My First Rescaling Attempt

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Rsummers
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My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by Rsummers »

I have to say I am very happy withhow this old Coast Cutlery Folding Hunter turned out. Had some help from my father, who had never rescaled a knife before, but he has alot of tools that we were able to piece together and get it done.
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doglegg
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by doglegg »

Doesn't look like a first time. ::nod::
Looks good.
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FRJ
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by FRJ »

I'd say that is a pretty decent rescaling job.
You've got yourself a good packing knife there and one to be proud of. ::tu::

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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by Reverand »

That looks good!
What did you use for scale material?
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Toejammer
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by Toejammer »

Nice work on a relatively difficult pattern. Lots of angles to negotiate, well done ! ::tu:: ::tu::
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rea1eye
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by rea1eye »

Nice job. Wish we were neighbors so we could work on one together (I have never done one)
I think that working on a knife would be a very satisfying part of this hobby.

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Rsummers
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by Rsummers »

Reverand wrote: Fri Apr 30, 2021 2:18 am That looks good!
What did you use for scale material?
We went with a HDPE plastic from a thin cutting board and traced out the scales and sanded them to shape and feel. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun for us. It will be my main deer and elk knife for years to come.
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glennbad
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by glennbad »

Looks great from here!
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texoma
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by texoma »

looks good ::tu::
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OLDE CUTLER
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by OLDE CUTLER »

Looks great, but that material could be slippery when wet. On the other hand it will clean up fast after you get blood and guts on it. lol
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by Reverand »

Rsummers wrote: Fri Apr 30, 2021 4:41 am
Reverand wrote: Fri Apr 30, 2021 2:18 am That looks good!
What did you use for scale material?
We went with a HDPE plastic from a thin cutting board and traced out the scales and sanded them to shape and feel. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun for us. It will be my main deer and elk knife for years to come.
I have bought a couple of cutting boards to use for scale material, but haven't gotten any on a knife yet. I am glad to know that it can be made to look great!
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cudgee
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by cudgee »

I'm thinking of having a go at rescaling a knife. I have hunted around for a knife maker but they are thin on the ground here, and the couple i have contacted did not get back to me, maybe something to do with Covid. I have never attempted this sort of work before, have enough tools i think, it will nearly all be done by hand, i am hesitant, don't want to stuff it up. This is the knife, and the wood i want to use to replace the scales, would value fellow knifers opinions on how you think it would look. The wood does look a bit bland in the photo, and once sanded and polished will improve. ::undecided::
IMAG0636.jpg
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herbva
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by herbva »

Hello Cudgee. I don't know what kind of wood that is, but to answer your question I would need to know how you plan to use the knife (if at all). I have used various exotic woods on a lot of knives (desert ironwood, ebony, wenge, etc.), and these are all hard, dense woods (as far as wood goes), but these knives all spend most of their time sitting in my collection, or someone else's collection. Wood would not be my first recommendation for a knife that is going to get a lot of use, like a work knife or even an EDC. A good, very tough, durable material I like to use on my EDC's is micarta. I happen to like OD green canvas micarta, or any canvas or burlap micarta. (I can attach some pictures if you want to see what it looks like.) As far as how to do it, there are a bunch of great tutorials here on AAPK, and I recommend that you view some of them before you get started. I also recommend that you practice on some junkers before you get started on a good knife. And, you can always ask questions here and there are a lot of knowledgable people willing to offer advice. But, be careful, this hobby is quite addicting! Cheers mate. :D
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

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cudgee wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 7:30 am I'm thinking of having a go at rescaling a knife. I have hunted around for a knife maker but they are thin on the ground here, and the couple i have contacted did not get back to me, maybe something to do with Covid. I have never attempted this sort of work before, have enough tools i think, it will nearly all be done by hand, i am hesitant, don't want to stuff it up. This is the knife, and the wood i want to use to replace the scales, would value fellow knifers opinions on how you think it would look. The wood does look a bit bland in the photo, and once sanded and polished will improve. ::undecided::

IMAG0636.jpg
Morning Cudgee. That’s cool that you’ve got a itch to work on knives. Have done a few and not as easy as you think . But very rewarding. Keep us posted on your progress. The wood as Herb mentioned may not be the best material for a EDC .
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dlr110
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by dlr110 »

Cudgee you will love doing this, but I have to agree with Herb. First that knife looks to be in good condition, so if you have some junk knife around that is what I would start with. From my own limited experience wood is much easier to work with when you're learning to do it and less expensive too. When you get the knack of it then you can start using the more expensive and more durable materials. Well that's my 2 cents worth, hope you do well and we all look forward to seeing what you decide and your finished knife.... ::tu::
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cudgee
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by cudgee »

Thanks for your replies and input. I may have to re think my plan, i am not 100% positive, but i think the wood is Rosewood, and it is/was going to be an EDC. ::handshake:: :)
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by Reverand »

Rosewood is a good choice. I rehandled my first knife in Red Cedar, which is a very soft wood, and it has been surprisingly durable, so a hard wood like that should be perfect.
I agree with others that you should start with a junker, something that you won't mind messing up.
I could not see the brand of the knife in your picture, but it looked decent enough to me. Your choice on whether to start with it, or something that is already busted up.
Watch all of the tutorial videos that you can, and give it a go! It is surprisingly fun.
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cudgee
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by cudgee »

Thanks Reverand, there is nothing wrong with the knife, i just hate the covers, they look like plastic and cheap and tacky. If it would not end up costing me so much i would post it to one of the knife repairers over there, but it is not practical. Another option may be to sand them back a bit and dye them, i have seen photos where people have dyed their bone scales and they look really good, getting the colour right might be the issue though. But i reckon anything would look better than they do now, or am i being too critical. Thanks again yourself and everyone, you'll have a good week. ::tu:: :)

I really don't have any junkers, i may have to hunt around on the net and see if i can find a couple, but they will have to be cheap. ::facepalm:: :lol:
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by herbva »

cudgee wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 8:11 pm Thanks Reverand, there is nothing wrong with the knife, i just hate the covers, they look like plastic and cheap and tacky. If it would not end up costing me so much i would post it to one of the knife repairers over there, but it is not practical. Another option may be to sand them back a bit and dye them, i have seen photos where people have dyed their bone scales and they look really good, getting the colour right might be the issue though. But i reckon anything would look better than they do now, or am i being too critical. Thanks again yourself and everyone, you'll have a good week. ::tu:: :)

I really don't have any junkers, i may have to hunt around on the net and see if i can find a couple, but they will have to be cheap. ::facepalm:: :lol:
Cudgee, I think you may have figured out a better solution. If all that is bothering you about that knife is the color of the scales, definitely start with sanding them down and, if you like the result, stop there, and apply a coat of wax. If not, try dyeing it to the color you want. If you want it to look more aged, continue sanding it down until it looks nicely "pocket worn". If you want to just lighten the color, I've been told that potassium permanganate does the trick, but I have not tried it yet. But, I've been thinking about experimenting with it to create my own vintage Case green bone. It the knife has sentimental value, and you want to pay for shipping from Australia to the U.S.A. and back, send me a PM and we can talk. Finally, it you want to start with junkers, I see groups/lots of them for sale ebay all the time.
"Better to do something imperfectly, than to do nothing flawlessly." ~ Robert H. Schuller

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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

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herbva wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 11:19 pm
cudgee wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 8:11 pm Thanks Reverand, there is nothing wrong with the knife, i just hate the covers, they look like plastic and cheap and tacky. If it would not end up costing me so much i would post it to one of the knife repairers over there, but it is not practical. Another option may be to sand them back a bit and dye them, i have seen photos where people have dyed their bone scales and they look really good, getting the colour right might be the issue though. But i reckon anything would look better than they do now, or am i being too critical. Thanks again yourself and everyone, you'll have a good week. ::tu:: :)

I really don't have any junkers, i may have to hunt around on the net and see if i can find a couple, but they will have to be cheap. ::facepalm:: :lol:
Cudgee, I think you may have figured out a better solution. If all that is bothering you about that knife is the color of the scales, definitely start with sanding them down and, if you like the result, stop there, and apply a coat of wax. If not, try dyeing it to the color you want. If you want it to look more aged, continue sanding it down until it looks nicely "pocket worn". If you want to just lighten the color, I've been told that potassium permanganate does the trick, but I have not tried it yet. But, I've been thinking about experimenting with it to create my own vintage Case green bone. It the knife has sentimental value, and you want to pay for shipping from Australia to the U.S.A. and back, send me a PM and we can talk. Finally, it you want to start with junkers, I see groups/lots of them for sale ebay all the time.
Herb thanks for your input and advise. The knife has no sentimental value, but it is a great little work and EDC knife. I think i may go with your suggestion of sanding it down and applying some Renwax, if still not happy with it will try and dye it. I do like learning and trying new things, it is the best way to learn. Ideally i would like to get a dark olive colour or a tobacco brown colour, but i will try your advise first though. I would love to be able to learn to remod knives, but i am restricted with my living arrangements, but one thing i do have on my side is i am patient, so i may try small thing and see how i go. I did redo an opinel knife that had the stock standard orange beechwood covers, sanded them right back and 6 coats of thin Tru-Oil, huge difference. Have a good week mate. ::tu:: ::handshake::

Nice to know you are available for doing some remod work if i ever need it. :D
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by Meridian_Mike »

Rsummers.....

Good job on getting a new set of covers on your knife!

It is a great feeling to fix up a knife and get it back looking nice again!

::tu::
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cudgee
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

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herbva wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 11:19 pm
cudgee wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 8:11 pm Thanks Reverand, there is nothing wrong with the knife, i just hate the covers, they look like plastic and cheap and tacky. If it would not end up costing me so much i would post it to one of the knife repairers over there, but it is not practical. Another option may be to sand them back a bit and dye them, i have seen photos where people have dyed their bone scales and they look really good, getting the colour right might be the issue though. But i reckon anything would look better than they do now, or am i being too critical. Thanks again yourself and everyone, you'll have a good week. ::tu:: :)

I really don't have any junkers, i may have to hunt around on the net and see if i can find a couple, but they will have to be cheap. ::facepalm:: :lol:
Cudgee, I think you may have figured out a better solution. If all that is bothering you about that knife is the color of the scales, definitely start with sanding them down and, if you like the result, stop there, and apply a coat of wax. If not, try dyeing it to the color you want. If you want it to look more aged, continue sanding it down until it looks nicely "pocket worn". If you want to just lighten the color, I've been told that potassium permanganate does the trick, but I have not tried it yet. But, I've been thinking about experimenting with it to create my own vintage Case green bone. It the knife has sentimental value, and you want to pay for shipping from Australia to the U.S.A. and back, send me a PM and we can talk. Finally, it you want to start with junkers, I see groups/lots of them for sale ebay all the time.
Here is an update, i sanded it down to wear down the " Jigging " and get rid of the plastic look, i then did some research on dyeing the bone, but mixing colours was going to be an issue, and once you start you cannot go back and may end up with a worse colour than you started with, so i decided to do it in a staged progression and see how i went. So i have tried to remove all the original dye by soaking it in a Hydrogen Peroxide bath, i kept a eye on it as all the things i read said do this for between 12-24 hours, after 12 hours not much difference, after 24 hours some difference, so i decided to leave it longer, after 36 hours the lighter side was starting to show white bone which is what i was after, so i left it for another 13 hours, 49 hours in total. I was not going to risk it any longer as i did not know what effect the Hydrogen Peroxide would have on the bone, now i used 3% solution, i have 6% but wanted to try 3% if i needed to leave it longer in the solution, 6% may have worked better. This is all a new experience for me and an experiment and i want to do it slowly so i can help others into the future with what does work and doesn't and what NOT to do, information out there is sketchy at best. Now this is only my opinion, but i am inclined to think that this method works best on light colours and not so much on dark colours, this is how the process came out, and lighter colours are usually not in the dyeing solution for as long so it sort of stands to reason, but that is only my opinion on what i have observed, and i hope what i am doing will be able to help others. Anyway, i have some decisions to make, which i am going to ask fellow members for their advise, including your good self. Here is a pictorial progression of what i have done so far. There will be more instalments. ::tu::
IMAG0640.jpg
IMAG0641.jpg
This is the original bone, was bulky and cheap and plastic looking, and a terrible colour.
IMAG0644.jpg
IMAG0645.jpg
Hydrogen Peroxide bath, 49 hours at 3% solution.
IMAG0646.jpg
IMAG0648.jpg
This is the result
Big improvement already, with the sanding down of the covers and the bath, looks real and used and not a garish colour.
Reverand
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by Reverand »

That is a major difference, more than I expected.
I would be tempted to try brushing on some brown leather dye, a little at a time, and see what the resulting color would be. You may be able to simulate some older bone.
Then again, it might become a nightmare.

Still, I like the photos of the experiment. Whether you keep it as-is, or continue working on it, keep us updated!
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cudgee
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by cudgee »

Reverand wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 2:18 am That is a major difference, more than I expected.
I would be tempted to try brushing on some brown leather dye, a little at a time, and see what the resulting color would be. You may be able to simulate some older bone.
Then again, it might become a nightmare.

Still, I like the photos of the experiment. Whether you keep it as-is, or continue working on it, keep us updated!
Thanks my friend, i certainly will keep you updated, i am doing this so i can learn, plus for good people such as yourself so it may help you into the future, i am currently trying some 6% to see what effect it has over what time. I don't think brown would work, it feel it would be a nightmare, brown with green is going to result in some sort of lime, that is what i am getting rid of. But will post photos as i go. ::tu:: ::nod:: ::handshake::
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cudgee
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Re: My First Rescaling Attempt

Post by cudgee »

Next stage. Trying to balance up the remaining dye in the covers after first removal process.
IMAG0649.jpg
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