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. 😊
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nice presentation but with all due respect, "survival" requires quality. A stainless steel knife from China with an aluminum handle (and not a full tang) is far from being quality. This may be a decent garden knife but I would not want to stake my life on it. Clearly, this is a silly and extremely CHEAP knock-off of the Buckmaster. None the less, you provide a good way to improve a junk knife.
You are correct. The knife is cheap, as I pointed out. That wasn't the point. It was a fun project. The fact that the knife was cheap meant that, if I screwed it up, it really didn't matter. It was a very fun project.
This is the very night that I keep in my car to repel boarders with. And it's just about right for that because if the police confiscated well it cost me 10 bucks. Turn the light to cheap pistol then I keep in my pocket. If the police confiscate that oh well I can buy another one. But I think you're right I wouldn't want to have to be doing any kind of outdoor woodwork with this cheapo knife for long periods of time. And who knows how long it would last. I have another knife that is Damascus steel in staghorn I would probably use that for my survival.
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
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.
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!!
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.
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.
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.
Humans survived for literally thousands of years using flint chips. Of all the things survival relies on equipment of exacting specifications is not on the list. The BEST knife for survival is the knife you have at the time. By and large, survival situations occur as the result of an accident. Most often when your hi-quality gear is miles & miles away.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
@@mortykatz8818 personally, I prefer leather. Also, with a long blade like this, if you are going to carry it, it must swing freely on your side so that does not obstruct the movement of your leg.
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.
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.
I don't mean to rain on your parade but the biggest issue is that the steel blade sets down in Cast Aluminum about 1 3/4" give or take. Chopping may be out of the question with this knife. (Actually that is a safety issue) This knife is a cutter and should not be used for anything but that. Fact is I'd be careful what you do with this knife. It's a cheap knife and should be treated as such.
@@skipjames52 no problem. I don't consider it raining at all. Note that I never claimed the knife was quality. It was just a fun project to make it "better". Because this knife is so inexpensive, it is a great knife to experiment with.
@@skipjames52 I see nothing wrong with your advice here. When I started this project, it was a challenge to see if I could make the knife aesthetically better. But you are correct, there is little that can be done with the quality.
Very pretty conversion but I hope you never have to it in anger, basically if you want a cheap knife with a rubber handle just buy a MORA which is a decent blade and has been̈ tried and tested over the years.
Let's spray on rubber coating is usually pretty weak I've tried it a number of different times and it was just not very good not something I would probably better off to wrap it with a cord or wrap it with a bicycle handlebar tape also the shank on the knife blade is really pretty short it doesn't give a lot of integrity and it looks like this is something that's going to break and fail fairly easily and the screw-in pin that you took out replacing that with JB weld I think you're better off to drill that hole completely through and put a serious rivet in there and yeah go ahead and use J-B weld to seal it up
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"
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).
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Sir, Enjoyed what you did to improve the looks and function of the knife! I used to improve the cheap survival knives years ago by a large flat washer and larger nut to secure the handle. Always disliked the "bottle opener" notch in the blade, weak design. These HF knives are much better and everyone can afford one or more! Sure, we all love the better knives, but can't slways afford them. Happy Thanksgiving, Blsgs, gg🙏✝️🙋❤️☝️🇺🇸
This style marked the Rambo knife rage of the 80's. The handle, guard junction was weak, the blade tang not able to go beyond the hollow handle. Chris Reeves made a hollow handled knife which was worked out of a single blade blank. There were no junctures, just one piece of steel. I boycott Chinese products and hollow handled survival knives..........
The sawtooth back it not functional because the teeth are straight. It would be a good project to use a punch to offset the teeth more like a saw blade so at least it would cut and not just make a slit and just get stuck.
I do not disagree. If anything, the "saw teeth" are more of an aggravation than anything. If it was just a right angle grind across the top, it would me more useful as a spark-er than it currently is.
@@kurtjensen7264 the thing is that, if you want to experiment with modifying a knife, this is a great knife to donor with. If you mess it up, you are only out $10. But you can perfect techniques that you can then use on more expensive knives.
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.
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 have done field test with this knife. 4 of them at 3 months apart to make sure that the breaks were not just a flaw in the knife as it was made. This product is a wanna be woodsmen life. The hole design is a piece of well, not enough that you need to waste your money. I use tops knives when in the field doing, well, anyway. U pay for what u get. Think, can u depend on ur life with this knife? Maybe if u camp out in ur back yard.
I would counter (though not in an aggressive way) that useful survival items can be found in many non-traditional places. While advanced preparation may require speciality sellers, one of the pints of this channel is showing beginners how to get started. As the old proverb says, every journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.
I think the "survival" part is surviving a rainy Saturday by having a little fun modifying a $9 knife. Money well spent. I do the same thing, more or less, restoring old pocket knives.
@@RustyShacklefordJr1337 sometimes it isn't about affording the "real thing". Sometimes it is about taking in a challenge....sometimes big, sometimes small. Doing something you have never done before. Running 1 mile further than ever before. Learning something you didn't know before. These are the kinds of things that keep life rich and wonderful. Relax and enjoy the journey! Have a Blessed Day!
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.
Great vid! Thanks for showing how to improve quality. Not sure why all the fuss… It’s titled Mod video, not the best knife on the market… 🙄 We all know there’s expensive knifes you can buy without having to adjust it’s quality….
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
Neat upgrade. Don’t let the armchair scholars get to you in the comments. Yes, it’s a cheap knife. Did you make it better? Yes, definitely. Is it the best all around survival knife. Nope, because it’s a cheap Harbor Freight knife made from cheap materials. Can you cut stuff with it? Yup. Can you skin an elephant with it? Yes, but it will likely need a lot of resharpening for the full skinning job. Will it whittle a toothpick in the back country of Alaska? You bet, but why would you take a cheap Harbor Freight knife to the back country in Alaska? I mean, seriously…. Why? Would it be good to give to a nephew to beat on things with? You bet, cause why worry about a cheap Harbor Freight knife? It is what it is and a lot of commenters seem to think you’re trying to recreate Excalibur. It’s a fun little project that has ideas that could transfer to other projects.
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
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!
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 .
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 !!😂😂💯💥🫡
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.
I like the flex seal handle, Great idea.
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 years ago and sharpened it and was impressed with how well it held an edge.
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
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.
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.
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🙏✝️🙋❤️☝️🇺🇸
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.
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.
Bought one of these a couple years ago and will definitely be modding it now. Thank you.
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.
I etch my blades in pickling vinegar. They look fantastic 🇨🇦
Doesn't work on stainless steel.
Thanks for the video.
The main reason I watched this was to see what you were going to store in the hollow handle.
Nice presentation but with all due respect, "survival" requires quality. A stainless steel knife from China with an aluminum handle (and not a full tang) is far from being quality. This may be a decent garden knife but I would not want to stake my life on it. Clearly, this is a silly and extremely CHEAP knock-off of the Buckmaster. None the less, you provide a good way to improve a junk knife.
Survival requires what you have with you. A survival knife may be a razor blade. Idk what you even mean by garden knife either.
You are correct. The knife is cheap, as I pointed out. That wasn't the point. It was a fun project. The fact that the knife was cheap meant that, if I screwed it up, it really didn't matter. It was a very fun project.
@@CowboySurvivalreally nice project!
You'd be better off using an "old hickory " butcher knife for an example and throwing together a pocket size survival kit.
This is the very night that I keep in my car to repel boarders with. And it's just about right for that because if the police confiscated well it cost me 10 bucks. Turn the light to cheap pistol then I keep in my pocket. If the police confiscate that oh well I can buy another one. But I think you're right I wouldn't want to have to be doing any kind of outdoor woodwork with this cheapo knife for long periods of time. And who knows how long it would last. I have another knife that is Damascus steel in staghorn I would probably use that for my survival.
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
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!
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…
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.
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!!
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.
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.
Nice outcome... awesome.
Looks great!
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.
For any kind of survival knife, only a full tang and minimum 6mm blade thickness would be any use.
Humans survived for literally thousands of years using flint chips. Of all the things survival relies on equipment of exacting specifications is not on the list. The BEST knife for survival is the knife you have at the time. By and large, survival situations occur as the result of an accident. Most often when your hi-quality gear is miles & miles away.
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.
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 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!
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~!
Nice, easy inexpensive mods. Good job.
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
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.
What did you do to improve the sheath?
I actually did. It do anything to the sheath. I might in a later video, but right now, that is not in my skill set.
@@CowboySurvival Looking forward to it
Great knife conversion
What type of sheeth do you recommend
@@mortykatz8818 personally, I prefer leather. Also, with a long blade like this, if you are going to carry it, it must swing freely on your side so that does not obstruct the movement of your leg.
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… 😆
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 ?
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.
Where did you get that olive cargo shirt at?
I don't mean to rain on your parade but the biggest issue is that the steel blade sets down in Cast Aluminum about 1 3/4" give or take. Chopping may be out of the question with this knife. (Actually that is a safety issue) This knife is a cutter and should not be used for anything but that. Fact is I'd be careful what you do with this knife. It's a cheap knife and should be treated as such.
@@skipjames52 no problem. I don't consider it raining at all. Note that I never claimed the knife was quality. It was just a fun project to make it "better". Because this knife is so inexpensive, it is a great knife to experiment with.
@@skipjames52 I see nothing wrong with your advice here. When I started this project, it was a challenge to see if I could make the knife aesthetically better. But you are correct, there is little that can be done with the quality.
Very pretty conversion but I hope you never have to it in anger, basically if you want a cheap knife with a rubber handle just buy a MORA which is a decent blade and has been̈ tried and tested over the years.
@@VincentSmith-i7o lol!
Let's spray on rubber coating is usually pretty weak I've tried it a number of different times and it was just not very good not something I would probably better off to wrap it with a cord or wrap it with a bicycle handlebar tape also the shank on the knife blade is really pretty short it doesn't give a lot of integrity and it looks like this is something that's going to break and fail fairly easily and the screw-in pin that you took out replacing that with JB weld I think you're better off to drill that hole completely through and put a serious rivet in there and yeah go ahead and use J-B weld to seal it up
It’s a great knife to modify for sure. I had a great time with mine a few years ago.
A clean bench always makes work easier, and saves losing small scews, etC. Just saying.
Looks good
Great ideas!
Would have been nice to see the JB Weld application process.
"The bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is gone".
-Unknown-
The Chinese have got us stupid Americans pegged~!!!
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"
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.
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).
As your dogs are running around the table wanting to play ball, mine is groaning at me wanting to play ball. 😆
Nice job love the etch on the blade 5 out of 5 my friend.
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.
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.
Great job bro
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?
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.
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.
Great looking knife. Good job, have you thought about doing a case harden coloring with cold bluing or copper sulfate copper case coloring?
Good details!! Look forward to more hacks!!
How well does it strike a ferro rod?
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.
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 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.
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.
That tang was actually larger than i thought it would be.
Great work theyre good knives just got to do some upgrades
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.
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?
You should have used a block of wood to clamp the blade. You should grind the tang bigger and put it back together.
I just gave myself a "you should have had a V8" head slap! I didn't even THINK about using wood blocks. That is such a great suggestion. Thanks!
Sir, that is a nice and constructive chunk of advice. Really sensible! Thank you.
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.
Sir, Enjoyed what you did to improve the looks and function of the knife! I used to improve the cheap survival knives years ago by a large flat washer and larger nut to secure the handle. Always disliked the "bottle opener" notch in the blade, weak design. These HF knives are much better and everyone can afford one or more! Sure, we all love the better knives, but can't slways afford them. Happy Thanksgiving, Blsgs, gg🙏✝️🙋❤️☝️🇺🇸
This style marked the Rambo knife rage of the 80's. The handle, guard junction was weak, the blade tang not able to go beyond the hollow handle. Chris Reeves made a hollow handled knife which was worked out of a single blade blank. There were no junctures, just one piece of steel. I boycott Chinese products and hollow handled survival knives..........
berry berry good! m
The sawtooth back it not functional because the teeth are straight. It would be a good project to use a punch to offset the teeth more like a saw blade so at least it would cut and not just make a slit and just get stuck.
I do not disagree. If anything, the "saw teeth" are more of an aggravation than anything. If it was just a right angle grind across the top, it would me more useful as a spark-er than it currently is.
Nice job!
Thanks. It was a LOT of fun doing this project.
It was fun to watch. And I’m glad you had fun. I too bought this knife. And was very disappointed in the quality.
@@kurtjensen7264 the thing is that, if you want to experiment with modifying a knife, this is a great knife to donor with. If you mess it up, you are only out $10. But you can perfect techniques that you can then use on more expensive knives.
@@CowboySurvival You and Kurt Jensen could try giving it a new Heat Treatment. Then Re Bevel and Sharpen it, like yeh said only out $10 if it fails.
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.
I understand this was just a fun project......but do you have a video field testing it?
No....I didn't field test it yet.
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.
I have done field test with this knife. 4 of them at 3 months apart to make sure that the breaks were not just a flaw in the knife as it was made. This product is a wanna be woodsmen life. The hole design is a piece of well, not enough that you need to waste your money. I use tops knives when in the field doing, well, anyway. U pay for what u get. Think, can u depend on ur life with this knife? Maybe if u camp out in ur back yard.
I found that this knife makes a pretty good spear head a shaft would fit down in the handle so it does have a use just not as a knife
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!🇺🇸
Survival and Harbor Freight are two mutually exclusive terms.
I would counter (though not in an aggressive way) that useful survival items can be found in many non-traditional places. While advanced preparation may require speciality sellers, one of the pints of this channel is showing beginners how to get started. As the old proverb says, every journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.
I think the "survival" part is surviving a rainy Saturday by having a little fun modifying a $9 knife. Money well spent. I do the same thing, more or less, restoring old pocket knives.
@@CowboySurvival "A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step---but so does a fall down a flight of stairs".
-Unknown-
Harbor Freight is garbage. If you can't afford the real thing, save more money until you can.
@@RustyShacklefordJr1337 sometimes it isn't about affording the "real thing". Sometimes it is about taking in a challenge....sometimes big, sometimes small. Doing something you have never done before. Running 1 mile further than ever before. Learning something you didn't know before. These are the kinds of things that keep life rich and wonderful. Relax and enjoy the journey! Have a Blessed Day!
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...
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.
Lookin Like A 50 Year Old Knife , But It’s Been Well Used And Taken Care Of
I bought a “Rambo” survival knife but noticed that the handle is only held by some sort of glue. Ideas?
Great vid! Thanks for showing how to improve quality.
Not sure why all the fuss… It’s titled Mod video, not the best knife on the market… 🙄
We all know there’s expensive knifes you can buy without having to adjust it’s quality….
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.
Great ideas. Maybe try altering the saw teeth?
Neat upgrade. Don’t let the armchair scholars get to you in the comments. Yes, it’s a cheap knife. Did you make it better? Yes, definitely. Is it the best all around survival knife. Nope, because it’s a cheap Harbor Freight knife made from cheap materials. Can you cut stuff with it? Yup. Can you skin an elephant with it? Yes, but it will likely need a lot of resharpening for the full skinning job. Will it whittle a toothpick in the back country of Alaska? You bet, but why would you take a cheap Harbor Freight knife to the back country in Alaska? I mean, seriously…. Why? Would it be good to give to a nephew to beat on things with? You bet, cause why worry about a cheap Harbor Freight knife?
It is what it is and a lot of commenters seem to think you’re trying to recreate Excalibur. It’s a fun little project that has ideas that could transfer to other projects.
Great comments! Thanks for watching.
Dump your baking soda solution into your acidic solution . It neutralizes the acid into salt water .
I did a lot of tanning years ago .
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
I got one from a friend, took the survival kit out of the handle and add some life boat matches.
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!