Need to dye some G10 scales. Any tips?

[loonybin]

I am going to be dying the gray/black 2-tone scales on my Benchmade Rift. I'm going for a red/black color. Right now I'm planning on using the "Scarlet" RIT liquid dye, as that is what Wal-Mart had on hand (the "Wine" color looked too dark).

Are any tricks to getting an effective dye job on G10? Length, boiling/non-boiling, suspending somehow, etc.?

 

[RevDevil]

Follow the instructions on the bottle. There really isn't anything scientific or magical about it. All G10 is not created equal, many production knife companies have G10 manufactured to their specs. This can mean some is harder to dye than others. Since there is no known written guide or record as to which is easier or more difficult it will be intesting to see how effective or not it will be.

 

[loonybin]

I've seen pics of someone else's dyed Rift scales, so I know it will work. I just didn't know if there was anything different or extra that needed to be done.

 

[Tostig]

I dyed the handle on my BM MPR from that crappy green color they used and tried to go to a darker green but it came out near black, still pleased with the results.. Nothing special as said just follow
directions. Do be careful though , that stuff is messssy !

Tostig

 

[BITEME]

Your going to end up with a little bit of a pink & black look, red doesn't cross over nicely from gray(I tried it on a 20cp spyd.)

also boil the water a bit, enough to dissolve the granules,let dye cool a bit,then let the knife soak about +30 min(you can do this w/out removing scales),

one last thing clean the scales good with something that will remove previously applied lubricating oils(dawn or comparable dish soap) ,otherwise it won't let the dye penetrate properly(spots).just my experience

 

[loonybin]

Your going to end up with a little bit of a pink & black look, red doesn't cross over nicely from gray(I tried it on a 20cp spyd.)

How concentrated was your dye? Do you think making it more concentrated (full strength, even) would help it turn out red instead of pink?

I also found some Dylon dye which is a different type of dye (fabric-reactive instead of an all-purpose dye like Rit is), so I'm wondering if this different brand will work better.

also boil the water a bit, enough to dissolve the granules,let dye cool a bit,then let the knife soak about +30 min(you can do this w/out removing scales),

That is mind boggling to dunk the whole knife. I don't know if I could get all of the lube out of the pivot area. It's not hard to remove the scales from a Rift anyway, so I'll probably still do that.

one last thing clean the scales good with something that will remove previously applied lubricating oils(dawn or comparable dish soap) ,otherwise it won't let the dye penetrate properly(spots).just my experience

Oh, yes. Dawn is my friend. I always wash things I'm going to paint for exactly the same reason.

 

[RokJok]

That is mind boggling to dunk the whole knife. I don't know if I could get all of the lube out of the pivot area. It's not hard to remove the scales from a Rift anyway, so I'll probably still do that.

The oil/grease doesn't need to come out of the mechanism, just off (or out of) the scales where the dye will hit the scales. Removing the oil allows the dye to do its job evenly. Since it's easy to remove the scales, that is what I'd recommend to keep things simple.

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NOTE: The products and ingredients mentioned below are all dangerous in varying degrees. Adequate ventilation and proper safety gear is called for when using them. Also, their effect on G10 may be detrimental to disastrous, so testing on the hidden part of the scale prior to wide-spread use is in order.
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To remove the oil from the G10, you might also consider TriSodium Phosphate (TSP), a degreaser used to prep walls before painting. It is very easily available at home centers, hardware or paint stores, Amazon.com, etc etc.

To remove oils or staining, another regimen that may work is to try a very thin cleaner like Goof-Off, acetone, mineral spirits, or denatured alcohol (DNA) in that order of decreasing effectiveness IME. Then wash with the dish detergent to get the cleaner and residue off the scales. Another possibility is naptha, which I have no experience using.

FWIW, here is the composition of Goof-Off.
Ingredients:
Hazardous Components (Chemical Name)/CAS #/Concentration
1. Acetone / 67-64-1 / 60.0 -100.0 %
2. Xylene (mixed isomers) {Benzene, dimethyl-} / 1330-20-7 / 10.0 -30.0 %
3. Ethylbenzene {Ethylbenzol; Phenylethane} / 100-41-4 / 1.0 -5.0 %
4. Hydrotreated light distillate (petroleum) / 64742-47-8 / 7.0 -13.0 %
5. Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether {2-(2-Butoxyethoxy)ethanol {(a glycol ether)} / 112-34-5 / 1.0 -5.0 %

 

[loonybin]

The oil/grease doesn't need to come out of the mechanism, just off (or out of) the scales where the dye will hit the scales. Removing the oil allows the dye to do its job evenly. Since it's easy to remove the scales, that is what I'd recommend to keep things simple.

---------------
NOTE: The products and ingredients mentioned below are all dangerous in varying degrees. Adequate ventilation and proper safety gear is called for when using them. Also, their effect on G10 may be detrimental to disastrous, so testing on the hidden part of the scale prior to wide-spread use is in order.

I've used lacquer thinner, mineral spirits, and acetone on G10 many times with no ill effects. It does require washing with Dawn to get residue off afterwards, but they work great for cleaning G10. My biggest concern with the oil in the pivot was that it might float out into the water and affect the results. Therefore, I just took the scales off and soaked those in the dye. I was going to make it red-black, but a couple folks said their attempt to use red dye on grey G10 ended up pink. While I support breast cancer research (it runs in my wife's family), I don't exactly think a Rift is the right knife to sport pink scales, so I switched gears to blue:

My first attempt was using some Tulip brand dye in royal blue; however, it is what's called a fiber reactive dye, as opposed to Rit dye, which is a union dye (all purpose). The results were... nonexistent. Soooo... Rit it is, in Denim Blue.

I used the entire bottle in a 2-qt sauce pan and kept it on simmer for about 90 minutes to get this color -- about twice as long as the bottle of dye suggests. It was interesting to see the progression of how the dye worked its way into the G10, which is still somewhat visible with the lighter blue in some areas. It makes me wonder if the pink result with red Rit was due to removing the scales too soon. Most folks who use the Rit leave them in for 30-45 minutes as is commonly recommended. I wonder if the scales had been left in for 90 minutes if they would have turned out the proper shade of red.

 

[RevDevil]

I think it looks pretty cool.

 

[loonybin]

I think it looks pretty cool.

Thanks. I actually like the denim blue look. I was hoping to have the red to make it easier to see if it falls in the grass while camping, but the blue is quite nice. I think when I get my tax refund next spring, I'll buy some more scales and see if I can get them dyed red.