I didn't do that part, but I could have, because of how thorough your explanation was. Also, I put the rubber spray on the handle, but I wrapped it in my para chord, as well. I used the set screw to anchor my chord at one end, and tucked the other end into the handle. I kept the striker, and ditched the matches and sewing kit. But I added some saw chord cable inside the handle, with the rings attached. My walking staff is just the right size at one end to make this a spear point by putting the handle over the end of the pole. I modified the sheath to make it useful, and it wasn't much work.
Also, I'm blind. So well done, and much thanks.
@@SmartMoufShirts I have heard that you can etch a blade with vinegar, but I am not able to describe the specifics. You might research that method.
I like the flex seal handle, Great idea.
I don't know if it was just a problem with the series of stock that they received but the one that I have is essentially the same knife except that it seems to have a better survival kit which included several fish hooks a thorough sewing kit a strike on anything striker and a half a dozen sealed waterproof matches. Although the blade was not especially sharp it was made of case-hardened 440c stainless and it is possible to sharpen it, and when it's sharpened up it can be made to be VERY sharp. And lastly unlike yours mine not only had a o-ring seal on the cap it also had an o-ring seal on the other end where the blade came through and mine was waterproof. I added a few things to the survival kit including 10 ft of thin paracord, a couple of small birthday cake type candles, and a small fire starter about the size and thickness of five stacked dimes that I made of a mixture of paraffin, wood shavings, and a small amount of gunpowder mixed with three drops of lantern oil.
@@roberttaylor9817 that is really interesting. It may be that they have improved the knife.
I bought one years ago and sharpened it and was impressed with how well it held an edge.
I wondered about that. My expectations for a $10 knife would be a lot lower. Imagine investing a lot of time modding something that turned out to be junk! 😭
I picked one of these (and the Buck clone) up from Harbor Freight a few months ago after seeing a few videos similar to this. The knife is definitely a fun base for a low budget project!
Yep I steard up some JB weld pushed it down the handle let it dry never had a problem with the handle coming loose again
I gave one of these to my son in law a few years ago. He loves it. Generally keeps it in tge door pocket of his pickup. Used mustly for cutting bailer twine and other ranch use. End cap no longer comes off from sitting in a field for a few months. I wonder about tge blade attachment but the knife is still fine.
Nice beater knife for the glove box or in the truck. I wrapped one in green twine and it looks like a Rambo #1 knife. Crazy glue the blade to the handle.
A trick I have used to make knife handles longer for a screw-on pommel is to weld a bolt to t tang and then grind t sides flat. You can make it full tang and then use epoxy, that's not going to break very easily. Nice finish.
I like these because you can learn quite a bit about the equipment you need.
On a personal note, If it aint a full tang, Im not gonna mess with it too much.
I have seen what can happen with survival knives that arent.
Although, I do have one or two of these. But only for looks, and yes, I take them out going fishing.
My full tangs are for real survival issues. Thise go with me when I camp.
If it ain't full tang then it junk basically!
@@royjett6858 ever hear of a m96 Mauser Bayonet? Or the Buckmaster?
There have been high quality, hollow-handle knives built throughout history.
If it's junk, it usually isn't because the handle is hollow. It's becuase it's not made properly of decent materials.
Look at socket sets in your tool box.
The socket attatches to the ratchet handle.
When a socket breaks, it doesn't break at the joint.
That's because it's made properly.
Another sweet mod for this HF knife is to shorten and narrow the blade and put a spring in the hollow handle. If you build a separate impact spring charger and use a die spring you can get crazy speed and distance. The reason to start with this knife is to make a bunch of them and sell them for huge profit.
Tell me more!
I would also like to hear more. Turning this into a ballistics knife sounds like a rad project, also maybe a otf style mod??
How many have you made and what's the sweet spot for the price point?
That's called a ballistic knife and it's a felony to even possess one in Florida. It originated with Russian Spetsnaz special forces.
That etched blade looks great. These are some great mods.
@@payne540 it was a really fun project.
Bought one of these a couple years ago and will definitely be modding it now. Thank you.
As far as I have heard, that short sawback is used to score thick bamboo, or small limbs, so that it is easier to snap them in two with your hands.
I think is can also be used to notch a stick when attaching the knife to use it as a spear head.
My knife is one that Harbor Freight {Chinese} copied, but I did some similar mods on mine. My handle mounts with a nut in the handle that goes onto the blades shank to secure it. I sealed too mine for waterproof. My handle was dipped in a plastic coating use on pliers and other tool handles. In the handle I carry a striker and some cotton (lint balls in a small plastic bag) in my handle with some fishing hooks and 2 small floats in a small bottle. The bottle has some real fishing line wrapped around the outside and secure with some tape.
I use a 6' hand made walking stick when I'm in the woods and have turned my walking stick down on the bottom so the knife handle can fit tightly into the empty handle to make a spear, should I need one. The longer para cord looped through the cap can be used to tie the knife to notches made in the walking stick for that purpose.
Finally, I took some chain saw sharpening files, and angle sharpened the saw tooth blade top so it cuts more like a real tree say. And my scabbard has a plastic liner, so the saw teeth don't cut the nylon sheath. My sheath has a sharpening stone in a little pocket of it, so the blade stays sharp.
My 40 year old knife has gone with me on many outdoor trips into the boonies. Although, now that I'm older, I tend to travel more by 4 x 4 rock crawler rigs now than by foot.
I now always carry a folding survival firearm with us on our camping trips because on one hiking trip into the mountans, pre gps, we got lost on a hike in 1969 when I was 18 yo, and the only thing that saved us from starvation was my old Mossburg C250 22 rifle and a box of shells. We walked out of the woods with 3 bullets left. My buddy and I survived on ground squirrels and wild onions for 7 days.
Fun times that I hope everyone prepares for, but never experiences.
You definitely don't want to try to actually use it as a saw.
I've found it works great as a fish scaler.
@@CurtisDrew1 , @reallybigmonkey1 uses packaging plastic as liners for his sheaths.
As your dogs are running around the table wanting to play ball, mine is groaning at me wanting to play ball. 😆
The handle is screwed onto the hilt. I found this out when i tried batoning with it. The handle started pulling off rite over the threads. I pretty much did the same thing to the knife using sheer strength golf club epoxy setting the blade in the hilt and epoxying the handle to the hilt. No more problems, solid!
Thanks for the video.
The main reason I watched this was to see what you were going to store in the hollow handle.
It's fun to mess around with inexpensive things like this. I got one and make good use of it in the garden and garage : )
Great vid and liked the etched blade. I packed the mini-tang with pro-poxy. Plumbers two part clay-like putty that cures hard as steel. It’s my beater knife and can’t believe I haven’t broken the blade.
yes its a basic knife so people please dont get bent out of shape , i have my kbar as my fav knife but i also have several of these , my mod is removed blade , reground end of blade that connects to hilt, so as to slide tang another 2 inches or so up into the aluminum handle, drilled though pin hole and resecured with solid fastener, inside the handle where tang now goes in aprox half way into hollow compartment, have drilled through handle in 2 places and through blade and pinned and filled hollow cavity about half full with jb weld type product which envelopes the blade tang in solid jb mixture about half way inthe handle now , so space cavity is about half of original for storing ferro rod, tinder, etc. leaves me with approx 6 inch blade left which is plenty, blade will never slide out , and when breaks it will be the blade will snap since it is not quality like my kbar but im pretty confident it will take quite a bit of stress to snap the blade, i plan on doing several tests on it to see how much it will take before breaking, and how much weight or pressure it takes to snap it. and when it does break then will just make it into a smaller fix bladed knife. .. i never throw away broken knives fixed blade or folders , can always repurpose into smaller knives. same goes for old sawsall blades , turn them into suvival blades.
Enjoyed your ideas to improve this knife, also save broken knives and old saws-all blades! Why waste good steel! Happy Holidays, Blsgs, gg🙏✝️🙋❤️☝️🇺🇸
Have one like that as a redundancy back up in my bug out bag in case my primary breaks.
Excellent discussion and informative. Thanks.
When using JB weld on smooth parts , rough up the surfaces to be bonded with 80 grit or similar for good adhesion. No access ?? try sticking a small file in there to rough it up
That tang was actually larger than i thought it would be.
How thick is the wall of the handle where the set screw is?
I was thinking, extend the divot on the opposite side a bit, take a tap the size and thread count of the set screw and put some threades in it to serve as anchor points for the JB Weld. Im assuming of course you didn't put the set screw back in. But if the set screw was used I'd want a longer one. Maybe use medium grade thread locker on it.
What i havent seen is any ideas on blade replacement if that one broke.
How would you get the JB Weld out or reseal it?
It might be possible to source or make that tension clip.
Instead of JB Weld, how about a vulcanizable rubber compound to seal around the blade tang?
@@johnruckman2320 first, your idea is sound. In fact many have done just what you propose. I chose NOT to do that to test whether JUST the JB Weld with the original set screw would be sufficient. With respect to replacing the blade....the knife is just $10, so I would just replace the whole thing, I think.
I etch my blades in pickling vinegar. They look fantastic 🇨🇦
Doesn't work on stainless steel.
@@ironton655 That's when the ol' ferric chloride comes in handy.
Nice, easy inexpensive mods. Good job.
Met Gil Hibben once or twice in Louisville, Ky. That guy could say with conviction
" That's notta knife."
Reach over to one of his creations, hand it to you and say
" Now there's a knife. "
@@cliffowens3629 I love anecdotes like this!
I thought it'd fit the moment. Hibben once remembered working on a piece when Stalone walked into his shop. I belive Hibben was the maker of some of Sly's prop weaponry in his movies. As they talked he asked how much for that particular knife. Wasn't cheap. Hibben quoted a price and Sly peeled off the price in cash and handed it Hibben. They talked a while longer and Stallone left. I believe knife Hibben was working on at the time he called a Butterfly.
Handle grasp in the middle with the blades running down both sides of the fist.
If you can dream it Gil can make it.
Im a lil jealous that you've met such a legend in the knife world.
The knife is a tool for cutting, stabbing and chopping of soft tissues. Some silly people are trying to use the knife as the wood chisel and breaking the knifes. Good video
Pretty good project!!! JB Weld is pretty good stuff but I think I would have drilled a complete through hole, slathered the JB Weld to the shank, inserted the blade into the handle and then punched in a steel roll tension pin into the hole and sealed off with JB Weld--absolutely zero chance of that coming loose! You can also make your own handle dip by making a solution of 100% Silicone diluted down to dippable cosistency with VM&P Naphtha, which dries to a rubberized silicone texture. Can also be used for waterproofing cotton bedsheets to make tarps--credit to NighthawkInLight. Was your etching solution sulfuric acid drain cleaner??? 🤔
PS--The Silicone Rubberizing solution can be bottled and stored in a jar for later use. I have mine in a repurposed brown glass kombucha drink bottle.
Everyone is an Expert, when someone else is doing the work ! 😠
"The bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is gone".
-Unknown-
The Chinese have got us stupid Americans pegged~!!!
I put that flexseal stuff on some stocking foot waders and it never did cure.
Id use some type of rubber compound that you could hit with heat to vulcanize it. If you can find the right stuff.
Reminds me of my Aitor Survival Knife. Now that's a knife. Regarding the HF knife, I'd consider drilling a second hole through it and installing a second pin through the tang for added strength.
Looks much better.
Kudos
See the Cold Steel Bushman (2 blade profile options). About the same spend, I used a rubber bike grip instead of a spray on, made a HDPE (milk bottlr plastic) finger shaped tube melted to shape and seal with a synthetic cork cap to hold a small hex mounted drilbit with t-bar / set screws for mounting on a pole and tinder, line sinker hooks and a hot glue stick. As a thrower or spear its very spingy and after a half hour of tosses as a spear the tip was fine but your mileage may vary. It also come with a fire steel and plastic sheath.
I love that cold steel Bushman.. I'm trying to find a used Cold steel Bushman mini slightly smaller Bushman.. that cold steel discontinued a while back perhaps someone on eBay is selling one I want the smaller size but I like the fact that you can make it into a spear!!
Hey man I just found your channel and subscribed , I love it ! About the knife mods , another thing you can etch the blade with is Apple Cider vinegar or gun bluing works great. I really like the way the knife turned out , great job. Can't wait to see the next video keep up the great work.
Does the Apple cider vinegar give a different effect? Or is it similar in color?
Gun blue does not faze stainless steel. It does nothing to it.
Nice project for a budget knife, looks much better than before. But honestly in a survival situation I'd want a Ka - Bar.
The bk9…
I bought a few of these not for true survival but as for minor things. I also added a foam fish bobber, fishing string and hooks with strike anywhere matches. Will it last long No but it can be used.
Looks great!
Dope AF results, @CowboySurvival! Now it needs an equally dope sheath to complete the package!!
@@geraldstamour1312 I agree totally. I am not sure I am ready to handle leatherwork, but that is something I want to try in the future. I have a video coming up on Jan 25!where I do a similar transformation on a Harbor Freight $12 Hatchet.
Years ago I gave one of these to my son. He used it hog hunting and broke the blade on a pig bone when dispatching the pig the dogs had subdued. I had one to but don't remember what happened to it. Clearly this isn't a custom hand made knife but...if you want a disposable knife you can abuse and replace for $9 they are fine. I wouldn't bet my life on it in a survival situation.
Agreed.
It’s a fun project and for a beginner just starting out it will do
Thanks. Not the greatest knife, but for a project like this, starting with a $10 knife means you can take risks with the project! lol!
Better living through Chinese junk ?
If the compass is functional when new, it’s best to remove it from the handle cap to prevent shock damage while trying to use the handle for hammering.
yes, I would also do that.
Looks good
Great job. Thank you.
Good video. Will be going to HF tomorrow to pick one up and try this out.
Great ideas!
In my opinion, i would not perform the acid based darkening to the blade, but leave it stock. I have found that applying the faux patina on the blade will look nice, but each time using the knife especially for camping duties, the acid coating becomes marred and eventually expose the stainless steel of the blade.
Nice outcome... awesome.
Another tip is to file the tang of the knife and the inside of the handle where the knife goes in and job weld that. That will make a much better bond with the grooves
Cool video! Ignore the negative comments and keep on doing what you do!
Great knife conversion
Dude that is great
Was throwing knife bounced flat on 2 by 10 , blade snapped in half / brittle. Crystallized forge
If not for that
Blade screws onto Klein emt
pipe bender handle
It's a wonderful thing
Better than "frying bumper Jack in the dark"
I have the same knife and the handle that came with mine only has an opening on the cap end and not the blade end thus keeping my knife water tight. Also wanted to mention the cumpus that came with mine actually works. Perhaps manufactured in batches thus the slight variances. Thanks for the geat ideas.
Compass
Great looking knife. Good job, have you thought about doing a case harden coloring with cold bluing or copper sulfate copper case coloring?
It may be useful when used to baton kindling or other such chores. A bad knife is still better than no knife (except for a paring knife I have, which is horrible at everything).
It’s a great knife to modify for sure. I had a great time with mine a few years ago.
Good details!! Look forward to more hacks!!
You may consider yourself an expert, and you may be one for all I know. But always remember this : what you consider "useless" might just be the thing that saves your life. What one person says is useless another person might think is a necessity. And not everyone is capable of affording to "upgrade" a knife as you say.
@@Rick-if5zb I assume that you are talking about the little survival packet that is supposed to fit in the handle? Your comment is not altogether clear.
It’s a $10 HF knife RICKhead 🙄-I’m sorry I forgot you were back of the line on brain day, that means STFU and make your own $10 and under channel… 😆
Nice job 👍👍
The only think I really like to do with these "Rambo" style survival knives with hollow handles for storing things was hafting them onto shafts and making spears out of them.
Why didn’t use the set screw and the JB weld? Both would have made the bond even stronger, no?
@@cliffordstarkey I did. I guess I didn't make that clear in the video. My apologies.
@@CowboySurvivalyou DID say that. You said you took a big syringe of J B WELD and squirted it into the hollow Handle. Some people just don't LISTEN. They HEAR but they don't LISTEN. Big difference.
My son has one of these but I actually purchased a harbor freight Gordon Buck 110 copy.. wow fantastic knife for $20.. on sale..
The Gordon multi tool is pretty good too.
I would change the profile of the knife point to a spear point so that the tip is more solid and less likely to break off.
Excellent suggestion!
It looks great.
How durable are they?
I would love to have seen the "JB Weld" portion of the video.
What did you end up putting inside the handle?
i did a chemical fix to screw set on all these knives and add seal it if gaps leak water in handle. i also add bit grip cover on outside of handle and add second tie protection. stop it from 1 hold knife in sheath as not fighting knife.
Negativity is a do nothing persons way of being self empowered...strictly weak folk with zero skill or motivation...you show how they are what they are...
At 64 being resourceful got me farther than most...go dude!
My knife was so hard that the drilbit didn't cut. So i just epoxied the knife and screw into the handle. And then upgraded the 'survival' items to include lifeboat matches and more hooks and line, ect.
wow, i like this....
Thank you for the encouragement. I am working on a similar video modifying the $12 Harbor Freight Hatchet. Should be out on Dec. 14, I think.
Nice job love the etch on the blade 5 out of 5 my friend.
was the compass N heading off about 30 or so degrees? That may match up with where the Magnetic pole is now, major pole excursion, it's skipping along at about 3.4 to 4.3 miles every 2 weeks to 4 weeks. Lately it's been accellerating. It is approaching Russia. Sextant, Sun Compass bandana, Cardinal settings, Star Chart bandana etc may be good fixes.
@@geraldbock1012 in this case, the needle wouldn't spin AT ALL! These button compasses are often hit-or-miss when it comes to quality.
@@CowboySurvival Too bad it isn't a clock. It could be right twice a day. I am involved in aviation. The runway numbers are changing fast these days. In fact it is so fast that NOTAMS are being issued to flights with the corrections in the instruction. The cost of painting everytime the settings change is cost prohibitive. Now it is done periodically. Sign of the Times.
Bravo, a well done project! The Harbor Freight Survival knifes all need a Locktight Red type of treatment of the Allen Screw and handle to blade contact area. I like how you rubberized the grip. One very good use for such a inexpensive survival knife is in making a telescopic Survival Spear. Just buy a telescopic handle and Paint Roller handle at Harbor Freight and do it yourself for an effective personal safety defensive device, for protecting yourself and loved ones from dangerous attacking apex predatorial animal attacks.
Great video! I would like to see the blade being used to see how strong it is.
First chance I get, I will take it into the field and stress it some. I will post that video . . . my prediction: At some point, the knife will fail, but it will likely take a lot of punishment before reaching that point.
Not trying to sound like a hater, only came to ooint out the fact that a button compass has a very small magnet...so to use it properly it needs to be turned in both directions and it will find it's range within a few degrees...it's for emergency direction finding not precisely finding the north pole.
@@edwardcody1671 excellent point
Would have been nice to see the JB Weld application process.
Me personally I'd never use this knife, in my opinion it's completely garbage. However, you sir have really cool ideas for making it better. I love the rubber handle coating and the jb weld is a great touch to make it stronger. I really enjoyed the video. You sir got a new subscriber
@@garyalensr I agree that the knife is kind of impractical. It is just SOOO big! But it was a really fun project. Doing projects that are out of your comfort zone is always good for your mental health.
I totally agree, you definitely made this knife a billon times better. Did you ever test it? Or did you make a different sheath?
@@garyalensr didn't "test" it per se, but I do have another vid coming out in a couple of weeks where I try to make the knife more practical.
Anyone know what kind of steel the blade is? Some sort of Chi-com stainless I guess.. Enjoyed the video and reminded me I need to hit H-F soon...
I thought plenty of those knives and modified them similar to what you did and I've actually tried the terrorism of them up oh yeah you can tear them up if you really want to but if you use them correctly they will work and they could save your tail end in a survival situation
At some point, I WILL stress test this knife, but I agree with you . . . use it normally, and it will likely be sufficient. Abuse it and it will fail.
Does the guard screw onto the handle?
@@SoldierDrew the handle and guard are a single piece. In the video, you can see where I took the blade out of the handle.
Great job bro
When working on attached knife handles blades are usually prtected by wrapping blade in several wrapes of tape. This does two things. Protects smith from getting cut and protects blade from scratches (like when you held down blade w clamp). Sorry, could not continue after that little fiasco. JW
@@jumpnjack8686 that was a good observation. If the blade had been higher quality, I might have thought of that. Honestly, given the cost of the knife, I didn't think about scratches. I was too focused on the process, I guess. With the next one, I will make sure to protect the blade.
@@CowboySurvival it wasn't the value of the blade i was pointing out. You commented in video about blood thinners did not want to get cut. It was about not getting cut that was important and the first of two things tapping the blade does. "protects smith from getting cut" in my original message.
I kept wondering if the blade was going to snap in two pieces~!
I think if it was me, id check the Rockwell hardness, and see if the temper could be improved, and then color the blade with bluing.
Good review
Yesterday, on Fox News, it was reported that a man was arrested in New York for wearing a ski mask and being in the country illegally. The news reported that he was "trying to conceal a 14" knife in his pants." Turns out the picture of the knife was the HARBOR FREIGHT SURVIVAL KNIFE! Did anyone else see that?
Hilarious?? But no I didn't see that,... looks like he didn't 'survive ', as he got caught.
@@daye8132😂
DEPORTATION OR THE ELECTRIC CHAIR
Yes the gangs love them~!!!
Are people that curious what we might be carrying in our pants? ...and I thought ski masks were mandatory for covid protection. I got shouted at for not wearing a ski mask in the liquor store ...that was in Alabama.
I once heard a search and rescue/survivalist or bushcrafter, whichever you prefer, say a sharpened rock can do everything an esee 6 or bark river bravo can, just less efficiently. And I believe that statement. Il stoll take my esee 4
Any videos on how tough this knife really is in the field?
Awesome job 👍 Brother 🙏👏 God Bless Everyone and America and you and your Beautiful family. Happy Thanksgiving 🦃 🙏⛪❤️🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Amen! Happy Thanksgiving 🍗🦃 and May God truly bless our nation!🇺🇸
How about putting an eyelet in the point of the sheath to run Paracord around your thigh to make it a little more sturdy for unsheathing the knife when worn on the belt?
I think it’s a pretty cool knife! I bought 2 just to have in case! Has a pretty good edge on it! Junk kit in it! I would put a roll pin in the screw hole! Silicone that blade to the handle!
Thanks for posting this. When reattaching the blade, how about sanding the tang of the blade and adding some epoxy, then using jb weld and the set screw?
@@negolfman that might work well.
Nice job!
Thanks. It was a LOT of fun doing this project.
They have a rubber solution,that you dip tool handles in,