Stripping: Whole knife or just blade?

GSO1962

GSO1962

Joined
Nov 16, 2013
Messages
1,659
I've been reading a lot of threads on stripping new knives, and it seems that most people are stripping the entire knife. I was thinking it may be better to just strip the blade and leave the coating on the tang. This would prevent rust forming under the handle scales, and reduce the need to constantly disassemble in order to oil the tang. Am I just being lazy in not wanting to constantly take the scales off for maintenance, or does this idea actually have merit?
 
On some knives I have stripped the whole blade, you can either oil under the scales or get some clear spray paint and coat the bare metal. On my 5 and 14 I only stripped the blade, because I use the 5 for kitchen work and my 14 is my new steak knife :). In the end, the choice is yours my friend.
 
I did the whole knife, before considering just doing the blade.
After patina I rinsed with water. 6 mo's later I re-did the scales, and noticed rust beginning to form.
A little steel wool took care of it. Wiped down, oiled up, problem mitigated.
Since the scales are removable, I don't see it as a big issue.
 
I totally stripped my BK9. Last July I took it in the river and didn't really take care of it other than wiping it on my shirt before putting it in the sheath. I took the scales off the other day and there was a tiny bit of surface rust but no big deal. Unless you live somewhere humid or the knife is going to take a bath on a regular basis then it'll be fine.
 
I recently stripped and put a patina on a BK 7. (My first attempt.) I noticed a differential reaction between the blade and tang areas. The blade took a much darker coloration. This might be because I spent more time sanding down the blade than the tang, but the distinct line between the two colors makes me feel there might be differential heat treat or some other manufacturing process in the tang. If you're going to be doing some sort of finish it might be something to consider. The difference isn't an issue for me because so little of the pommel shows beneath the scales but depending on the look you're going for, it may be something to consider. Be careful while stripping if you do go blade only, whole knife is probably easier. I don't think the rust issue will be a very big deal, that's an easy thing to solve. Have fun with your project. I know I did. Definitely gonna have to do some more!
 
I strip just the blade to keep the knife from rusting under the scales.
You can also just clear coat the handle area after stripping.
 
I only strip the primary grind. That's where all the performance is. I have stripped the flats and spines before but it is a lot more work, with mainly cosmetic benefit.

If i was using it for food, I might strip the whole thing and polish it up to minimize bacteria.
 
I leave the zytel handles on when I strip my blades and it works perfectly to keep the coating on under the scales so no rust forms. Here is a pic of my 5/15 right after being stripped (i also cut myself a little):

IMG_6780.jpg
 
Yep, I do the same thing, leave on the grivory or mask off the handle with tape...

Eero said:
I leave the zytel handles on when I strip my blades and it works perfectly to keep the coating on under the scales so no rust forms. Here is a pic of my 5/15 right after being stripped (i also cut myself a little):

IMG_6780.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Many thanks for the info. I think I'll use the knives for a while (once they arrive, since they were recently ordered) to let some of the coating work off on it's own. After that, I'll pick one to try stripping and patina.
 
I stripped only the blade on my 2. At the time it was primary knife and I wanted it to have some protection under the scales.

I stripped my 14 all the way. I totally stripped the 14 because that's my main food knife and it just looks better IMO.

All my other BKs still have the coating. Although, I am considering stripping my 5 because it has become such a user in the kitchen these days. But I'm going to wait until I get my work sharp before I strip anything.

One thing that keeps me from stripping all my other blades comes down to fit inside the sheath. I like a tight fit, however, I noticed that when I stripped my 14, it wobbled in the sheath afterwards. I attributed that to the coating (May have been wrong but...anyway. Also, I just got some kydex rigs from 710 for my 9 and 16, and am skeptical about removing the coating due to fit.
 
On my 16 I stripped the whole thing and and put a really dark and deep patina under the handle. So far I haven't had a rust problem. That being said the next time i strip one (probably my 9) I will be leaving the coating under the handles.
 
Just got my 15,, and have a noob question .... What brand of stripper do most folks find to be the most useful in terms of ease of use and effectiveness ? Any tips on use would be appreciated,, Loving the idea of leaving the handle on while stripping the blade but won't the stripper have some effect on the Grivory material ?
Also,, has anyone managed to leave the coating intact on the swedge while taking it off the rest of the blade using a chemical stripper or would that be a sanding project ?

Oh,,, while I'm throwing out the Noob questions,, what size are the hex screws on the handle of the 15 ? I like the look of the Stainless ones that some folks are using..

THANKS
 
Last edited:
Steppin Razor said:
Just got my 15,, and have a noob question .... What brand of stripper do most folks find to be the most useful in terms of ease of use and effectiveness ? Any tips on use would be appreciated,, Loving the idea of leaving the handle on while stripping the blade but won't the stripper have some effect on the Grivory material ?
Also,, has anyone managed to leave the coating intact on the swedge while taking it off the rest of the blade using a chemical stripper or would that be a sanding project ?

THANKS
Click to expand...


Citirstrip is popular. I forget what brand I have but it's just whatever walmart had. Works just fine. I have yet to see it damage either grivory or kraton rubber so don't worry too much about the handles. For the swedge, sanding is going to be a sure thing but if you tape off the areas you want to leave coated that would probably work.
 
Thanks BIGGHOSS , that textured coating they're using has got to go !! I could have lived with a simple smooth duracoat or some such but the textured stuff is a nightmare to get clean and is rough enough to use as a nail file . ....
 
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