Shaman KC sprint

[cpirtle]

The lines in the middle, looks like a water stain or missing finish. I do woodworking so was really excited for this but that also makes it very noticeable to me

That's most likely where the layer of wood was overlapped. Think plywood but with exotic wood and epoxy resin. I'm a woodworker as well and not a fan of Dymondwood, not because it's a bad product but it's been beaten to death on gas station knives. Someone at Knife Center likes it though and I'm digging the Rex-45


Thanks for posting those pictures SP and the positive comments! Not sure if you saw the blow out on the lanyard hole but it was there from production. You didn't really see it until the dye. I may throw a chamfer on the hole to clean it up a bit if it bugs me, which only happens when I see those big pictures

I will post a write up I did for the Spyderco forum shortly if anyone would like to do it themselves. The USMC Dye is available on Amazon for $10 in a 4oz bottle and it's enough to do 100 or more of these.

 

[Tigerden]

@cpirdle I did see the blow out at the lanyard hole. I didn't know what to make of it and thought it probably a standard factory defect . I bought the bottle and have the knife scales ready for application. Please do a write up.

 

[cpirtle]

I posted a detailed write up on the Spyderco Forum and because I never had an account until today my post is being delayed for moderator review. Once it's posted there I will repost here.

 

[SpyderPhreak]

That's most likely where the layer of wood was overlapped. Think plywood but with exotic wood and epoxy resin. I'm a woodworker as well and not a fan of Dymondwood, not because it's a bad product but it's been beaten to death on gas station knives. Someone at Knife Center likes it though and I'm digging the Rex-45


Thanks for posting those pictures SP and the positive comments! Not sure if you saw the blow out on the lanyard hole but it was there from production. You didn't really see it until the dye. I may throw a chamfer on the hole to clean it up a bit if it bugs me, which only happens when I see those big pictures

I will post a write up I did for the Spyderco forum shortly if anyone would like to do it themselves. The USMC Dye is available on Amazon for $10 in a 4oz bottle and it's enough to do 100 or more of these.

Yeah, I saw it. That's unfortunate, but shouldn't be too much trouble to clean up.

I posted a detailed write up on the Spyderco Forum and because I never had an account until today my post is being delayed for moderator review. Once it's posted there I will repost here.

Cool Chad!

 

[Sal Glesser]

Thanx Chad, nice job.

BTW, I didn't see your post on the site forum?

And thanx for the kind comments on the design. It was a 2 year effort of continual refinement before I was satisfied.

sal

 

[SpyderPhreak]

Thanx Chad, nice job.

BTW, I didn't see your post on the site forum?

And thanx for the kind comments on the design. It was a 2 year effort of continual refinement before I was satisfied.

sal

I think Chad said that being his first post over there, it was still awaiting moderation approval.

Your welcome Sal! I love the PM2, but I'm to the point now where I love the Shaman more!

 

[blame it on god]

I wiped the whole thing down with balistol. the "wood" darkened a little. It would anyway because my hands are usually covered in coolant or oil.

 

[cpirtle]

Thanx Chad, nice job.

BTW, I didn't see your post on the site forum?

And thanx for the kind comments on the design. It was a 2 year effort of continual refinement before I was satisfied.

sal

SpyderPhreak is correct, 25 years owning Spydies and never signed up for an account over there until today. After I posted it said my post needed moderator approval before it would be shown, probably a good thing

 

[Tigerden]

Here are a few pics of my Shaman with darkened scales. I used the same dye Chad did and I'm happy how it came out. Mine seems darker than Chads knife but is nearly the same color as my Carothers EDC in double red micarta (shown in photo for comparison). Thanks Chad for sharing your customization. My knife certainly is not perfect and the scales had what appeared to be some oil stains or bleeding but I am loving this Rex-45 steel and decided that this knife is going to get some steady use so make it the way you want it to look. It now does have that dark walnut wood feel and vibe.

 

[cpirtle]

Here are a few pics of my Shaman with darkened scales. I used the same dye Chad did and I'm happy how it came out. Mine seems darker than Chads knife but is nearly the same color as my Carothers EDC in double red micarta (shown in photo for comparison). Thanks Chad for sharing your customization. My knife certainly is not perfect and the scales had what appeared to be some oil stains or bleeding but I am loving this Rex-45 steel and decided that this knife is going to get some steady use so make it the way you want it to look. It now does have that dark walnut wood feel and vibe.

View attachment 1277478 View attachment 1277479 View attachment 1277480 View attachment 1277481

That looks awesome! The step you probably missed (because I'm getting ready to post it ) is the final tooth brushing with denatured alcohol. It'll get 20-30% lighter but you are only removing the part that could be colorfast and come off with any cleaners or solvents or on your pants. I am very cautious about things that are dyed not bleeding color since I earn my living making and selling them, leather can be sealed a lot easier than Dymondwood. It also could be that you just had more wood grain exposed to the dye.

I'm 99% sure the stains and bleeding people are seeing is where wood in the same layer of laminate is overlaid to finish the sheet. This is essentially plywood and they don't always have a sheet big enough for a single layer. I once looked into "larger pieces" direct from the manufacturer and I'm pretty sure they were sold in 4x8 sheets to OEM's IIRC.

Next post is the instructions reposted from Spyderco Forum

 

[cpirtle]

I have been modding knives and working with Dymondwood for 25 years or so. Dymondwood isn't much different than wood based Micarta, thinly laminated sheets of wood compressed and bonded with epoxy based resin. Anything you use would need to be able to penetrate and dye the wood.

What I did is took the knife apart and started with breaking the internal edges with 400 grit sand paper, that's just a personal preference. After that I loosely and randomly sanded the entire scale with 400 grit to open up the grain a bit. I generally follow the grain structure but the material is hard and 400 grit won't make significant scratches if you go against the grain a bit.

After sanding I degreased both scales with denatured alcohol and a tooth brush.

Next I laid both scales on a couple of layers of blue shop cloth and liberally applied Fiebings USMC Black Dye to both sides of the scales. After a few minutes you'll start to see the dye drying, then I apply a second coat. Just before the second coat dries I rub them down with a blue towel to remove the majority of the remaining dye.

After that I use fresh denatured alcohol and a tooth brush to scrub the scales and remove any surface dye that didn't penetrate and adhere to the wood fibers. Removing as much of the dye as you can will remove the risk of dye transfer to clothing as all that will be left when finished is dyed wood.

Finally I rubbed the entire scales down with a coat of Renaissance Wax buffing along the way. Leave a light coat on them until it dries and buff it away with a clean soft cloth. Reassemble and enjoy.

I don't know how this process would work out with RIT or other water based products. I have used oil and alcohol based leather dye a number of times on projects like this and have always been happy with the outcome. I dyed my Caribbean scales to a dark brown with their Chocolate Professional Dye as well. No heat needed just let them soak overnight in a baggie submerged in dye.

 

[Tigerden]

Thanks Chad! lol, I guess I skipped a few steps and the kid in me just couldn't wait for your professional (and correct ) way to do it. I figured there was some sanding involved and possibly some cleaning or degreasing of the wood. I did wonder about the possibility of the dye leeching into my hands or pocket in the future. Wiping with denatured alcohol makes sense. I pretty much just liberally applied the dye in two coats each time aggressively rubbing and scrubbing the scales after application.

 

[cpirtle]

If you do decide to stop here and not rub it down please report back, I actually like the darker look a touch better but still like lounging around in my white leisure suit, so can't take any chances

 

[Tigerden]

Thanks Chad. Will do. I am thinking about keeping it the way it is provided it doesn't stain because I like the dark look as well. lol. That white leisure suit with a drop loop leather sheath has to be one heck of a look.

 

[SpyderPhreak]

Sweet how-to cpirtle !!!

As you already know, since I worked most of the weekend I didn't get around to modding mine. Maybe the next weekend or two after I get back home.

As mine is a user (oh, the horror! ), I'm actually using it. Needed an actual sharp knife to cut my steak on Saturday evening (why can't steak places have decent knives?), and it's developed a patina over part of the blade as a result. You can see it on the right, here:



As it looks right now:


I'll eventually mustard patina the whole thing anyway, likely when I have it apart to dye my scales.

 

[V-1]

These dyed Shaman's are looking pretty sweet. Great job everyone!
Thanks cpritle for posting the instructions. Much appreciated.

 

[einsteinjon]

cpirtle thanks for the write up! I'll probably try this myself eventually. Do you think it would work with brown canvas micarta too? Or do you think that would either not absorb or just turn black? I have an after market brown micarta Para 3 scale that is a little lighter than I prefer.

 

[cpirtle]

cpirtle thanks for the write up! I'll probably try this myself eventually. Do you think it would work with brown canvas micarta too? Or do you think that would either not absorb or just turn black? I have an after market brown micarta Para 3 scale that is a little lighter than I prefer.

They would turn black for sure, Micarta is very absorbent. I would start with tan dye of some sort, RIT may be better than leather dye because it will be easier to experiment and blend for different strength, plus cheaper to buy a couple of shades and play with it. I'd start on the inside of a scale with a blend that looks good to you, then wait for it to dry to see the outcome before coating the rest of the scale.

Have you tried just oiling the Micarta? It tends to lighten when it dries and oil is a much better choice if it achieves the look you're going for.

 

[Tigerden]

I ended up following Chad's advice using a toothbrush to scrub the scale surface with denatured alcohol. It lightened them up more and the "woodgrain" lines show up more. I also waxed them. It seemed necessary to scrub the surface to avoid the dye leeching into hands or surfaces. Though feint it the dye was still present on the surface the next day if you rubbed a cloth on it and it had to go.

 

[einsteinjon]

Thanks Chad! I have not tried oiling the micarta but maybe I'll try that first.