SGT Survive-Escape Prepared For Global Work

This is the completed knife for a long time friend, mentor, and adventure Lance Machovsky, the model, is a long time SAR model called the "Survive-Escape" a utility blade built to handle anything in its path. The knife was commisioned by Lance as a gift to his Mongolian counterpart he will be meeting in a few weeks, Lance is a contributor, participating in a program called Rally For Rangers, follow this link for a short well made video about what it is they do to help the Park Rangers across Mongolia Rally For Rangers . SGT is proud to become a sponsor of this cause and organization, SAR Global Tool has donated thirty-five SAR Eclipse Signal Systems-Clip (SESS-C) and eight SAR Micro Eclipse signal devices a retail value of  $645.00 and I have pledged to send enough to outfit all the National Park Rangers of Mongolia with one each by next year.

What a rewarding experience to say the least, and this is the first knife of 2018 and the first knife I have built in over 2.5 years.

Thanks
S.A. Reiter

S/E Specs:
5" handle 4" hollow ground blade.
Precision Ground CPM 154 with a Hardness Rockwell "C" Scale 58-59.
Westinghouse Cross Cut Brown Canvas Micarta handles
Sheath, Black over International Signal Orange with 9/16" Safety Of Life At Sea reflective insert.
Tec-lok belt/pack attachment.

SAR Eclipse Signal System (Patented)
" Is a back to basics, No Batteries Required" piece or survival equipment built to withstand the harshest conditions. The SESS has been tested and observed out to 21 miles during daylight conditions and out to 250 meters during periods of limited visibilty or darkness using a standard flashlight and three miles during a helicopter extraction of U.S. Border Patrol agents during a helicopter extraction. You cannot plan for a disaster, only prepare for one. Regardless if you are st the tip of the spear, SWAT, LEO, EMS, Boy Scout, Fly-Fishing, Kayaking, Diving etc. A  signal mirror could be worth its weight in gold should you find yourself in a bad spot? Current users of the SESS include;

Military Personnel, Law Enforcement Personnel and Government Agency such as the FBI.
Global Private Military and Security Contractors.
TYR Group Tactical Tracker Course Instructors.
Redmond Oregon Smoke-Jumpers.
Grand Canyon Park Service.
Private Licenced Fixed and Rotary Wing Pilots.
Cub, Boy, and Eagle Scouts.
Outdoor Entusiasts.

Purchase the SESS here SGT Gear for avilibity of the Survive-Escape email me at sarglobaltool@gmail.com

SAR Global Tool and Rally For Rangers part II & III

Building a knife for a long time friend who is headed to Mongolia for the second time please check out this video called Rally For Rangers.

RALLY FOR RANGERS

So I decided to document the build for him to share with the receiver, all and all its been a blast.this is day two and three so let us have a look. The start of day two we have a blade that has been shaped and heat treated and tempered

We measure the blade thickness do some math then using the height gauge we scribed two parallel lines to grind our main bevels.

 Using a Ames portable hardness tester, we can check to ensure the steel was heat treated and tempered correctly. 

Using the Hardness Rockwell "C" scale, we find the blade is at 58-59 which is perfect for its intended use.

We start the main bevel grinding with a 10" serrated wheel which runs cooler and cuts more aggressively using a 60 grit ceramic belt. This is a crtical stage as you want to remove all the material and establish the height of grind and the terminal edge thickness. The rest of the grinding is about the refinement of that work.

We switch to a smooth 10" wheel for refinement and finish we start going higher or finer in grits used, this is a 3M Trizac 120 grit belt. 

Using a metal bluing solution we paint the blade each time we change belts, it allows you to see what you have missed and ensures you removed the previous grits scratches.

We stop just short or a completely finished grind and switch to working on the handles. I use whats called threaded inserts, and in this case, I am using 1/4" X /1/4" standoffs threaded for a 4-40 screw. They are placed in the handle then ground flush.

Once flush we clamp the knife to the handle material and mark for the screws, cut them out, drill and counterbore for the screw heads to fit. Then fix them to the knife and do a rough grind fit.

Handles are finished, and we refocus on completing the bevels and cleaning up all the edges for a final fit. We start by using a scotchbrite belt to apply a satin finish. Beginning with a medium (red) we simply are smoothing out the bevels and placing a very crip scratch lines hence the term satin finish. We finish with a fine scotchbrite (blue) before moving to bead blasting

Once the bevels, edges are cleaned up we move onto the next step which is bead blasting the entire blade, using high-pressure air and a mixture of 70 grit aluminuim oxide and glass beads which cleans the knife smoothly and provides a nice even gray finish.

The final step is the finish of the blade is called "Stonewashing" the knife is placed in a barrel that is filled with ceramic media which will gently scratch the entire knife a few million times over the course of 30 minutes. Stonewash is a superior finish not only does it look really nice, it prevents future scratches and will prevent rusting. To be honest its the only finish I use on my blades.

Handles get fitted again, and the knife is prepared for my makers mark using a process called electro etching. A stencil of my logo is tapped down and a pad with chemicals and DC current is applied until the desired depth is achieved as shown then you flip the switch and current to blacken the mark.

Second, to last is making a kydex sheath. This carrier is made of a thermo plastic sheets cut, then warmed up in the oven once pliable the knife is placed between the two sheets and extrem pressure is applied allowing the kydex to form around the blade. Once cooled you drill and shape then lock it together using eyelets. This paticalar sheath has the ability to be used as a short range day and night signal device which is something a person patrolling vast stretches of protected land could and might need. Not only is the back of sheatha very bright "International Signal Orange, it has a small reflective Safety Of Life At Sea disk secured between the two layers. It is also outfitted with a belt device called a Tec-Lok which facilatates taking it on and off of a belt or pack with ease.

The very very last thing is putting the bevels on the terminal edge (Sharp side) with a wheel and belt, then a few passes on a hard felt wheel with jewelers rouge to remove the burr, now it is a complete knife ready for the daily rigors one can throw at it. The knife as I type is on its way to a knifemaker named Les George of George knives for the laser engraving which will complete the whole package for my friend Lance and his counterpart. Les is an awesome knifemaker and a friend going back to my beginnings in 2006. So huge shout out to Les for helping us make this a reality. Please have a look at some of Les's over the top work a true craftsman and super solid guy.

                                                                       George Knives

That completes a one of a kind experince and my first completed knife of 2018, which started with a harmless text to check on a old dear friend. In my whole time of knifemaking (13 years) I will chocked this up at the very top as one of the most rewarding knives I have ever made to date. Having sold knives and gear around the world knowing a product of mine is being used in Mongolia by a park ranger and hopefully makes his job easier, safer will always be a source of great personal satifation and futher reinforces my decision to rename my company in 2010 from SAR custom knives to "SAR Global Tool"

Thanks for tuning in and for all the support that makes these types of endeavors possible.

                                      "A New Breed Of Tools Built For Adventure"

Sincerly
S.A. Reiter

Pefect Timing SGT Gear Heads To Mongolia

How fast things can happen and the timing of things can make a person scratch that head, allow me to provide an example in the form of a text this last Saturday with a long time friend and mentor figure in my life.

 

My friend of over twenty 5 years is heading to Mongolia for the second time he and others have found a way to have so much fun and make a difference it is not even funny, please watch this short thirteen minute video which explains the mission and what they are achieving as its nothing short of greatness. The timing of the text and most mind-boggling the timing of getting SAR Global Tool back in action is crazy anyways, please watch this video.

Rally For Rangers

So, of course, I jumped at this opportunity to build a blade and decided to do a work in progress to document one of the coolest builds I have ever done in the thirteen years I have been a knifemaker. So I had a  blank already cut that I found while cleaning the shop with not a second thought I got busy as the suspense time is extremely quick. The knife is, of course, a order and will be paid for but I wanted to take it a step further and give where I can, SGT will donate 30-40 SAR Eclipse Signal Systems for the Rangers and some Micro Eclipse signal pendants for the women and kids. Of note with knowledge of Lance's first trip to Mongolia when I came across this book I just had to read it, now things seem to come full circle, and of course, I am reading it again.

So here is the beginning of a SAR blade bound for one great adventure and fitting to the SAR Global Tool company slogan its all a perfect fit.

                                            "A New Breed Of Tools Built For Adventure"

As I said I  had a blank in CPM 154 ready to go so it got marked for drilling, grinding, and heat treat.

 This drill press is my best for all critical operations was just cleaned and set up yesterday.

This is the first time using my new enclosed 8'x12' grinding room, with an industrial fan that is vented directly outside not only is dust prevented from contaminating the rest of the shop, it keeps the harmful dust that I breathe down to a minimum and that's a great thing. This would be a feature I would highly recommend to any knife maker getting started.



Once everything is drilled, filed and milled it gets wrapped in stainless steel tool wrap. It protects it from the rigors of heat treat, for CPM 154 it will ramp up to 1950 degrees and soak for 20 minutes before being removed and air quenched between two thick plates of aluminum which act as a heat sink and helps keep the blade for warping.

This was the finish point for yesterday and today it goes back in the oven for two temper cycles and tonight I will continue the journey, so please come back as I start the process of grinding the main bevels, handle fitting and shaping.

I will just say after a 2.5-year hiatus I could not ask for a more exciting, meaningful way to jump back in with both feet I am in love again with this thing called knife making.


Sincerely
SAR

No Reason To Look Back not dead yet.

Yea I know its been forever and a day since I have posted something to my SAR Global Tool blog so without wasting time here is a update. I have been reunited with a long life love affair of all aspects Fly Fishing and have had a incredible time doing just that with my ever faithfully dog Liberty the lab look us up if you ever want to try it.

For one I am totally excited that my kids will be here and will be joining Dad in the SGT HQ to help build knives and gear to earn some mad summer money and at that age they could use skills and understanding of the who, what, when, where, and why basically a shotgun blast of not only working in the shop but the many other facets that go into design, concept, prototype to public consumption. Taegan and Max (Ethan likes his middle name so be it) are excited for the chance to make a knife each and help out in a few new prototypes that are in the chute not to mention they love some greenbacks burning a hole in the pocket. Also without giving up to much information I am going to be talking with a high end business leader in the outdoor/gadget/cool ass gear industry to bring the SESS signal line to the very cutting edge of signal mirror technology in a very small but powerful handheld no batteries required device that will be ready when you need it....hope you never do.

So first up the material is en-route for a large supply of Moon Glow Micro pendents a long time and most requested item in the last few years. Also I hope to make a few of the original Micro signal pendents in mirrored steel because they are just nice to have. Also in this class is completely new design that pushes the boundaries on a minimalist mindset to survival that can and will deliver if you have the skills to make it function.

At the 2009 International Blade show in Atlanta my last year as a table holder I showed the guys at Blade Art a prototype beard comb in black G10. It was born out of pure necessity I needed a comb after growing a full beard upon leaving the active duty Army in 2008 and one I still enjoy today returning home with ideas I put them to paper and had several cut from 6LA4V MILSPEC titanium at Halpern Titanium Inc. a a great company in the knife industry and the best water-jet operators I have ever worked with bar none. When the SAR Global Tool Tactical Ti comb was released a first of its kind it has been the comb all other have been measured against period. About mid 2013 and a explosion of beards and beard products the market became flooded I made a few limited runs until the last run in 2014 no longer wishing to carry the large overhead of having them cut as its expensive. So in a few weeks I will call Halpern and ask if I can do a few cuts of say 20 to 30 pieces times 2. Depending on the first run will I then decide to do a second or never make them again....personally:) I don't even have one even the original prototype  was given to a friend and owner of Halpern for a keep sake. So if all goes by August 2018 the original comb will be made available in a limited run.

I have dug around the shop and have found a stack of already heat treated Bug Out blades (BOB's) in 3V steel not quite sure the number but more then ten. Two kukris in need of handles are also on the bench and if I feel really good I will dig out the remaining SAR 1911 TDT frame-locks and get them done.

That's a tall order coming off the couch but once the grinders get fired up it will flow in the new shop space with a custom built well lit positive vacuum grinding room.

So stay tuned look for more updates works in progress and stay informed rumor has it I am leaving the industry and selling my machines and as of right now it is just a rumor.

Thanks
SAR Global Tool
Spencer A. Reiter

"Kingfishers" and a Kiridashi complete.

Hey folks,

After finishing this years Run Ranger Run knife the Inglorious Bastard complete with a companion knife to go with the Bastard. Well I really liked the companion blade which is a design I have had in my sketch book for like 3-4 years. I like it so much I turned around and made the first seven, 5 are in 1095 and 2 are in CPM3V.

The blades average 6.5 inches, no 2 in this batch is the same, they have a kydex sheath set up for neck carry or you can buy a TEC-LOK for belt carry as well. Simple small diameter MILSPEC cord wrap and a SAR  Global Tool Always open lanyard for extra retention and for indexing in periods of limited visibility.

I will be doing another run soon, the Kiridashi was the scrap from cutting the other two in CPM3V, no waste around here:).

I will announce the next build as people are asking, so stand by to stand by.

Better dimensions on the next build everything pictured is sold.




RLTW
SAR

The first Kingfisher as a companion blade to the Bastard