clip-issue

[pholder]

hey all, i was reading an article on another forum and there seems to be alot of discontent about benchmade painting their pocket clips. the complaints are that the paint scratches off way too easy, way too soon.the new clips are made from stainless steel, then painted. being a metal finisher by trade, there are not many choices available. i removed my clip for the same reasons,glass bead blasted it to remove the paint. i like the satin finish it now has but it takes some getting used to. polishing or re-painting seems to be the only option.
how ever,i prefer the black clip. so the clips
on my other benchmades have been protected by this method:
remove the clip.
measure a piece of 3/8 in diameter black shrink tube.
slide the tube over the clip, heat until form fitted.
trim to desired length.
i have found this method to not only protect the paint from being chipped, but it also adds a positive grip when removing it from the pocket.
please give comments or other ideas/suggestions

 

[Aniketos]

I too am a metal worker( I grind metals(copings) which gets turned into a tooth to put in your mouth at the dentist..... anyways... I know how the benchmade clips can lose their paint fast and all but you need to understand that metal even when its anodized, flamed, bead blasted, sand blasted etc... the second you wear down that finish that is super thin to begin with all you will see is the plain metal. Blasting it gives it a nice look after you have worn it in a few weeks... Just gotta live with it I guess... The most durable finish youll get is like a stonewash I believe.... that replicates the worn look very well.. so if it starts out worn looking, it cant really change now can it?

 

[rebeltf]

I've tried painting mine with flat metal paint (black) and it lasted about a week or so , I thought about the stuff they paint engines with but havent tried it yet. Not many choices unfortunatly.

 

[msh441]

Great tip with the shink tube! I never would have thought of that.

Thanks.

 

[underaged!]

I think in shop talk, I have read that some people wipe thin layers of superglue over wood handles to protect them from discoloring.

This maybe possible with clips as well, you'll have a clear coat of plastic over the paint on BM's clips.

It might work, maybe. It would suck if it didn't.

 

[yoda4561]

When the finish wears out, I etch mine in pure ferric chloride after sanding them down to bare metal. Then I use the maroon scotchbrite pads and some polish to bring them to the finish I like. Straight from the soak they're a flat slightly textured black, with a bit of work from the scotchbrite pads and paste polish you get a nice satin grey with some texture to it.