Is your Seb scratched? ScotchBrite!

M

mrpinkbullets

Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
121
I've had my Sebenza for a while now, and it's my go-to EDC knife. I wear it with both suits and jeans, and I've used it for everything from slicing apples to prying open desk drawers. Over time the scales have picked up a good collection of scratches, and though some like that look, I don't. After having seen the wonderful results others have gotten with ScotchBrite, I hit the scales with a green pad and a little water. My Seb now looks beautiful- the scratches have vanished, replaced by a wonderfully burnished patina, and in the right light the titanium practically glows. The grippiness of the sandblasted titanium disappeared long ago with heavy pocket carry, but the surface is now even smoother, almost like a bar of soap- in fact, it reminds me exactly of the non-sticky side of a piece of matte Scotch tape.

If any of you are dissatisfied with your scratched-up Seb, I highly recommend going the ScotchBrite route. It's easy, it only takes a few minutes, and I'll bet you will be happy with the results:

tumblr_l0duqxUmbc1qagrcfo1_1280.jpg
 
Last edited:
Yes! I was trying to remember who I'd seen with such beautiful work before- and it's you, 440. Thanks for inspiring me!
 
For me, scotchbright is too rough, even the fine red scotchbright. I used "0000" steel wool on my umnumzaan when I got it used and it was like new after. It did not remove the grippyness of the TI or brighten it much either.

Everybody likes something different though......Yours looks Great nonetheless !!!
 
gundude73 said:
dang that looks really nice! does it void the warranty?
Click to expand...

I doubt it. They have a very lenient policy concerning modding compared to other companies. It only voids the warranty if the mod causes the problem you asking for warranty work on. Even if it does they'll just charge you.
 
I kinda like my scratches....it starts to look like it was cleaned so scratched it is.

DSCF2052.jpg

DSCF2053.jpg
 
The ScotchBrite look wasn`t for me-I thought that I would like it, but I didn`t. The Ti just didn`t look uniform enough for me. Plus, the knife became too slick for my taste, so I had CRK beadblast it for me again.
 
i really like the look of that, but i also like the sand blast look, so many decisions :eek: and that is cool that it wont void the warranty, i was just curious.
 
I really like the ScotchBrite look, but I like the scratches my Seb has earned more:thumbup:
 
Questions:

1) Is it the titanium itself that scratches or just the coating or finish?
2) How does bead blasting work?
 
Reeper22 said:
Questions:

1) Is it the titanium itself that scratches or just the coating or finish?
2) How does bead blasting work?
Click to expand...

The titanium scales as offered by CRK are untreated, uncoated, and do not have any "finish" applied. The metal is bare. The "finish" is a sandblast/beadblast process that, just like it sounds, involves firing a high-pressure jet of fine abrasive particles at the titanium, leaving a uniformly rough surface of very small pits in the metal. This is what creates the perfectly even, very matte appearance, as well as the very high grippiness- the roughness of the tiny pits "bites" into the ridges in your fingertips.

However, contrary to popular belief (though you may know this if you've been hanging around here long enough), titanium is a very soft metal. The textured surface is easily scratched and worn by keys, pocket change, or even repeated rubbing against rough fabric. It is actually the titanium itself, not any surface coating or finish, that is being worn away and scratched (albeit on a microscopic level). When you send your knife back to CRK for re-blasting, all the surface scratches on your knife are blasted away, and in fact an entire microscopic layer of titanium is blasted away, to achieve another even finish.

Hand-rubbing with ScotchBrite, sandpaper, or steel wool serves a similar purpose, with a somewhat different end effect. Since this technique involves rubbing and not blasting, the metal ends up appearing slightly more polished and feels smoother. My favorite part of the hand-rubbed finish is the corners and edges: since these sharper parts of the metal naturally spend more time in contact with the abrasive pad, they are rubbed shinier, which makes the edges of the knife seem to glow.
 
Reeper22 said:
Won't CR take the scratches out and re-bead blast the scales if you send it back?
Click to expand...

Yes they will, but then I will be forever fighting a holding action against wear on my Seb- plus, I'll have to part with my favorite knife every few months or so, and I'd rather not do that. There are some things that should always look slick and shiny- sports cars, tuxedos, good watches- but I feel that a knife, though it must be well-maintained, should show some signs of wear. It is a tool, after all. I don't think I'd trust my pipes to a plumber with pristine wrenches.
 
akubra said:
The ScotchBrite look wasn`t for me-I thought that I would like it, but I didn`t. The Ti just didn`t look uniform enough for me. Plus, the knife became too slick for my taste, so I had CRK beadblast it for me again.
Click to expand...

I actually love the smoothness of the rubbed finish. It's nowhere near as slick as a truly polished treatment, but as I said, it has that wonderfully smooth feel of a bar of soap. I don't consider my Seb a fighter (although I could fit with it if I had to) so supreme grip is not one of my highest concerns. My Al Mar Auto SERE has a similar (though even rougher) blasted finish on its aluminum scales. Beyond that, I have a current-production Emerson Mini Com with some of the grippiest G-10 I've ever met. The Seb is both my gentleman's folder and my EDC, since I'm a gentleman who carries a knife every day =) It now looks beautiful and clean, but with just the right kind of wear that says "pick me up and use me".
 
powernoodle said:
Scotchbrite:
Click to expand...

Amazing work, powernoodle. You went much harder on the rubbing than I did, but your Seb looks gorgeous. It reminds me of some old workhorse Rolexes I've seen- heavily worn and beaten, but with all the original beauty still clearly evident.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top