Shadetree for CPK

JustinFournier

JustinFournier

Joined
May 7, 2012
Messages
4,971
Soooo guys let's put the details of finishing your Shadetree scales in here.

Did anyone receive a set that was warped?

Wondering how warped if so, and what you did to overcome it.

Did anyone try and maintain the groves machined by CPK?
 
The two pair I got were in good shape and flat. The Evergreen looks excellent, and I probably won't do anything thing to them other than clean off any loose fibers and buff with oil and a rag. The Sapphire after oiling and wiping down had this gummy/splotchy look in numerous spots that scratched easily with a fingernail so I sanded the hell out of it for a more polished finish.

From my experience with Shadetree burlap, even the polished burlap handles will get a good textured feel after a while through use and oiling as the fibers get saturated.
 
So, I must have dozed of a minute and not read every post on CPK some day, when did the shadetree go down?! :eek:
 
0oBJEqY.jpg

Work in progress
Started with 400 worked my way up to 1500 grit. a few coats of teak oil done in 15 min intervals. Gonna let it sit for 8 hours then do it again.
 
Joe, those look fantastic! How's the grip? Was 1500 to high of a grit or would 1000 have been enough?
 
Casinostocks said:
It was more cryptic than anything else and not a full on offering per se. Contact Jo tomorrow or so to see if she has any more left but I think that there was a big run on those.
Click to expand...

Thanks Casino! I was slow on the ball but managed to snag a pair (or two). Not my firsthand choice in colors, but will be a fun project.
 
Those look good J Joecleo86

Here are a couple quick progression pics of the Evergreen from 'as recieved', to buffed with mineral oil/Obenaufs and rag only, to a different knife with polished Evergreen

This one you can slightly make out the machining lines on the Carother's scales after buffing:

36654834460_6a61c65c45_b.jpg



Poor lamp lighting, but here is a side by side to get an idea. They look much better, the polished burlap especially, in natural daylight. All of my experience with burlap knives are with polished examples, and I have been pretty satisfied with the Shadetree composites from an end user standpoint. Given the quirks of the material, I do not know if the higher polish offers any added protection from potential movement (swelling/shrinkage) as with the unbuffed variety and non/burnished fibers exposed.

I do think the unpolished/middle scale looks pretty good for just rubbing down with an oiled rag, but I do like the polished look better. Both are grippy, but yes the unpolished is naturally more grippy. I personally, have not grip issues with polished handles. I might just try hitting it with a white scotch brite or magic eraser and seeing what it does in terms of polishing and retaining the machined grooves.

Overall, fun stuff and thank you for offering these scales to us and keeping them out of the trash bin!

37051629185_6325afa6ac_b.jpg
 
Last edited:
Casinostocks said:
Last Thursday in the AM:

http://www.bladeforums.com/threads/photos-post-your-cpk-photos-here.1404389/page-113#post-17420019

It was more cryptic than anything else and not a full on offering per se. Contact Jo tomorrow or so to see if she has any more left but I think that there was a big run on those.
Click to expand...

I dropped the ball. Nathan told me about these at Blade, and I should have got them then. I asked about them again last month, and Jo dug them out of the creek. I am glad to have a couple. They are great.
 
Brian77 said:
I dropped the ball. Nathan told me about these at Blade, and I should have got them then. I asked about them again last month, and Jo dug them out of the creek. I am glad to have a couple. They are great.
Click to expand...
Sorry it took me so long to find them. I was beginning to think I had thrown them away.
 
Before I ask this, this is a real question..

Why would something like these scales be thrown out?
 
FeralGentleman said:
Those look good J Joecleo86

Here are a couple quick progression pics of the Evergreen from 'as recieved', to buffed with mineral oil/Obenaufs and rag only, to a different knife with polished Evergreen

This one you can slightly make out the machining lines on the Carother's scales after buffing:

36654834460_6a61c65c45_b.jpg



Poor lamp lighting, but here is a side by side to get an idea. They look much better, the polished burlap especially, in natural daylight. All of my experience with burlap knives are with polished examples, and I have been pretty satisfied with the Shadetree composites from an end user standpoint. Given the quirks of the material, I do not know if the higher polish offers any added protection from potential movement (swelling/shrinkage) as with the unbuffed variety and non/burnished fibers exposed.

I do think the unpolished/middle scale looks pretty good for just rubbing down with an oiled rag, but I do like the polished look better. Both are grippy, but yes the unpolished is naturally more grippy. I personally, have not grip issues with polished handles. I might just try hitting it with a white scotch brite or magic eraser and seeing what it does in terms of polishing and retaining the machined grooves.

Overall, fun stuff and thank you for offering these scales to us and keeping them out of the trash bin!

37051629185_6325afa6ac_b.jpg
Click to expand...
Did you just use the obenaufs LP (?), or did you use the oil as well? I'll be doing the same thing on one of my sets.. I love the way that came out.
 
MikeKu825 said:
Did you just use the obenaufs LP (?), or did you use the oil as well? I'll be doing the same thing on one of my sets.. I love the way that came out.
Click to expand...

Either/or would have the same results. Mineral oil is fine on its own, but I use Obenaufs mixed with it on a rag mainly because it smells so nice I could take bathe in it. But really, I figured the LP's beeswax and oil blend potentially does better than mineral oil on its own and I can use LP on leather. I started using Obenaufs after another maker mentioned he used it for everything: knife handles, steel and sheaths.
 
MikeKu825 said:
Before I ask this, this is a real question..

Why would something like these scales be thrown out?
Click to expand...

From what I have seen people are getting flat scales. Many of them warped. I suppose Jo picked the best ones out to sell.

So my guess would be that Nathan wouldn't want to do a material that had a low success rate based on warping alone. They aren't well suited to the process CPK uses.

This goes for wood as well which is why you don't see it much anymore. It's far more complicated than throwing a wood block in the machine and spitting some scales out as if they were G10.

Generally speaking Nathan way under promises on his work describing it with terms like "field grade" with machine marks etc. When seen in person it's better than many other makers work period.

So in short with the flaws found in the material etc I think it doesn't measure up to his standards.
 
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