Roughing up polished G10

[redvenom]

I recently came into possession of a used folder with a handle of what I think is polished G10. The grip feels slick in the hand and i was wondering if there is a good way to rough it up to improve the grip without a Bead blast machine. Will some fine grit paper do?

Thanks in advance
Andrew L


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"Praise not the day until evening has come;a sword until it is tried; ice until it has been crossed; beer until it has been drunk" - Viking proverb

 

[Chiro75]

Whether it is G-10 or Micarta the method you'll use is the same, but before you start you need to be aware that dust from both types of material is very bad for your lungs, particularly G-10. You need to use a respirator (NOT a painter's mask) and/or do the work outside or somewhere with a breeze that will carry the dust away. You could also use wet/dry sandpaper with a lot of water to minimize the amount of dust getting into the air.

The best way to do this is to backtrack, rather than just starting with one particular grit, because if you sand too much then you will have a lot of work to do to get it back to its original state. I would start with 400 grit wet/dry paper and completely sand the handle. Following sanding, wash the handle in water to clear all the dust and gunk out of the pores, or else you really won't be able to get a good idea of what the knife will look like. If that isn't enough, progress to 320, then 220 grits, always washing the handle in between grits. You shouldn't have to go below 220.

The handle will lighten a lot, but if you want the color to be darker as it was in the polished state, then wipe with a little cooking oil after the final washing. Oils from your skin will also eventually darken the handle if you use it a lot. You'll have to occasionally re-oil the handle to maintain this look, though.

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Dr. Steve Agocs
http://www.geocities.com/Chiro75/frames.html


agocs_s@hotmail.com

 

[Chang]

Crap... I just realized that I was smoothing out a big bump on a G-10 spacer from a Benchmade a long time ago. The blade kept hitting the spacer and so I had to modify the spacer a little using a file and sandpaper. No dust mask or respirator. How bad have I screwed up my lungs?

[This message has been edited by Comrade Chang (edited 05-09-2001).]

 

[Razoredj]

Chang,

I wouldn't worry. Constant exposure would be a problem, but a one-time file job (particularly if you didn't shove your nose up against the handle and start snorting while you worked) is probably a non-issue. I mean, you wouldn't want to do it again, or do it if you knew better, but I wouldn't think it's any big deal.

-Razor

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AKTI #A000845
And tomorrow when you wake up it will be worse.

 

[Nakano 2]

Rough blast is good. But nothing beats checkering for a good secure grip for a working/ using blade!

Nakano