Stripped INFI

jd4320t said:
Dang that sucks..yeah you gotta etch them before. I'm sure you can send them back in and have the logo put back on for next to nothing.
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I emailed the Swamp. They would only put the logo back on if I had both knifes refurbished for $55 total. I understand that they're a business with bills to pay, so no hard feelings, just a lesson learned. Bussekin knives are really great blades and I have nothing bad to say about them. My RMD and RS are users, and I like them much more naked. I'll miss the logo, but not $55 worth of miss.
 
On my Ash1, and SS that I stripped, no loss of logo, but I did not buff or sand either, except for a quick rub with some 400 grit on the SS?
 
The logo came off of my NMSFNO when I stripped it. I guess I expected it too. It didn't appear to be in the metal at all, only in the coating.
 
A couple years ago when I stripped my HHFSH I didn't etch the logo and lost it! :cool:

I apologize for not clarifying that in the OP, I did edit it for future reference.:thumbup:
 
DaKruiser said:
A couple years ago when I stripped my HHFSH I didn't etch the logo and lost it! :cool:

I apologize for not clarifying that in the OP, I did edit it for future reference.:thumbup:
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No apology necessary as far as I'm concerned. I've stripped a couple of Beckers and the logo is still there, so it never crossed my mind that my SW knives would be different. I took the handle scales off the Beckers, but I wasn't sure how to handle (no pun intended) the RMD and the RS. Your post was a really good tutorial and learning that the micarta scales weren't bothered by stripper was great info. Thanks!
 
Klean strip was unimpressive on mine. Took over over a hour to get one side done. I may not have put enough on though. I did notice that once the finish was roughed up a little more the stripper would bubble and it took much less time on those areas. I guess the lesson was I should have beat the knife harder before stripping it. :)
 
joeyza said:
i'm guessing klean strip should work well on busse's coating??
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Not familiar with Klean Strip specifically. Any good heavy duty stripper, intended for Aircraft/Epoxy/Marine, should work equally well.


 
Seems like that would make a trough-shaped etch... Or am I not understanding how the stuff works?

Edit: I didn't realize that the logo was down to the INFI. Herpaderp!
 
DaKruiser said:
I use masking tape to build a small trough around the logo, fill it with etchant and let it sit overnight. :thumbup:
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I found that the grooves in the crinkle coats allowed the etchant to flow under the tape and have got to the steel on thin paint spots on users or even made it to the blade edge.
I have just been applying small amounts to the logo with a q tip. Check it every couple hours, remove the old etchant and reapply fresh etchant.
 
The etchant won't effect the coating, only bare metal.

stjones said:
I found that the grooves in the crinkle coats allowed the etchant to flow under the tape and have got to the steel on thin paint spots on users or even made it to the blade edge.
I have just been applying small amounts to the logo with a q tip. Check it every couple hours, remove the old etchant and reapply fresh etchant.
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That's a great idea!

I've never had any of those problems with the trough, I use blue painters tape and make sure it's stuck down really good.
 
I did this last night and into this morning. I was never terribly crazy about the jungle green color (bought the knife second hand with the intention it being a user), and became even less pleased when any and all scratches appeared brighter green :barf:

Necessary equipment:



Turns out, the etchant has pretty good surface tension. I eventually removed the tape and just applied and re-applied the etchant with the aforementioned Q-tip. In between applications, I rubbed a wet Q-tip aggressively over the logo to remove the deposits, then left etchant on over night.

Once I began applying the Zip Strip, the first few layers of paint came off pretty easily. From there, things got tricky. After MANY applications/scrapings the paint reached a point where the Zip Strip was no longer making a difference. Luckily, the etching had taken well, but as you can see, there was still a good amount of paint left. For some reason, the lower part of the tang was REALLY holding onto the paint. I also recommend removing or taping the G10 grips, as mine were slightly discolored by the Zip Strip!





The holes (I'm sure they have a name) were a pain in the ass to deal with, and I eventually resorted to picking at the paint with a 1.5mm Allen wrench.



Ater many hours of picking and scraping, I used an old leather belt to rub Mother's Mag polish on the blade in an attempt to remove more paint. I got to a point when I kinda liked the look of the blade, so I stopped. I stropped the whole blade a few times and called it good. In a neat twist, the blade damn near matches the green/black G10 grips!



Overall, this process was a bit more difficult than I had anticipated. I didn't want a silver knife, and I do like the way it looks now. The blade is much "slipperier" than when it had the coating.

Thanks for the walkthrough!
 
When I stripped one, to remove the coating that wanted to stick to the blade I soaked it for 1-2 hours in stripper until the majority of the coating came off. Once the majority of the coating was off I re-soaked the blade in stripper then wrapped it in plastic wrap and put it in the sun for 30-40 minutes. I followed this up with a thorough scrubbing with steel wool while it was still soaked in stripper and warm from the sun. Make sure you use rubber gloves. Mine came nice and clean by using this process with no coating residue left.
 
I decided to continue to remove the stuff that was adhered to the metal...

I bought a wire wheel for the grinder and it made short work of the leftovers! After cleaning it up with some 150 and 400 grit wet sanding, I am content with the finished product. It looks a lot like pewter.







Tooling marks! Looks amazing!

 
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