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Stripped Rats

Discussion in 'Swamp Rat Knives' started by Uncle Timbo, May 12, 2016.

  1. May 12, 2016 #1
    Uncle Timbo

    Uncle Timbo Gold Member Gold Member

    4,353
    Nov 23, 2005
    Here's a few pics of the girls now that they're stripped. The 3/16 Ratweiler is the one I got off of Chirol. Thank you kindly brother. The Kydex sheath is doing quite well also brother! She came out REAL nice with a ghetto finish which is just the way I like them. I don't like to carry one with a mirror or reflective finish. Now the RMD ghetto finish is a horse or rat of a different color. First of all, I don't have a smart phone and my camera is prehistoric. If you look close if front of the logo, there are some tooling marks. I'm not exactly sure what was going on in this process. I'll try to get a better pic. It looks like somebodies tool got away from them. She didn't strip as well as the Ratweiler did. The blotchiness is prolly my fault with the stripper.

    My question to all you dirty Rats is, how can I make the RMD look more like her mother? How can I get rid of those ugly birthmarks and still have a ghetto finish? I see why they covered this one up with an opaque finish.

    Dicko, your technique on the logo was a tad too late.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: May 12, 2016
  2. May 13, 2016 #2
    dogboye

    dogboye Gold Member Gold Member

    5,747
    Nov 23, 1999
    Hate to say it, but I think that is going to take some major elbow grease and sandpaper to get those chatter-marks out of the RMD. Dang, I wonder what was going on there?! And WTH were they doing with the tool to end up putting those there?!

    I'd just bite the bullet and get to work. It should only take you about 3 hours working up through the grits to get the marks out. Then I'd suggest a mix of PCB etchant and water to put a gray finish on the blade.
     
  3. May 13, 2016 #3
    Dicko

    Dicko

    332
    Dec 28, 2014
    Hey I think they look great! I haven't had the misfortune of highly visible 'marks' under the coating but I'm only on my 3rd stripper.

    What did you use on the logo? It still looks pretty neat!

    I put a brushed finish on a Rat Daddy using a medium Scotch brite belt - didn't take away from the character of the steel nor remove much!

    [​IMG]

    Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk
     
  4. May 13, 2016 #4
    Uncle Timbo

    Uncle Timbo Gold Member Gold Member

    4,353
    Nov 23, 2005
    Thanks Dicko and RockSpyder. I've stripped a few also and I've never seen anything like this either. What a surprise in the wrong way. Like I said, I dearly loved the turn-out on the Ratweiler. This almost looks like something I'd do if a hand-held engraver got away from me. Sorry for the irritating pics. My ancient Modern Marvel camera works for most things except close-up. This boo-boo looks hideous in person.

    RockSpyder, what is PCB etchant?

    Dicko, I have a 2X42 belt sander/grinder. I'm not a knife maker (yet) and I've yet to find a scotchbrite belt for her. Your Rat Daddy is gorgeous! He looks hungry.
     

    Attached Files:

  5. May 13, 2016 #5
    leatherman

    leatherman leathermoderator Moderator Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider

    13,492
    Nov 30, 2001
    I've seen marks on the flats of my stripped Rats as well. Makes me want to think they are there from the manufacturer of the steel. Since the coating hides them, its not a worry for the shop. I would love to know why they are there.
     
  6. May 13, 2016 #6
    darkaether

    darkaether

    1,375
    Dec 23, 2006
    People have speculated that it is from hardness testing
     
  7. May 13, 2016 #7
    dogboye

    dogboye Gold Member Gold Member

    5,747
    Nov 23, 1999
    This from Radioshack is the etchant I'm talking about. Full strength, it will etch the engraving deeper, instead of having to use the electrode method. But, the best way to do that is to dip it. If you do that, though, you have to protect the edge and any exposed steel you don't want eaten with something like fingernail polish or something. Paint will work, too, but is harder to remove. A little acetone will take the polish off, but the etchant doesn't. And it doesn't eat the factory paint on your Rat. I've not done it with a SRKW, but I have done it with TOPS and BK&T coated blades and it worked fine. Especially with the TOPS. The BK&T blades are more rust resistant after stripping, and it seems to show in how long it takes to etch the logos deeper.

    Anyway, the other way it is used is to mix it with water to dilute it. I want to say 1:4 mix, etchant to water. If you want to ask an expert, one I know that is on here is RWN2000. He does it to some of his blades as a surface treatment for corrosion resistance. I've got a couple that he did that way, and it seems to work well. I'm gonna strip some Rats once the weather gets warm enough here in MD to get the stripper to work well, and I am planning on using the diluted etchant on them.
     
  8. May 13, 2016 #8
    Uncle Timbo

    Uncle Timbo Gold Member Gold Member

    4,353
    Nov 23, 2005
    Thanks RockSpyder but for me it sounds like disaster waiting to happen. I'm pretty fairly skilled and good with my hands but I shy away from caustic chemicals like that. Paint stripper -- no problem. Something that can eat exposed steel...YIKES! Besides that, didn't RS go outta business?

    I'm just disgusted with the RMD and the chatter marks. I know that the Swamp didn't intend for the coating to be stripped off. But they also know that a bunch of us can't help ourselves. They know how we dirty Rats are.
     
  9. May 13, 2016 #9
    darkaether

    darkaether

    1,375
    Dec 23, 2006
    I want to play with some of that stuff but I never actually get around to it
     
  10. May 17, 2016 #10
    kjd2121

    kjd2121

    811
    Jun 17, 2008
  11. May 18, 2016 #11
    Uncle Timbo

    Uncle Timbo Gold Member Gold Member

    4,353
    Nov 23, 2005
    kjd - you make it look easy brother. Yours looks great.
     

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