So who can strip my Ratmandu?

[adrock1978]

I recently saw a picture of a satin polished RMD with black slabs. It looked hot! Are there any board members that could strip the gray crinkle coat and sharpen and polish the blade?

 

[adrock1978]

Man... the traffic in this forum is stifling...

 

[Cutshaw]

Have you considered doing it yourself? The chemical strippers make removing the coating a 15 minute process. After that, it's just a matter of a lot of handing sanding.

Might want to PM Solstice. He did a great job stripping and DCing a RW some time back. I did a strip and hand-polish on a RW. It looked good but wouldn't do the job again except on a blade of my own.

Best of luck!

 

[adrock1978]

Have you considered doing it yourself? The chemical strippers make removing the coating a 15 minute process. After that, it's just a matter of a lot of handing sanding.

Might want to PM Solstice. He did a great job stripping and DCing a RW some time back. I did a strip and hand-polish on a RW. It looked good but wouldn't do the job again except on a blade of my own.

Best of luck!

I haven't, but I would try. What chemical works well for stripping?

 

[on_the_edge]

Get something that is brushable (ie. gel-like) from your local hardware store. I don't know all of the brands off the top of my head, but I have used a Jasco product and it was easy to apply. Just brush on, let sit 5-10 minutes, clean, and reapply as necessary. The coating should bubble up and off the surface of the blade without too much trouble. And don't worry about hurting the micarta; it won't. I'm not saying it's ok to give your whole knife a bath in the stuff, but in my experience, a little on the handles won't harm a thing.

 

[Cutshaw]

+1. That's it exactly.

 

[sleevefullofaces]

Didn't somebody say the stripper "dulled" his G10 though? (I hate it when strippers do that!)

 

[adrock1978]

Didn't somebody say the stripper "dulled" his G10 though? (I hate it when strippers do that!)

I'd let a stripper dull my G10 anyday...

Ok, so a trip to the hardware store it is. Jasco huh? I'll see what I can find. Can a satin finish be accomplished by hand without belt sanders? I have a dremel with polishing bits and whatnot.

 

[sleevefullofaces]

Keep the Dremel in it's case. It'll never look even that way.
Hand sanding is the way to go. I've read that WD-40 on the blade when getting into the finer grits (600 or so) improves results.

I prefer a nice polish on my G10 btw!

 

[Maqua]

Keep the Dremel in it's case. It'll never look even that way.
Hand sanding is the way to go. I've read that WD-40 on the blade when getting into the finer grits (600 or so) improves results.

I prefer a nice polish on my G10 btw!

I wonder if the WD-40 trick works for convexing an edge or stropping on fine grit paper? I always use the paper dry. Maybe that's why my results ain't so good.

 

[adrock1978]

Hahaha... why does it seem like the dremel is the bastard son of the do-it-yourself world? I agree though, I guess they are kind of random and hap-hazzard. No one ever recommends a dremel!

I think I'm going to try Klean-Strip. And then hand polishing with sandpaper. I've heard the same suggestion with wd-40 too. Thanks!

 

[adrock1978]

I wonder if the WD-40 trick works for convexing an edge or stropping on fine grit paper? I always use the paper dry. Maybe that's why my results ain't so good.

I use WD-40 on my leather strops before I apply any diamond compound. It keeps the compound evenly spread and doesn't let it rub into the leather too much.

 

[sleevefullofaces]

I wonder if the WD-40 trick works for convexing an edge or stropping on fine grit paper? I always use the paper dry. Maybe that's why my results ain't so good.

Maybe you're not going fine enough on the paper?

By hand I go down to 5 micron before the strop.
On the sander 15 micron before the stop.

Both will get you shaving (easily!)

I don't use WD-40 when sharpening except when applying compound (like Adrock).

 

[DWRW]

Stripping the coating is actually VERY easy.

But, unfortunately, in MOST cases, the blades are quite rough from Busse under the coatings. And getting a decent looking satin finish on the blade after removing the coating is the hard and time consuming part.

Most people including myself would not jump at the opportunity to help a fellow forum member because it is TOO time consuming and too much a PITA for a typical hobbiest to do. I only do it on my knives because either Busse doesn't offer it on some knife designs or Busse charges WAY too much for satin from the factory. Either way = :grumpy:

I have NO interest in coated blades. For me, I only want to own and USE satin. PERIOD!
So, I only do it on my own knives because I HAVE to. Not because I want to or enjoy the hassle.


Here is one of many threads about stripping and satin finishing blades: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=497995&highlight=strip

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Is this the knife you are referring to?:

Notice the ricasso area right in front of the scales there is a dull gray area. That dull gray area is what the blades look like under the coating when you remove the coating. Harder to see, but the area around the lanyard hole is the same dull gray as that area is also too hard to get satin.

I get my satin finishes like most knife-makers would: with a belt sander. I currently have a 4x36 and a 1x30 with quite a few different belts.

It is not very feasible to get belts to sand up around the scales. And sanding with your fingertips/nails doesn't work very well either.... I have tried.

Some might think a Dremel is the obvious choice. But, I don't think a Dremel does worth a flip at provide good results for this type of work either. A Dremel will not provide even grinds OR smooth even scratch pattern. A Dremel makes an un-even, ugly mess! Again, I have tried.

I have even tried a small triangle pointed detail sander = VERY worthless for this type of sanding. Removing the scales is solidly the "SECOND" best option. The BEST option, easiest, fastest and the way it SHOULD be done is at the factory!!!!!... and PRIOR to scales being attached!!!!!!

Third best option is to deal with having some areas of dull gray around the scales.

When you first remove the coating, you might think it doesn't look too bad and just needs a little sanding to remove the dull gray. But, often (especially on saber grinds with flat sides) there are a LOT of pits and machine marks. Once you start removing the dull gray, the pits and machine marks start becoming more noticable. They require a pretty fair amount of sanding to be removed.
And working around the scales is a PITA.

Some people remove the scales. But, you have to drill out the hollow tubes to get them off. (Potentially dangerous!!! And should only be done with a drill press and a VERY securely clamped blade. Drill bits can stick into metal, catch and spin the blade = VERY dangerous. So, clamp and secure well. Also, a drill press allows "SLOW" sliver removal of steel. Whereas a hand-held drill will dig and "bite" into the steel causing it to stick and spin.)

But, if you remove the scales, you then have to have the materials and proper tools to be able to re-attach the scales = MORE challenges and hassles. :thumbdn:

Again, IDEALLY, a satin finish is put on a blade prior to scales being installed. For most hobbiests with hobby grade tools, getting a decent satin finish really is a lot of work and if done with scales attached will always have some shortcomings. :grumpy:

Whereas, it is WAY easier for a knife production company to apply a satin finish before attaching scales. And you can get much better results if not working around attached scales.

So, I WISH all Swamp Rat knives would be offered in a satin option. (* Thanks for the M9LE! :thumbup: ) But, the RMD and MOST other Swamp Rat knives have NOT been offered in satin. :thumbdn: :grumpy:


**** AND, keep satin finish options at "REASONABLE" prices =

IMO, "reasonable" is about:

$10 - $20 for satin smaller knives

$20 - $30 for satin medium knives

$30 - $40 for satin large knives.



..... not the $200 - $330 Busse charges for satin on INFI. :thumbdn: :grumpy:



---------------------

But, unfortunately, the RMD is one that was NOT ever released in Satin. So, good luck.



.

 

[adrock1978]

Stripping the coating is actually VERY easy.

But, unfortunately, in MOST cases, the blades are quite rough from Busse under the coatings. And getting a decent looking satin finish on the blade after removing the coating is the hard and time consuming part.

Most people including myself would not jump at the opportunity to help a fellow forum member because it is TOO time consuming and too much a PITA for a typical hobbiest to do. I only do it on my knives because either Busse doesn't offer it on some knife designs or Busse charges WAY too much for satin from the factory. Either way = :grumpy:

I have NO interest in coated blades. For me, I only want to own and USE satin. PERIOD!
So, I only do it on my own knives because I HAVE to. Not because I want to or enjoy the hassle.


Here is one of many threads about stripping and satin finishing blades: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=497995&highlight=strip

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Is this the knife you are referring to?:

No, although I saw yours before, and read that thread. Thanks. I saw this RMD in a busse thread about HG55 sheaths

HERE

The stripping part does sound easy. I'm gonna try it... however the satin/polish part sounds difficult. I dont have a belt sander. I guess I'll try the wet paper technique.

 

[DWRW]

Keep the Dremel in it's case. It'll never look even that way.
Hand sanding is the way to go. I've read that WD-40 on the blade when getting into the finer grits (600 or so) improves results.

I prefer a nice polish on my G10 btw!

I wrote my comment referring to Dremel before seeing this. Basically, I agree. The Dremel will do more mess than good.

The Dremel might be OK for cleaning up some "detail" areas. But, NOT at providing a smooth, flat, consistant surface finish. The Dremel just can't do it.


Hand sanding is an option, but NOT the way to go IMO.

I use my 4"x36" belt sander for sanding the large "flats". It is WAY faster. But, it does require a fair amount of practice and LOTS of water dunking to keep the blade cool.
I can sand most of the knife with the 1x30 and the 1x30 is better for finish work (?????? sometimes - hard to explain and depends....), but I personally find the 4x36 is better for larger flat areas.

The pros use a 2x72.

If hand sanding, I would NOT waste my time trying to remove the machine markes and pits with 600 grit. You will want to start at 80 - 100 or even rougher to remove the pits. Then progress up to finer grits to get a decent satin finish.

I think 600 is finer than needed for a decent satin finish. My satin finish is about 220 - 320 grit tops.

400 starts to polish and sharpen. 600 is even more polish.

There is more of a learning curve with using a belt sander. I and most HIGHLY recommend practicing on CHEAP trash knives first to get the hang of it before ruining a good knife.

There is too much to write in regards to tips using a belt sander. Try using google search - use advanced to search Bladeforums.com or knifeforums.com specifically. Or search Scrap Yard forums - good posts on all three forums about belt sander tips.

Sanding by hand will take HOURS.

.

 

[DWRW]

No, although I saw yours before, and read that thread. Thanks. I saw this RMD in a busse thread about HG55 sheaths

HERE

The stripping part does sound easy. I'm gonna try it... however the satin/polish part sounds difficult. I dont have a belt sander. I guess I'll try the wet paper technique.

That knife came out pretty nice. But, the picture might be a bit deceptive.

Knowing what to look for, I can tell you that not much sanding was done to those "flats". And further, it looks like that knife might have been luckier than most at being nicer than most under the coating on the flats.

I am pretty sure I see what looks like at least one machine mark near the ricasso / choil area. The rest looks like lightly buffed dull gray pits. The pits won't show well in a picture like that. But, those appear to be pits.


When I stripped the coating of my Desert Jack, I was pleasantly surprised to find very uniform and modest orange peel like pits. I thought it looked nice and left it with just light buffing (like that RMD appears to look).


But, a significant majority of the Busse and kin blade I have stripped (probably better than 90%) have pretty bad machine marks and pits. They look like crap under the coatings and require a lot of work.


Here is what is most common to find under the coating... and this is after a good 20-30 minutes of hand sanding:

Along with the flats generally being pretty rough, the spines, choils, back of the guards, exposed tangs and many other areas can be pretty rough sometimes.

Busse coated blades are "like a box of chocolates".


I have stripped probably 20 or so Busse and kin blades at this point and only ONE looked decent under the coating.

This is what my Desert Jack looked like after about 20 - 30 minutes of sanding:

I do not know "why" my Desert Jack didn't have the bad machine marks and only had smaller pits compared to the nasty ugly marks on all other blades I have stripped. (????????????????) But, based on the number of blades I have stripped now, I generally assume the machine marks and bad pits will most likely be there.


The primary grinds of Busse and kin knives appear to generally be pretty smooth and not have the pits and machine markes. So, I think it is safe to asssume the primary grinds are added after the heat-treat (?????).

The flat areas are the bad areas... Unfortunately, that tends to include the "Hardest" areas to sand: ricasso, pommel, etc.

So, a full flat grind blade would have the least issue with pits and machine marks, but still issues in the hardest areas to fix.

The Busse convexed blades (SJTAC and others) are apparently shape cut with a CNC cutter. And there are CNC groove cuts all along the primary convex grind... which are also a PITA to remove.

.

 

[adrock1978]

DWRW, really awesome info. I'm just going to jump in feet first with my RMD. I'm picking up stripper on the way home, as well as multiple grits of sand paper. I've got plenty of time, and it will be fun to see the progress. Eventually I'll get a Harbor Freight sander. For $40 why wouldnt I. When wet sanding with paper, do I wet the knife, or the paper?

 

[adrock1978]

Well, I did it. I bought a spray can of Klean Strip. Stuff works amazing by the way! I sprayed it on thick, on both sides and around the spine and just layed it on a pizza box outside for 10 minutes. I was very pleasantly surprised at how nice and smooth the steel is underneath. I'm almost hesitant to sand it and lose the swamp rat logo. The logo side looks pretty good. I'd buy a knife like this if it was the original finish. The other side is decent but you can see a few tool marks. Still almost next to no blemishes. Some of the spots you see are just remnants of the coating. On to the pics!!!!

...and thanks to all who gave input.

 

[MustardMan]

Wow looks like you got lucky. Now put some oil on that stuff before it starts to rust