Frankly, I have never cared for scrim. This knife is one of only two that ever attracted me. The scrim fits the theme of the knife, which I had intended to be a user. It was made in 1991, so messy or not, fillet work isn't going to mess this one up. It's seasoned with age. As to the scrim, since I am not an expert, I defer to someone else's expertise.
But I can't imagine, with it's age, that the knife would be affected in any way.
Best,
Bob Betzner