Welcome to the forum.
If you're lucky, it may just be a 'chalking' issue as a result of the staglon 'outgassing', which leaves a chalky residue on the surface. That might be burnished or rubbed off to 'fix' the problem. If that's the case, there are some suggestions in the thread linked below, from BF member & moderator 'Codger_64'. He's THE MAN to consult for anything Schrade around here - read up on any posts you might see from him. There's a dedicated Schrade Knives Collectors Forum here on BF as well (
https://www.bladeforums.com/forums/schrade-knives-collectors-forum.732/ ).
I have a number of knives with this molded "like stag" handle on some of my Schrades, and many have the color fading out of them, for some reason or another, and some are worse than others. Of course, I noticed every handle seems different...but does anyone know how to restore this? to any...
www.bladeforums.com
A similar chalking issue also occasionally occurs with older Delrin handles on knives from Case and others. Aside from the burnishing treatment, some have also applied surface treatments like Armor All, wax, mineral oil, etc. to bring back some color and depth in those.
If the fading or bleaching is the result of sunlight (UV) exposure, it may be more difficult to restore the color without re-dying the material. Also from Codger_64, the linked thread below has a LOT of info about these materials - how they're made, history, etc.
As with any major manufacturer, cutlerys are constantly seeking new processes, designs, and materials to increase market shares and profits. Progress in all of these has been exponential throughout the past century, particularly here in America. Handle materials early on were mostly one of...
www.bladeforums.com
