Custom Dyed GEC’s by Nathan & Travis

[draggat]

I forgot to add.... I've used multiple colors before to good results as well... Yellow, light brown and dark brown, starting with the lightest first

 

[Primble]

Travman

I’d also like to polish the shield smooth to remove the “White Owl” inscription but I’m undecided as to whether to do this before or after dye. I’m thinking before is safer but still hemming and hawing over the ideal method of attack.

I would be cautious about trying that. Shields usually aren’t that thick and you would have to remove too much material to eliminate the name off that shield. You might end up with a shield not much thicker than Reynolds’s wrap and ruin your knife.

 

[GaiusJulius]

I would be cautious about trying that. Shields usually aren’t that thick and you would have to remove too much material to eliminate the name off that shield. You might end up with a shield not much thicker than Reynolds’s wrap and ruin your knife.

Any guesses as to what the metal usually is? I came to the same conclusion, and also the shield on the White Owl is inletted so precisely, I’d have to polish off jigging if I were to hit it with the grinder/buffer. Now I’m wondering if a jeweler could fill the lettering via welding (which could then be polished smooth) or if a thin plate of something could be soldered on. I know it seems absurd to go to so much effort but that darn shield bugs me on an otherwise nearly perfect knife!

 

[Primble]

Any guesses as to what the metal usually is? I came to the same conclusion, and also the shield on the White Owl is inletted so precisely, I’d have to polish off jigging if I were to hit it with the grinder/buffer. Now I’m wondering if a jeweler could fill the lettering via welding (which could then be polished smooth) or if a thin plate of something could be soldered on. I know it seems absurd to go to so much effort but that darn shield bugs me on an otherwise nearly perfect knife!

Nice to see that you came to the same conclusion.

My suggestion would be to live with that shield or sell it and find something similar that you might like better. I think most shields are made of nickel-silver. Some things are best left alone, when it comes to knife modding. Shields are one of them. GEC does a spectacular job of inletting their shields and hiding the pins that secure them.

 

[Primble]

Here is a 94 Nathan worked on. Before:

After:

A real improvement on that red ! ........... and the Winchester.

 

[Travman]

I have been working on some blue GEC’s. Here is the before picture. The blue looks very nice and is uniform. That is why I bought it. However, in bright light or sunlight there were more washed out sections that would show, especially along the edges. I wanted more blue.

Here are the after pictures.

It was a lot of work for what is basically just a change in the hue of color, but I am happy with the results.

 

[mrknife]

thats pretty neat!! gotta be the newest form of modding yet

 

[Travman]

thats pretty neat!! gotta be the newest form of modding yet

It can be frustrating having a GEC that is close, but not exactly the right color. It is very satisfying getting it just the way I want it.

 

[mrknife]

It can be frustrating having a GEC that is close, but not exactly the right color. It is very satisfying getting it right.

the same but with blade configurations for me

 

[Travman]

Here is a $12 white bone Rough Ryder that I recent dyed purple. As you can see the dye was absorbed in a very molted pattern.

 

[glennbad]

Here is a $12 white bone Rough Ryder that I recent dyed purple. As you can see the dye was absorbed in a very molted pattern.

Cool! Reminds me of Case's Appaloosa bone...

 

[draggat]

Here is a $12 white bone Rough Ryder that I recent dyed purple. As you can see the dye was absorbed in a very molted pattern.

Looks great! Purple does not get enough love in the knife world!

 

[Travman]

It turns out that Micarta can be dyed also. Take a look at the Micarta knife in the left. Before:

 

[Travman]

I wanted more brown. It took many attempts, but the Micarta did absorb some of the brown dye for the look I was hoping for. After:

 

[Travman]

A few people have asked about the dyeing process. I have been using dyes from StewMac.

ColorTone Liquid Stains - StewMac

Authentic guitar colors mix with virtually any finish. Make wood grain come alive!

www.stewmac.com

I have been taping off the open blades before starting. This prevents me from accidentally cutting my fingers and protects the blades. I use a Q-tip to apply the dye directly to the bone and then let it sit and dry overnight. Cleaning off the excess dye is the hardiest and messiest part. I tend to use disposable rubber gloves so my fingers don’t get dyed. I use many damp paper towels to do this job. Then I oil it excessively with mineral oil or spray the whole knife down with Balistol oil.

People have asked about the dye leaching out and onto clothes. Assuming that I was able to remove every bit of the excess dried on dye, then it has not been an issue.

 

[Travman]

I recently worked on my Elderberry Camel Bone 39. My knife is the one on the right side of these following pictures. Before pictures:

 

[Travman]

I wanted less pink and more dark elderberry. I added a mixture of purple and red. After pictures:

 

[Primble]

It's a lot better color now ........... like a berry and not like pinky winkie.

 

[pat9198]

I wanted less pink and more dark elderberry. I added a mixture of purple and red. After pictures:

Beautiful! Looks like hard candy.

 

[Travman]

I’m getting this 56 ready to dye. I generally like darker colors and this one looks washed out in bright sunlight. So I’ll be simply adding color. Most likely Golden Brown.