G-10 fading

M

MACGYVER23

Joined
Mar 17, 2010
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7
Why does the G10 handle fade after a period of use? Can this problem be solved forever if dyed with Rite Dye?
 
I find a very light layer of lip balm or something similar brightens it up. Or the oil from your hand. Perhaps the surface fibers on g10 dries out, which is why the above mentioned things help.
 
What knife is it? Can you post a pic?

I've never had a G10 handle fade, not even on heavily used knives. Maybe if G10 were exposed to some sort of bleaching chemical, or a lot of sunlight, but I can't imagine that just handling the knife would cause it to fade. My first thought was that if it's textured G10, that maybe skin cells from your hand are becoming embedded in the texture causing the G10 to look faded.

I carried the top knife below for several years, and used it heavily working a shipping dock. The other two knives were never carried, and the bottom one has never been used or carried. They all have G10 handles.

W7UXvYC.jpg
 
I have many knives with G10. One of them is Hogue Deka.
I always clean my knives after work. But after every cleaning, the g10 is always a little gray and not so bright. I know that oiling can restore it, but I always feels troublesome and the handle is greasy. I wonder why it will be & how to solve the problem.
 
G10 can dry out and turn white on the very surface, and mineral oil will restore it. Any oil will, but mineral oil won’t leave it slippery for as long.
 
MACGYVER23 said:
So oiling is the only way to do.
Click to expand...
I’ve seen quite a few Spyderco Waterway knives on the secondary market with chalky looking handles. I’m guessing it’s all the surface area from the aggressive texturing which allows them to dry out quickly (on the surface). Mine did that before I used it, and mineral oil made it perfect again.

Same thing happened to some g10 handled folders I had stored with packets of silica gel in small boxes. Handles were a little chalky looking. Mineral oil restored them and haven’t had a problem since.

On a user, oil from your hand and moisture in the air will likely keep them from turning chalky in appearance. It’s not a dye issue, just that if left in certain conditions, the very outer layer can dry out and turn white.
 
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G-10 really shines (pun intended) when it's taken to a higher finish.

Most factory knives leave a lot on the table when it comes to g-10, IMO. It usually isn't finished to a high degree and often is just flat. When it's polished, it's a whole different animal, and contoured is even better.

It seems micarta is so much more popular than g-10 generally but I think if more knives used g-10 with better finishes, it would leave micarta in the dust in a popularity contest. It is superior to micarta in almost every way.

I say all that to say.....I'm not sure of your specific knife but it appears your options are oiling (I like wd40 with the excess wiped off with an old t-shirt), waxing (I like the lip balm idea suggested by shinyedges shinyedges ) or sand it to a higher finish.
 
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