Dying a traditional?

MadMaximus

MadMaximus

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Feb 26, 2014
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Hey guys, not sure if this should be in the maintenance/tinkering section, but I wanted the porch's opinion, and I don't think there is a thread addressing what I'm asking...

I have a Northwoods Delta Jack with the red burlap covers. Its looks a little ratty and needs rejuvenation. My usual cleaning methods were a bust. I think it would look great with the covers turned black. I'd like to dye it but I am nervous about how the bolsters/liners/pins/shield would react with being subjected to that. I know the salt formula of Rit Dye is definitely out.

Has anyone tried this before? If so what was your formula? Am I just a crazy person (don't answer)?
 
There are recipes for rit dyeing somewhere on the porch...ive done a couple with no major ill effects...whst about darken it down with some wholesome tea stain...or such?

.
 
I thought it was a mix of alcohol rit dye and a wax potpourri heating pot.
 
I've seen threads where several people have used Rit dye with varying degrees of success. Considering that micarta is an epoxy/resin impregnated material.... it's basically encapsulated in plastic. That means that whatever dye you tried will most likely only be superficial and will wear off over time but you could just redo it whenever you felt like. If it is a bit more rough, there might be enough exposed fiber to hold the dye, still keeping in mind that Rit is typically a semi permanent dye and will eventually wear off.

I have had very good success with alcohol based leather dye (Fiebings) on bone and stag and it is permanent on those materials. I don't know about using it with micarta.
*Edit to add: these leather dyes have no ill effects on the rest of the knife. I've let some soak for up to 2 weeks at a time with no staining or pepper spots on the steel. Just fill a ziplock bag with some rubbing alcohol, drop the knife in to rinse, dump alcohol, repeat till clean.

The other option is to slightly sand the handle. I would start at 400 grit and then work up to around 1500 then rub it with flitz. That will polish the handle and as you go up in grit, it will also darken the material a bit.

Another thing to consider is that oil will darken a micarta handle, just as using alcohol to clean it will lighten it. You could try a wipe down with mineral oil first.

Good luck! Take pictures and show us the results!
 
draggat said:
I've seen threads where several people have used Rit dye with varying degrees of success. Considering that micarta is an epoxy/resin impregnated material.... it's basically encapsulated in plastic. That means that whatever dye you tried will most likely only be superficial and will wear off over time but you could just redo it whenever you felt like. If it is a bit more rough, there might be enough exposed fiber to hold the dye, still keeping in mind that Rit is typically a semi permanent dye and will eventually wear off.

I have had very good success with alcohol based leather dye (Fiebings) on bone and stag and it is permanent on those materials. I don't know about using it with micarta.
*Edit to add: these leather dyes have no ill effects on the rest of the knife. I've let some soak for up to 2 weeks at a time with no staining or pepper spots on the steel. Just fill a ziplock bag with some rubbing alcohol, drop the knife in to rinse, dump alcohol, repeat till clean.

The other option is to slightly sand the handle. I would start at 400 grit and then work up to around 1500 then rub it with flitz. That will polish the handle and as you go up in grit, it will also darken the material a bit.

Another thing to consider is that oil will darken a micarta handle, just as using alcohol to clean it will lighten it. You could try a wipe down with mineral oil first.

Good luck! Take pictures and show us the results!
Click to expand...

I like the sound of the leather dye, I decided to order a bottle and give it a try. I will post pics after I give it a try.

A question though, with washing it in alcohol, would I do that after a dying process or just to clean it? Do you heat it at all like with Rit or just soak it in it for whatever amount of time? Thanks for the responses!
 
No heat, no salt, nothing.... what I do is put the bottle in a zip lock bag, open the blade(s) and then put the entire knife handle in the dye bottle and then seal the bag to keep the dye from evaporating. The amount of time depends on how the material takes the dye. I've had some knives stay a day or two and a few stay 2 weeks. I'm not sure how it will handle micarta. You may want to rough sand it with 150 grit first. Just check it at 8 hours and then go from there. The dye I get is calle Fiebings Pro Oil dye. Far as I know, it is alcohol based.

The rubbing alcohol rinse is required... you'll never get the excess dye off otherwise. In fact, you'll have to run toothpicks with paper towels in the blade well also. Wear nitrile gloves. It's a messy affair and that leather dye will stain your hands!

*it wouldn't hurt to wipe the knife down with rubbing alcohol first. Also, keep in mind that it may not penetrate the micarta well because aside from the very surface, it's non-porous.
 
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I did these 2 ages ago...the black was a disgraceful grey ...like a dead cats face...yuk...so it went in the black rit ...much nicer.
The lge stocky was a brown too similar to another one so it went in the cherry red rit...both used the powder dye in a pan of hot water...there was minor staining on the CV blades of the big one...nothing to worry about really..
Cheers.
20191126-142952.jpg
 
B307A1C7-E8ED-4A2D-9B47-86B249CC2304.jpeg Here’s an Old Timer I used RIT dye on.
There was some pretty good patina already on the blades and back springs, of which the dye seemed to augment.
The Delrin (plastic) takes the dye very well.
I’ve done other Delrin scale knives with similar result.

Afterwards I sanded the backsprings a bit, which resulted in the sanding of the back portion of the scales which remained, as dyed.
 
I recently dyed a Case Trapper with Fiebings dark brown leather dye.

I really liked the look of Case's "Bonestag," but when I got my Trapper I was dissappointed in how pale the handle scales were. I later discovered that there's also "Burnt Bonestag," which is what I should have ordered. Another live and learn knife experience.

Anyway, yes, I concur with draggat draggat on using Fiebings leather dye.
I was happy with my results. It was easy. Gloves are definitely recommended. I just painted it on the scales with a q-tip. I kept a rag soaked with rubbing alcohol handy and wiped any excess dye off the bolsters. A clean q-tip took care of wiping the shield and pins. I found the dye won't really stick to these metal parts anyway, as long as you wipe it off before it dries. The whole process took me about 10 minutes. This was bone, so micarta is perhaps another animal. Good luck :thumbsup:

Before:

Bonestag Trapper by D P, on Flickr

After:

Dyed-Bonestag by D P, on Flickr
Dyed Bonestag by D P, on Flickr
 
Great stuff draggat draggat , meako meako , peppercorn peppercorn , Pinemoon Pinemoon ! I've got a lot of good ideas now. All of the dye work looks great! Hopefully by the end of the weekend i'll have something to show for it. I have some Fiebing's on the way now. I knew i could count on the porch!

Pinemoon Pinemoon I also really like that lanyard hole on the trapper!
 
MadMaximus said:
Great stuff draggat draggat , meako meako , peppercorn peppercorn , Pinemoon Pinemoon ! I've got a lot of good ideas now. All of the dye work looks great! Hopefully by the end of the weekend i'll have something to show for it. I have some Fiebing's on the way now. I knew i could count on the porch!

Pinemoon Pinemoon I also really like that lanyard hole on the trapper!
Click to expand...
Good luck Mad!
Yeah, the lanyard hole is something I wish Case offered on their larger knives like the Trapper. I've had good luck with adding them using a solid carbide bit.

As far as dye goes, the Fiebing's is a winner, but I had an idea last night--- wood stain like Minwax would probably also be good. I wonder if anyone has experience with that?
 
Dyes work especially well on Stag-if you've got the nerve for it ;) bone takes dyes varyingly well too. I'd steer clear of attempting Horn though :eek: As for Micartas, I'm not too optimistic there due to their composition, I endorse draggat draggat and would say sanding/buffing is the best choice for this material, that and constant oiling.
 
As Mark (Ramrodmb) indicates, masking is the key to keeping the blade, bolsters, and springs free of staining. Before masking, I put a very light coat of mineral oil on the metal surfaces (wiping off excess with dry towel) to help repel the dye (as extra protection along with the masking). Take you time doing the masking and trim the tape w/ razor blade for clean edges. After masking, wipe down covers with alcohol wipes to make sure no oil is on them. I used RIT and hot water (nothing else) which works fine on bone (as others have indicated). This Beer Scout was Golden Ale before being immersed in a hot bath of dark green with a touch of black. Full confession, I've not tried Micarta. Micarta is indeed impregnated with resin BUT Micarta does absorb moisture to some degree, generally the coarser the parent material, the more absorbent the Micarta.

upload_2019-8-26_19-6-19-jpeg.1185952
 
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I did the fiebing's dye job. I am absolutely thrilled with the results!
z3JfJ9


I haven't posted a pic to BF in a while...Anyone know why it won't show? Using Flickr.
 
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MadMaximus said:
I did the fiebing's dye job. I am absolutely thrilled with the results!
z3JfJ9


I haven't posted a pic to BF in a while...Anyone know why it won't show? Using Flickr.
Click to expand...
Eager to see your pic. Glad the dye job worked out.
I use Flickr to post pics here.
Go to share (the curved arrow) on Flickr
Select the BB code
Copy the entire link
The just paste the link anywhere in your BF post. No need to select the BF picture icon first.

Another tip that might help. Sign in to Flickr via the web instead of the Flickr app. The web version makes it easier to share pics.
 
Camillus said:
If you want to go lighter you can strip color using hydrogen peroxide. I posted about this some time ago.
Click to expand...
This sounds interesting.
I've got a bone stockman that's so brown it's like black, and just on one side.
Can ya post the link, or give a quick summary?
 
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