How To Burning New Life Into Your Stag Scales, Easily.

[CelloDan]

Thanks you for the very useful info and tips Jsega51 and Horsewright

I worked on a few of my stag handled knives and I am very happy with results.

The steps I took:

Clean knife with soapy water/brush.
Apply PP as described above in this thread until desired color.
Once dry, very gently brush off with a soft toothbrush excess dried out PP if any.
Carefully sand scales until happy with results.
Seal with nitrocellulose (watco, deft etc).
On the fixed blades I taped off the metal and sprayed them two to three times. On the folders I just sprayed lacquer inside a plastic cup for a couple seconds and used it with a little brush to apply the laquer on the folder scales.

I had read on my internet travels that some people advised PP should be neutralized as it may continue to be active and eventually may turn green however other folks disagreed. An experienced knife maker who has been using PP on stag for more than 20 years stated he never witnessed this at all.

On one knife, just as an experiment, I gently wiped the scale with water with a bit of baking soda dissolved in it to "neutralize" the PP.
I really don't think it matters so I only did this with one knife.

You'll see a little bottle of leather dye on the table. I had used it in the past on another knife however it penetrates deeply and when you sand the scales your are not able to obtain the white highspots.
Leather dye is another great way to dye stag however it gives a different look altogether so I did not used it this time.
I stuck with only PP which gives more of that "vintage" stag look.

Before and after side by side:

 

[Horsewright]

Thanks you for the very useful info and tips Jsega51 and Horsewright

I worked on a few of my stag handled knives and I am very happy with results.

The steps I took:

Clean knife with soapy water/brush and/or alcohol
Apply PP as described above in this thread until desired color.
Once dry, very gently brush off with a soft toothbrush excess dried out PP if any.
Carefully sand scales until happy with results.
Seal with nitrocellulose (watco, deft etc).
On the fixed blades I taped off the metal and sprayed them two to three times. On the folders I just sprayed lacquer inside a plastic cup for a couple seconds and used it with a little brush to apply the laquer on the folder scales.

I had read on my internet travels that some people advised PP should be neutralized as it may continue to be active and eventually may turn green however other folks disagreed. An experienced knife maker who has been using PP on stag for more than 20 years stated he never witnessed this at all.

On one knife, just as an experiment, I gently wiped the scale with water with a bit of baking soda dissolved in it to "neutralize" the PP.
I really don't think it matters so I only did this with one knife.

You'll see a little bottle of leather dye on the table. I had used it in the past on another knife however it penetrates deeply and when you sand the scales your are not able to obtain the white highspots.
Leather dye is another great way to dye stag however it gives a different look altogether so I did not used it this time.
I stuck with only PP which gives more of that "vintage" stag look.

Before and after side by side:

Great work!

 

[Jody744]

Thanks, that is stoopid kewl!

 

[CelloDan]

Great work!

Gracias Dave !

Thanks, that is stoopid kewl!

Thanks !

Group pic.

 

[Will Power]

CelloDan Really useful stuff thanks, the results are very satisfying. Only problem I'm having is sourcing lacquer for sealing, in a country of only 5 million these kind of hobbyist items are hard to come by. I'd like to seal the handles as the potash blackening does leach out pretty quickly, notably with wet handling.

Thanks, Will

 

[CelloDan]

CelloDan Really useful stuff thanks, the results are very satisfying. Only problem I'm having is sourcing lacquer for sealing, in a country of only 5 million these kind of hobbyist items are hard to come by. I'd like to seal the handles as the potash blackening does leach out pretty quickly, notably with wet handling.

Thanks, Will

Thanks Will.

Imo, after working with the stuff, the handles MUST be sealed otherwise as you stated the colour will leach out/ fade quickly.

You also don’t want any remaining PP on the scales to react with water again if it is still capable of oxidizing ( if PP turns pink in solution is still active, if it turns brown it’s supposed to be more stable/spent)


A friend told me that lindseed oil can be used to seal the stag. It will take sometime to dry and cure and may give a slight yellow coloration to the stag though, so something to keep in mind.

I read as well of someone using “crazy glue “. He puts a few drops on a gloved finger and quickly applies it to the area to be sealed.

There are all kinds of modern clear wood finishes these days.
Perhaps a water based acrylic finish?

I would experiment on a piece of bone with PP and different sealers and then subject it to water and some scrubbing to find out how they hold up.

 

[Jsega51]

CelloDan thank you for bringing this topic back to the front page! Excellent work and your side by side comparison pics really show how much life and contrast can be brought back into stag scales after they’ve weathered with age. I love the pocket worn look just as much as the next person so doing this only guarantees you have to immediately start the aging process again!

My stag 86 from the original post has lightened back up some but it has held its color very well for not sealing the stag in anyway other than oil as I tend to just use whatever mineral oil that leaks out of the pivot and rub it around the scales and frame to keep it simple.


For anyone wondering, yes this same process should work to darken the bone scales on the 2024 BF knife if you find them too light and I may just have to do this to one of them!! (Warranty will most likely be void, I didn’t mind doing this to my stag 86 as a first try because it was an “S” model)

 

[CelloDan]

CelloDan thank you for bringing this topic back to the front page! Excellent work and your side by side comparison pics really show how much life and contrast can be brought back into stag scales after they’ve weathered with age. I love the pocket worn look just as much as the next person so doing this only guarantees you have to immediately start the aging process again!

My stag 86 from the original post has lightened back up some but it has held its color very well for not sealing the stag in anyway other than oil as I tend to just use whatever mineral oil that leaks out of the pivot and rub it around the scales and frame to keep it simple.


For anyone wondering, yes this same process should work to darken the bone scales on the 2024 BF knife if you find them too light and I may just have to do this to one of them!! (Warranty will most likely be void, I didn’t mind doing this to my stag 86 as a first try because it was an “S” model)

Welcome and thank you !
Great to know your knife has held its colour for all these years.

 

[Will Power]

CelloDan Looks like my pessimism was groundless Just located some spray on lacquer, the week-end looks promising

 

[CelloDan]

CelloDan Looks like my pessimism was groundless Just located some spray on lacquer, the week-end looks promising

Awesome

Have a little clean brush handy in case you overspray and apply too much lacquer by accident that it ends up pooling inside the deeper stag grooves.
If that happens you can then quickly brush/clean the accumulated excess away before it dries with the brush.

If the handle ever needs cleaning I would just use soapy water and stay away from alcohol and other solventes as they may affect the lacquer by turning it cloudy or hazy.