Remove Green Spacers?!

J

jfive

Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Messages
201
Hey folks,

I think about getting a new Esee 4 (Black). But there are two things that bother me: the green spacers between the blade and the micarta handles...is it possible to remove the spacers without any problems?
The other thing is the color of the handle...is it possible to darken the micarta permanently?

Thanks in advance!!

Cheers,
J5
 
You can always dye the micarta with fabric dye. Also, the micarta will darken naturally with use. :thumbup:
 
Removing the spacers is going to cause a problem with handle screw length.
 
What Jeff said....... I had a project that required removal of the stock liners. First and for most, they are on there and not coming of easily!! It took the use of a sander and some time and patience to get them off correctly and keeping the scales flat. Once you get them ground off then you really have to replace them with something else or Jeff is spot on, the screws will be to long and won't hold the scales one properly. I am a knife mod'er so I had liner material in my shop that I cut out and sized.

If you are going to do have a plan to replace the material you take out or shorten the screws. Just my .02$
 
I thought the green was kind of "interesting" at first when I got my 4. I've had the knife for about 15 months or so and I don't even notice the liners any more. I stared at the knife a lot when I first got it doing the "Ooooh....ahhhh" thing but now it's just a good tool. I don't like the yellow on my hammer or the teal and orange on my Makita drill, but they're just tools as well.
 
just remove the scales and dye them, they'll do 1 of 2 things
dyed 'em the color you like or a chemical reaction from the dye will loosen the liners ,then your hardware will be off a tad ?
 
well that depends on if they are vulcanized....if they are, dying them is going to be tough. I didn't pay that much attention when I was sanding them off if they were or not....Jeff can chime in and tell us.
 
vulcanized to me means rubberized. Explain.
 
"Vulcanized fiber is most commonly used as an electrical insulator inside of electronic devices. It is often referred to as fish paper. It has been adopted by the knife making community as a decorative handle material. It is an exceptionally durable material that is a fibrous paper impregnated with an epoxy material that make is very strong. Knife makers commonly call it spacer or liner material." from http://www.usaknifemaker.com/vulcanized-liner-spacer-material-blue-031-8x115-p-1079.html

It is a material that I buy to use on custom knives and letter openers. G-10 works as well but vulcanized fiber is a common product as well.
 
Thanks guys. Your help is appreciated!

@Jeff
Man I like your knives but you need to remove those green spacers. Plus I don't like the fact that the Esee 4 (orange) isn't available with a black coated blade - would be the perfect configuration. You need to fix this :).

Cheers,
J5
 
There's a thread on here with someone who used vaseline on his handles. It ended up darkening them. It was initially sticky/gummy, but after wiping it off and whatnot he ended up liking the grip. Do a search within this forum for vaseline and you'll find it.
 
I'm new here, but it seems to me that doing a search for "vaseline" on these forums might be a bit dicey. :eek:
 
evil-spock-288x300.jpg


"Are you out of your Vulcan mind?" :D
 
obsessis said:
There's a thread on here with someone who used vaseline on his handles. It ended up darkening them. It was initially sticky/gummy, but after wiping it off and whatnot he ended up liking the grip. Do a search within this forum for vaseline and you'll find it.
Click to expand...

That's me. Here is a pic....

6584ae8d.jpg


Thing is this is not permanent and the green liners are still there... Rit dye will dye them permanently.
 
Liquid Rit Dye nice and hot but not boiling will dye the liners as well as the handle if you let it sit for a good long time (45 min. or so) in the dye.

I did the scales from my 6 and they're completely black now.

Give them a day or two for the size to normalize after you put them on though, my liners were a hair bigger than the scales after soaking in that hot water for so long.
 
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