Removing DLC from PM2 and dyeing scales.

A

amd-dude

Joined
Mar 19, 2018
Messages
13
Hey guys I'm new to the forums so please forgive my ignorance (if any). I did some searching around the forums and around the net and couldn't seem to find a concrete answer. Here is the situation:

I have the DLC and digicamo PM2, now the predicament is that there is a law in my county where things with any army camo or camo pattern/colors is prohibited (I know why didn't customs tell me) I just wanted to dye the scales a solid color, now I've seen guys using Rit dye but that isn't available here in my country, are there any alternatives that will work just as well.

On the blade part, I thought I would have liked the whole black blade with a mirror edge a bit more but it's kind of getting old and I always have to oil the coating for it to look nice and deep black, so I was wondering if there is a way to strip the coating off. I have read that it is ion bonded to the blade but I also saw a guy stating that he used muriatic acid and it came right off, wasn't to sure if he was referring to spyderco's coating or some other brand.

Besides the acid would it be possible to sand the coating off and then finish to say a 600 or 800 finish, if so I'm not sure if I should sand everything off or should I keep the area where the washers are with the coating since I will be removing a small amount of material with would then introduce blade play.

OR should I ask around on the forums if anyone would want to trade the DLC blade for a plain finish?
 
I can tell you right now DLC is not coming off easy. Here is one DLC blade i removed the coating from, it was one of my Recon 1's. Used a very low speed with the abrasive wheel spinning away from the cutting edge so it never hits into the edge it's self. Also you want low speed so you don't heat the blade at all. But seriously, you better get comfy and have some music on, cos you'll be there a while. And do NOT remove it at the pivot, especially on a PM2 with that bushing type pivot, you'll be gambling with blade play. Honestly i'd keep it how it is mate, it's a serious pain in the ass to do this, I only did it because at the time they didn't offer a satin blade option. Now there's a shop that does so I kinda wasted my time, was a good experiment tho, but you need to be comfortable with tools and have good control, because your and control determines how the satin grind lines will look, you want them all perfect and even, not messy. Not something for beginners who havent done similar things before. And i will say again, this took a very long time to do. Best of luck either way tho with whatever you decide.
2aj730i.jpg

vhz5fd.jpg

flef4g.jpg

2jbuvbd.jpg

moefk.jpg

s2xnah.jpg

107jeqo.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thank you for the info, I do use tools as I am a bit of a diy'er, never did think about using the abrasive wheel on a power drill, that will save some time. Did you finish the blade with any other grit or was it just the wheel, cause what you got there is exactly what I'm looking at getting, and thanks for confirming not removing the coating from the washer section.
 
600 grit wet dry paper will remove the DLC. Use it wet as it will not load up as fast
requiring a new paper.
Use a flat surface and run the blade in one direction to maintain even sanding lines.
A lot like sharpening on a stone.

What country are you in. It might help finding a RIT dye knock off.
 
amd-dude said:
Thank you for the info, I do use tools as I am a bit of a diy'er, never did think about using the abrasive wheel on a power drill, that will save some time. Did you finish the blade with any other grit or was it just the wheel, cause what you got there is exactly what I'm looking at getting, and thanks for confirming not removing the coating from the washer section.
Click to expand...

No worries happy to help. Yeah the abrasive pad is just one of those you get from your hardware store for removing paint and things like that, feels like a scotch brite pad but really rigid. The finish you can see here is just from the abrasive pad, i didn't finish it with anything else, it almost leaves it with the exact kind of finish you see on all spyderco satin blades. I'm glad too because after all the time it took to remove the DLC there was no way i wanted to re-finish again with a different grit. If you do it, be sure to always move the wheel from the hilt to tip back and forth evenly, by doing that it kept the blade just barely warm and was nice and even with the scratch marks :thumbsup:
 
uxo2 said:
600 grit wet dry paper will remove the DLC. Use it wet as it will not load up as fast
requiring a new paper.
Use a flat surface and run the blade in one direction to maintain even sanding lines.
A lot like sharpening on a stone.

What country are you in. It might help finding a RIT dye knock off.
Click to expand...

I'm in the Caribbean, Trinidad to be exact, problem is that we may have the dye but I have no way of knowing where cause hardly anyone advertises on the net here or catalogues their inventory online. I checked a couple bigger craft stores and they never heard of the thing.
 
My PM2 was originally digicamo - a previous owner sanded the camo pattern off and now it looks like natural G-10 and is very smooth. You can then dye it whatever color you want.
 
kniferbro said:
Rit dye is just fabric dye. I'm sure you can find fabric dye somewhere.
Click to expand...

Ah, that I didn't know, thought it was made with plastics in mind, I'll just try some regular fabric dye then. I'll be sure to post pics, you guys have any color recommendations? Was thinking a grey or white, yes I know lighter colors won't dye darker ones properly but I'm just experimenting, remember this is the black dlc blade, contrast of a lighter color handle and black screws I think may look good.
 
amd-dude said:
Ah, that I didn't know, thought it was made with plastics in mind, I'll just try some regular fabric dye then. I'll be sure to post pics, you guys have any color recommendations? Was thinking a grey or white, yes I know lighter colors won't dye darker ones properly but I'm just experimenting, remember this is the black dlc blade, contrast of a lighter color handle and black screws I think may look good.
Click to expand...
Dye jobs I've seen on digicam change the color but the digicam pattern usually is still present. Unless you go really dark like black I think the camo would still be there. Alternatively, I don't know if you're aware but the digicam pattern is only on the surface. You can sand down through it, and it will be like a natural/jade G10.
 
kniferbro said:
Dye jobs I've seen on digicam change the color but the digicam pattern usually is still present. Unless you go really dark like black I think the camo would still be there. Alternatively, I don't know if you're aware but the digicam pattern is only on the surface. You can sand down through it, and it will be like a natural/jade G10.
Click to expand...

I have read that but I do like the texturing on the scales and wouldn't want to change that, I'll see how the dyeing goes first then I can probably have the scales sand or bead blasted to retain some sort of texture. I saw a guy here on the forums with a denim blue and dlc blade and it looked pretty good, I may give that a shot.
 
amd-dude said:
I have read that but I do like the texturing on the scales and wouldn't want to change that, I'll see how the dyeing goes first then I can probably have the scales sand or bead blasted to retain some sort of texture. I saw a guy here on the forums with a denim blue and dlc blade and it looked pretty good, I may give that a shot.
Click to expand...

I’m not sure if we are taking about the same one but I do remember somebody using blue dye on their digi camo pm2. It came out nice. Made it look like the US Navy’s digital camo uniform.
 
Jaydud said:
I’m not sure if we are taking about the same one but I do remember somebody using blue dye on their digi camo pm2. It came out nice. Made it look like the US Navy’s digital camo uniform.
Click to expand...

Yes that's the one I'm talking about, I think I'm gonna try using adobe lightroom or photoshop and try to change the colors and see if I can get a preview of which colors may actually look good, I did manage to find Rit dye here in a small grocery hidden away, but they only have green and yellow, there is also another brand called wiki wiki dye but that is in brown.
 
Generally, with dying, you can only go darker, so it'll be difficult or impossible to go from a dark green to a lighter green or yellow. There are also fabric dyes made for synthetic fabrics that might work better on scale material, but I have no first hand experience for any of this; just what I've seen other folks say and do. Good luck! Looking forward to seeing photos of the result whatever you choose. :)
 
AlwaysTomboy said:
Generally, with dying, you can only go darker, so it'll be difficult or impossible to go from a dark green to a lighter green or yellow. There are also fabric dyes made for synthetic fabrics that might work better on scale material, but I have no first hand experience for any of this; just what I've seen other folks say and do. Good luck! Looking forward to seeing photos of the result whatever you choose. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks man, I think I'm going with the blue I got, I believe the colour was royal blue and I'll go dark but just enough for the camo to show ever so slightly.
 
Hey guys, so I did it yesterday, I think I went a bit over board with the dye time but it still came out great. Now, it's pretty much the Royal Navy PM2 (sorry my US friends :D) I did notice however that when I was cleaning off the blade with denatured alcohol, some of the dye was coming off on the paper towel. Is the alcohol supposed to have that effect on the dye, perhaps I can lighten it to reveal more of the camo pattern. Link below:

https://imgur.com/a/NrqnZS6

EDIT: I'll get some better daylight shots perhaps the pattern will show up in better light.
 
Ooo, that looks nice! Kind of similar to Spyderco's S110V blurple but without the purple undertones.

A cold vinegar rinse or soak might help to set the dye once you have it to the color you want. Nicely done. :thumbsup:
 
You can also put the blade into a plastic jug with some smooth rocks and shake it around. That will give you a nice weathered appearance that hides scratches. Shake it for a few minutes, take it out, wipe it down and assess, keep going as desired. I got a great finish on a ZT0804 doing this. It will ruin your edge so you will have to re-sharpen. If you use acid make sure you coat the pivot and lock areas with nail polish or you WILL get lock rock.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top