remove sebenza inlays

Methuselah

Methuselah

Joined
Feb 7, 2015
Messages
931
so. i'm just curious about various methods others may have used to separate the inlays from a chris reeves sebenza ? i suppose if i was to go at this w/o asking anyone. i would keep in mind i've no desire to damage the inlays i'm removing so, i'll just put this knife in a set of protected vise jaws, carefully protect the ti scale well enough to be able to use my well sharpened .25" chisel , then slip it in between that area where prying is needed. maybe drill a hole in the back of the scale and push ? hmmm , no. ok maybe drill into the inlay and insert a machine screw and pull em off. hmmm , no. maybe your idea... why would i do this? i'd like to polish the scales further and put in some real nice ironwood.. thank you....
edit....
thanks everyone for comments and encouragement. "The Exquisite Blade The Legend Of Chris Reeve Knives Part2" Is something you all may enjoy, was very informative. at this point my plan is to use the same VHB 3M tape chris reeves uses to bond some wood together with a peice of alloyed Ti22 i've got laying around (after they come off the inspection plate.), leave in a clamped state for a few days then subject the experiment piece to -40 F plus temps then see if i can shock it lose to break the bond. should that work i'll have a good deal of confidence that the same process will work with the sebenza. The ASTM International recognizes 31 grades of titanium metal and alloys,in addition to their specs Ti alloys meet Aerospace and Military specs. so freezing the scale should not hurt at all.. fun fact solid Ti melts at 3034degreesF and boils at 5949 degrees F....
PS at CR they said inlay removal process they use is proprietary. ..that's no fun. if i had the machine that cuts the inlay pocket... well
 
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Why not just buy a new Sebenza with the inlays you prefer? Or, if money's an issue trade for one? The inlays are precision fitted using a strong adhesive so unless you able to repeat the process assuming you were able to remove them I wouldn't even attempt to do so. If you look on the inside of your Sebenza you'll see there are holes under the ends of the inlays.
 
Never done it, just thinking: What about boiling the scales or heating them up with a heat gun to loosing the glue? Then dry getting a edge up and feed some fishing line under it? Good luck.
 
Ooo very interesting. The fit and finish on the inlays are incredible, I'd never heard of anyone removing them.. and I'd be hard to imagine someone achieving the same F&F. Please post photos of your project if you start.
 
Disclaimer- I can't be held responsible for any damage done to the knife. I've never heard of anyone removing the inlays or even trying.

Since you asked- I believe they're held in place with some form of double sided tape. If you removed the 2 scales and heated them it might loosen the adhesive enough to remove them. Heating in an oven not with a heat gun. The heat gun will have hot spots and not evenly distribute the heat. A full thermal soak so the entire base of the inlay is raised to the appropriate temperature. I'd secure the scales to something like a metal plate for thermal mass via the mounting holes then the base could be secured in a vise when you try to remove them.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
 
I'm not sure what your scales are held on with, but I have easily removed scales that were epoxied on by putting the knife in an oven for a while.
I don't remember how long or the temperature, but it was mine and I had decided to give it a try, I would start out at maybe 200 or 225 degrees for a few minutes and see if that loosens them.
Wish my memory was better. :)
Good luck.
 
If it were me, I'd CALL or write CRK and ask them what the inlays are attached with these days, and what it'd take to remove them. I have three older Sebenzas (pre-2010 in S30V), and also seem to recall they use an industrial-grade type of double-stick tape to hold them in place (confirmed: see quote from Chris Reeve site below). It may take something more sophisticated than brute force heat or prying to get them loose, without doing damage to the knife.

( quoted from site: http://www.chrisreeve.com/sebenza-21.html )

"The fit of the inlay into the pocket is to extremely tight tolerance and the sections are retained with VHB™ (very high bonding) double sided tape. "
Click to expand...


David
 
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It's an inlay because the the titanium scales have been milled and the wood or micarta inserted into to the milled cutout
 
Brules1 said:
Question: isn't it an "overlay" and not a "inlay"?
Click to expand...

There's a machined recess in the handle, into which the 'inlays' are fit (per the earlier quote from the CRK site). Maybe not a full-depth and surface-flush inlay, as is usually the case with the term, but with a portion left proud of the surface of the handle and the bonded joint below the surface of the Ti handle slab, instead of on top of it as per an 'overlay' config. Maybe 'inset' might describe it better, but CRK still calls them inlays. Seems close enough to me, to appropriately describe them.


David
 
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Here's a link to a 3M document describing methods for removing the VHB tape and/or adhesive residue from it. They mention the use of several specific types of solvent, soaking for 5-15 minutes to loosen the adhesive. That might be an option for the inlays on this knife. Some of the other options described likely won't be useful, like heat gun or prying underneath with a blade, as the inlayed/inset config likely won't permit direct access to the bond.

http://solutions.3m.com/3MContentRe...assetId=1180621639953&blobAttribute=ImageFile


David
 
Op I don't know your skill level ,but IMHO this has bad idea written all over it . It's going to take a big effort on your part to match the quality of CRK if you get the inlays out and decide to replace them .
 
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If there are holes behind the inlays, as CCP says, I might try laying the handles in a clean fry pan, carefully heating on the stove to 200 degrees? Hold it there long enough for the heat to transfer, then use a punch of some sort to poke through the backside and lift the inlay.

If it won't break free, and if it's 3M VHB tape, it should stretch enough to get some fishing line, maybe spyderwire underneath to cut through the adhesive.
Might need to let it cool a bit in the pryed up condition before inserting the line.

If successful removing the inlay, it shouldn't be any problem matching the dimensions with a different material. You'll need new tape or some other adhesive to re-install.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
Here's a link to a 3M document describing methods for removing the VHB tape and/or adhesive residue from it. They mention the use of several specific types of solvent, soaking for 5-15 minutes to loosen the adhesive. That might be an option for the inlays on this knife. Some of the other options described likely won't be useful, like heat gun or prying underneath with a blade, as the inlayed/inset config likely won't permit direct access to the bond.

http://solutions.3m.com/3MContentRe...assetId=1180621639953&blobAttribute=ImageFile


David
Click to expand...

good info i'll look it up. as always knowledge and preparation pay off every time.. thank you.
 
Did you end up doing this? Was thinking about making my own inlays

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
 
I did not go forward w/ any of the mentioned ideas.

I could not afford at this time to possibly put a large damage in the TI.

Had i gone forward I would have used the freeze and shock technique.

Maybe i'll change my signature to include WTB sebbie w/ ironwood inlays.

Sold it .

Thanks everyone.
 
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