Modifying Large Sebenza 21 CGG - Tips Needed

R

Rhah

Joined
Nov 16, 2017
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59
Hi everyone,

I have recently been contemplating modifying my 2017 Large Sebenza 21 CGG "Think Twice Code" model.

I can't quite put a finger on why exactly, but the polished milled bars on the front scale have started to bug me a little. I don't like how their polish makes them stand out so much.

Instead, I'd much rather have them blend in and match the rest of the scale - similar to the milling pattern on the Umnumzaam, for instance.

Do any of you have an idea of how I could go about 'unpolishing' these milled bars?

I'm a fairly competent DIY'er, but I have no experience working with titanium so I could use some expert advice on this.

I consider this knife to be a lifelong keeper so I'd enjoy modifying it a little to really make it mine.

Thanks!

igaiah.jpg


1hto3q.jpg
 
I figured as much. Unfortunately I don't own a bead blaster, so is there perhaps anything else I could try to get a similar result?

If not, then I guess I'd have to send it in to someone who does have the appropriate facilities.

Thanks again.
 
DIY tumble or stone wash? Otherwise services forum?
 
Would a session or two in a handloading brass tumbler do it? On another (related) note... I recently spoke w/ the CRK folks about my doing a very minor mod on a new Seb. They told me in very clear terms that my doing that would cause the on-the-spot voiding of my warranty. That was the end of my considering doing that very minor mod.
 
Call CRK and see if they would anodize the polished areas or if they'd blast the whole thing. I'm sure a fee would be applied.
They may not want to do anything to it, you'll never know until you call them.
 
Maybe paint inside the scales with some auto touch up paint the color of your choice. That way it could always be taken back to factory look by dipping that scale in nail polish remover/ acetone and using a q tip.
The method would be to paint in the low polished sections and while still wet wipe over the top of the scale with a tight flat paper towel or napkin with a bit of acetone on it to remove the extra that goes over onto the blasted part. That will leave you with nice crisp paint edges in the polished parts only instead of trying to actually paint the edges perfectly.
 
Ajack60 said:
Call CRK and see if they would anodize the polished areas or if they'd blast the whole thing. I'm sure a fee would be applied.
They may not want to do anything to it, you'll never know until you call them.
Click to expand...

Probably right. But keep in mind the wait time on such a request.
 
Officer's Match said:
Yep, that would be a ten second job with the knife disassembled. If you have an air compressor, this is a perfect excuse to buy a small hand held sandblaster.
Click to expand...

That's an interesting suggestion actually. Never knew they had handheld sandblasters.

Wouldn't sandblasting the entire scale make the whole thing look polished though? So instead of matching the bars to the scales, wouldn't I be matching the scales to the bars?

Again, I have no experience with titanium so I don't know what they do to give it that gray/bluish color in the first place. This is just me guessing.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. Much appreciated.
 
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Rhah said:
That's an interesting suggestion actually. Never knew they had handheld sandblasters.

Wouldn't sandblasting the entire scale make the whole thing look polished though? So instead of matching the bars to the scales, wouldn't I be matching the scales to the bars?

Again, I have no experience with titanium so I don't know what they do to give it that gray/bluish color in the first place. This is just me guessing.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. Much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Just the opposite - the finish on a Sebenza/Inkosi/Umnumzaan is a bead blast. 20 bucks will getcha' a gravity fed blasting gun, and with as small an area as you are doing, even a small air compressor is plenty. It is not hard to do at all.
 
Officer's Match said:
Just the opposite - the finish on a Sebenza/Inkosi/Umnumzaan is a bead blast. 20 bucks will getcha' a gravity fed blasting gun, and with as small an area as you are doing, even a small air compressor is plenty. It is not hard to do at all.
Click to expand...

Yeah you're right, they're not expensive at all. I already have an air compressor so I might actually give it a shot.

Just so I understand it correctly though; it had been my assumption that in order to get this CGG effect on the scale, they first bead blasted the entire thing to give it the usual CRK finish, only to then mill out these bars and thereby removing the bead blasted finish to expose the plain, naked titanium that has this polished look.

But what you're saying is that the bead blasted finish is actually the basis (or at least the stronger of the two) that is capable of withstanding a sandblasting, whereas the polish of the milled bars could be easily removed by sandblasting to then uncover the original bead blasted finish again - is that correct?

Sorry if I keep going on about this, but I just like to know and understand exactly what it is that I'm doing before I start something.

I greatly appreciate your input brother. It's been a big help so far.
 
Rhah said:
Hi everyone,

I have recently been contemplating modifying my 2017 Large Sebenza 21 CGG "Think Twice Code" model.

I can't quite put a finger on why exactly, but the polished milled bars on the front scale have started to bug me a little. I don't like how their polish makes them stand out so much.

Instead, I'd much rather have them blend in and match the rest of the scale - similar to the milling pattern on the Umnumzaam, for instance.

Do any of you have an idea of how I could go about 'unpolishing' these milled bars?

I'm a fairly competent DIY'er, but I have no experience working with titanium so I could use some expert advice on this.

I consider this knife to be a lifelong keeper so I'd enjoy modifying it a little to really make it mine.

Thanks!

igaiah.jpg


1hto3q.jpg
Click to expand...
You can try soaking the scales in Oxi Clean and hot water.
 
Rhah said:
whereas the polish of the milled bars could be easily removed by sandblasting to then uncover the original bead blasted finish again - is that correct?
Click to expand...
Nope. The scales were blasted, then milled to re-expose the raw titanium. You can blast the lines to make them less polished
 
Officer's Match said:
The finish on a Sebenza (plain version) IS bead/sand blasting.
Click to expand...

fishface5 said:
Nope. The scales were blasted, then milled to re-expose the raw titanium. You can blast the lines to make them less polished
Click to expand...

Right, gotcha. Thanks guys.

A friend of mine actually has a sand blasting machine at work so he said he could give it a try tomorrow.

Two final questions;
1) Since the bars will be sand blasted rather than bead blasted, do you expect that they'll also gain a gray color similar to the rest of the scale, or do you expect that they'll stay this metallic silver but just less polished/reflective? i.e. what result can I expect?
2) In order to retain the original finish as much as possible, would it work if I taped off and masked the rest of the scale to only expose the milled bars?
 
Richard in LA said:
View attachment 1003189 Have him blast the scales with 60 grit aluminum oxide at 60 PSi (what CRK uses)

This is glass impact beads on the left and factory on the right
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That is some great intel right there! Thank your, sir. Much obliged.

(That glass bead finish actually looks mighty fine as well, might have another word with him to find out what the options are on that machine)
 
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