several questions about FB knives

Bamboo said:
As other folks already mentioned, wax is a great way to protect the handles. I also really like Badger Balm. I carry this in my pack all the time and have used it for everything. Aside from chapped lips it works great to waterproof leather shoes & sheaths, treat handles and blades (thin coat), pack open wounds in the wilderness, etc, etc.
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Also smells great.

-d
 
I wonder which flavor badger balm would be best for Fiddlebacks; I think they have about 37+ flavors?

I was thinking the "Hard working hands" one would be a good go to.
 
xxwjtxx said:
Hang in there Marcel, this is common with all sheathes , and is a byproduct of moisture transfer between the leather and the organic scale materials. I have remedied such issues in the past with the following method:

1. Apply >70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol to the stained area (I like 90%, or you can use mineral spirits)

2. Using a coarse terry cloth rag, "scrub" the affected area, you will quickly notice the dye being removed from the scales and see it transferring to the cloth.

3. Repeat as necessary; once complete, wash the knife thoroughly and dry it.

4. If all stains are removed, apply mineral oil liberally, let sit, and wipe away

You should be good as new. I have done this on dye stained lighter woods, burls, and even white paper micarta and the results were excellent. And don't worry, Rick stands behind his work 100%; I'm sure he'll take good care of you either way.
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So, mineral spirits won't have any negative affects on the epoxy?
 
I briefly posted a thread regarding the discoloration (patina) from shadetree. This can be in combination of using a sheath, but shadetree can also develop its own personal patina similar to its blade if its not treated properly. Nonetheless its pretty cool to see them develop their own character.
 
mistwalker said:
So, mineral spirits won't have any negative affects on the epoxy?
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Hey Mist,
Good question; while I typically use 90% isopropyl or acetone, FOD has recommended spirits (IIRC) in the past for cleaning up discolored shadetree. While I would not want to advise anyone to do anything I wouldn't do to my knives, IMO the mineral spirits applied to the rag and then wiped should be fine. Note I would not advocate saturating the scales themselves, but the targeted application to remedy the OP's problem.

Any makers want to weigh in? I can vouch for 90% isopropyl as having no I'll effect on scales or adhesive when a reasonable amount is applied to remove staining.
 
I know I refinished the handle on my runt recently to remove some slight scratches
I started with 400 grit then went down to gray scotchbrite then white scotchbrite.... That's how we do it
 
xxwjtxx said:
Hang in there Marcel, this is common with all sheathes , and is a byproduct of moisture transfer between the leather and the organic scale materials. I have remedied such issues in the past with the following method:

1. Apply >70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol to the stained area (I like 90%, or you can use mineral spirits)

2. Using a coarse terry cloth rag, "scrub" the affected area, you will quickly notice the dye being removed from the scales and see it transferring to the cloth.

3. Repeat as necessary; once complete, wash the knife thoroughly and dry it.

4. If all stains are removed, apply mineral oil liberally, let sit, and wipe away

You should be good as new. I have done this on dye stained lighter woods, burls, and even white paper micarta and the results were excellent. And don't worry, Rick stands behind his work 100%; I'm sure he'll take good care of you either way.
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Thanks for the reply & tips man :thumbup:

I tried dish-washing soap first and acetone a few days later (I couldn't get the acetone earlier because the shops were closed during Christmas). Do you think it's still worth to try rubbing alcohol as well?

I don't know what "terry-cloth" is but I'll try to google it in a minute and see if we got something like that here in Europe too.

The scales look a little less stained than in the pic I posted now, but unfortunately I wasn't able to remove them entirely.

According to Andy my only option left is sandpaper, but I don't feel comfortable doing that myself & sending it back to the Forge would add another 100 US$ to the knife at least with international shipping and taxes (our customs even taxes items that are returned to us when coming back from warranty repairs etc., doesn't matter if we already paid taxes the first time the item enters the country. It's crazy I know but there's nothing we can do to stop the thieves without breaking the law).

At the moment I already have over 400$ in to this knife (I wanted it so bad that I over-paid to get it), putting any more money in to a knife this size just seems a little crazy to me. Plus I also use this knife and hate to be without it for a month or longer, even though it still hurts to look at it right now.

I am surprised to read that you say this is something that happens regularly though. It was only the second custom sheath I got, but I thought I'd done my research and haven't heard about this happening too often. If that's the case I wonder why those handmade sheaths don't come with a warning of some sort so I could at least prevented it from happening.
 
GooberBoober said:
Thanks for the reply & tips man :thumbup:

I tried dish-washing soap first and acetone a few days later (I couldn't get the acetone earlier because the shops were closed during Christmas). Do you think it's still worth to try rubbing alcohol as well?

I don't know what "terry-cloth" is but I'll try to google it in a minute and see if we got something like that here in Europe too.

The scales look a little less stained than in the pic I posted now, but unfortunately I wasn't able to remove them entirely.

According to Andy my only option left is sandpaper, but I don't feel comfortable doing that myself & sending it back to the Forge would add another 100 US$ to the knife at least with international shipping and taxes (our customs even taxes items that are returned to us when coming back from warranty repairs etc., doesn't matter if we already paid taxes the first time the item enters the country. It's crazy I know but there's nothing we can do to stop the thieves without breaking the law).

At the moment I already have over 400$ in to this knife (I wanted it so bad that I over-paid to get it), putting any more money in to a knife this size just seems a little crazy to me. Plus I also use this knife and hate to be without it for a month or longer, even though it still hurts to look at it right now.

I am surprised to read that you say this is something that happens regularly though. It was only the second custom sheath I got, but I thought I'd done my research and haven't heard about this happening too often. If that's the case I wonder why those handmade sheaths don't come with a warning of some sort so I could at least prevented it from happening.
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Man, I feel for you. At this point I think it's clear people are unhappy with dye transferring from sheath to handle. I'm sure this was just a mistake or misunderstanding.

Goober, I'll personally share $20 of the cost to send your blade back to Andy (for spa treatment) if you can't get the color out via acetone, magic eraser etc... PM me if you decide to go that route.
 
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Joe Duder said:
Man, I feel for you. At this point I think it's clear people are unhappy with dye transferring from sheath to handle. I'm sure this was just a mistake or misunderstanding.

Goober, I'll personally share $20 of the cost to send your blade back to Andy (for spa treatment) if you can't get the color out via acetone, magic eraser etc... PM me if you decide to go that route.
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I was just answering your pm when I noticed this. Thank you very much for your generous offer, but I couldn't accept your money plus don't see sending the knife back to the forge as an option right now. I do appreciate your generosity though!

I'm pretty sure Rick didn't do it on purpose and I realize anyone can make a mistake, but that doesn't change the fact that it did happened unfortunately.

For full disclosure; Rick did offer to reimburse me for a spa-treatment or to make me a new sheath after I made my initial post in this thread, but I really don't want another sheath from him after what happened and again, I don't think sending it back to the forge is a viable option without knowing the costs beforehand (see my reference to our customs laws in my previous post) and with what I already have in this knife so far, not to mention the time it would take that I'd be without the knife. I guess I'll either learn to live with it or see what I can do about cleaning it up myself.
 
GB,
If you want to touch it up yourself, simply tape the blade, tape the exposed tang (you'll do this twice; once each side you sand), and using 1200~2000 grit finishing paper, sand in one direction from pommel to heel or heel to pommel. Use light strokes, and check your progress frequently. The light surface staining should be removed with relative ease. After this is done, you can go up a few more grits to finish the scales and or you can simply repeat the process using #0000 steel wool as a final finish. Once complete, oil and wipe down; you should be good to go.

I've seen dye transfer from plenty of sheathes (from various mfr's) over the years -- this is an inevitability and happens on porous wood handled knives kept in leather sheathes during regular carry or carry in any type of moisture. The above method will definitively remove the staining, and given some patience and persistence, your scales will be good as new ;)
 
Not sure if your are supposed to use this but I like FROGLUBE. It's plant based, seems to work very well and has a pleasant smell.
 
I think it should be mentioned here that respiratory protection is warranted when sanding, especially exotic woods, woods that have been stabilized or chemically modified, and synthetic scales. Beyond the immediate particulate hazard, there can be chemical exposures and exposure to toxic wood dust. In the case of unmodified wood, a dust filter on a half face mask should do the trick. For treated woods, dyed woods, stabilized woods, and synthetics, a multi-gas cartridge would be advisable.

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...400-Series?N=5928575 4294936907&rt=d&MDR=true

Frog lube is questionable on wood because of the color. But it gets points for being a viable non-toxic CLP substitute. I use frog lube exclusively on all my firearms and on slipjoint interiors. For most knives, I stick to mineral oil. Rather than rennaissance wax, try standard bees wax if there is a chance you will ever use the blade for food.
 
Ren wax, when dried, is food safe just like bee's wax. The carrier is the part that is toxic in high enough doses. All waxes do run the risk of causing digestion issues but, again, that relies on taking in a high enough dose.

A few things to watch with Frog Lube is that it will mold on you. I tested it in my shop when it first came out and had an issue with my test gun developing mold while in storage. I also had an issue with it gumming up and even keeping the 1911 from cycling when it got too cold. Of course YMMV. Everything out there has a pro and con unfortunately.

You could also look into Eezox. It worked pretty good on cleaning the micarta on my machete and is one of the better oils for corrosion protection. It is also food safe after it has dried, again allowing for the carriers to evaporate.

Edit: I do realize that both of the things I mentioned about Froglube is not a big issue with a knife. However it is still something to consider for some people. I keep enough solvents and oils around my shop that I am always looking for a way to simplify it. No need in keeping 1 oil for this and another for that.
 
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Didn't know about the mold. I guess nothing comes for free. Makes me like mineral oil even more.
 
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