Dyed bone handle bleeding
-
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Tue May 20, 2025 12:46 pm
Dyed bone handle bleeding
Hey guys, I’m new here, I got my first case knife for Mother’s Day from my husband, it is a Caribbean blue sod buster jr. bone handle. I wore it on my person recently where it was touching my skin and the blue dye bled out a bit. I was concerned if it were normal or not because case is well known for their quality and I didn’t know if this was a defect or if I should send it in to be replaced.
Thankyou for reading.
Thankyou for reading.
-
- Gold Tier
- Posts: 3915
- Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:19 pm
Re: Dyed bone handle bleeding
Nice knife, I would take a cleaning rag and rub the handles. Harold
- Mumbleypeg
- Gold Tier
- Posts: 14644
- Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:28 am
- Location: Republic of Texas
Re: Dyed bone handle bleeding
I’ve not heard of that before, but also haven’t encountered anyone that had a knife handle touching their skin for an extended time period. Maybe the dye reacted with oil or acid in skin and caused it to do that.
You could contact Case (www.caseknives.com) and ask them. Or just carry it in a more conventional way (pocket or purse etc) where it’s not contacting skin for long periods.
Welcome to AAPK.
Ken

Welcome to AAPK.
Ken
Member AKTI, TSRA, NRA.
If your religion requires that you hate someone, you need a new religion.
When the people fear their government, that is tyranny. When government fears the people, that is freedom.
https://www.akti.org/
If your religion requires that you hate someone, you need a new religion.
When the people fear their government, that is tyranny. When government fears the people, that is freedom.
https://www.akti.org/
- SwedgeHead
- Posts: 382
- Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2023 12:23 am
Re: Dyed bone handle bleeding
It's a nice knife, I was wondering if it might be option to seal it, nothing drastic but a light wipe that might preserve the bone and maybe seal the dye a bit more. I just googled sealer for natural bone and saw a few recommendations from pro-grade sealants to beeswax.
Any thoughts from the gang?
In any case thanks for sharing and enjoy blue.
Any thoughts from the gang?
In any case thanks for sharing and enjoy blue.
- glennbad
- Gold Tier
- Posts: 7832
- Joined: Mon May 15, 2006 11:13 am
- Location: NH
Re: Dyed bone handle bleeding
Did you have anything on your skin like sunscreen, lotion, or bug spray?
- Dinadan
- Silver Tier
- Posts: 3066
- Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 2:34 am
- Location: Coastal Alabama
Re: Dyed bone handle bleeding
Good point. I have seen Off melt tiny pits into LCD screens. It might dissolve the dye on the surface of bone.
Mel
- cody6268
- Posts: 4000
- Joined: Fri Apr 10, 2015 7:51 pm
- Location: Southwestern Virginia
Re: Dyed bone handle bleeding
I can remember it removing huge chunks of paint from action figures I had as a kid, as well as chrome plating from Hot Wheels.
Also, some skin lotions and hand sanitizer will do it as well. I suspect hand sanitizer is part of the reason why many of my keys are fading.
- 1967redrider
- Gold Tier
- Posts: 18774
- Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:23 pm
- Location: Alexandria, VA
- Contact:
Re: Dyed bone handle bleeding
Awesome looking knife, odd that it would do that.
to AAPK!

Pocket, fixed, machete, axe, it's all good!
You're going to look awfully silly with that knife sticking out of your @#$. -Clint Eastwood, High Plains Drifter
You're going to look awfully silly with that knife sticking out of your @#$. -Clint Eastwood, High Plains Drifter
- herbva
- Gold Tier
- Posts: 2028
- Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2018 7:18 pm
- Location: The Old Dominion
Re: Dyed bone handle bleeding
I would try rubbing it down with a rubbing alcohol and then give it a coat of Renn wax to seal the dye in. Just my usual go-to fix. But, be gentle, otherwise that might take even more dye off. 

"Better to do something imperfectly, than to do nothing flawlessly." ~ Robert H. Schuller
Herb
Herb
-
- Gold Tier
- Posts: 3880
- Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2018 6:45 pm
- Location: Pisgah, AL
- Contact:
Re: Dyed bone handle bleeding
It is not common, but in my opinion it is not too unexpected. New bone tends have a heavy coating of dye, in order get as much penetration as possible. I agree with others to wipe it down a few times, then try a type of wax. I would not expect it to bleed off much more.
Jesus is life.
Everything else is just a hobby.
~Reverand
Everything else is just a hobby.
~Reverand
-
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Tue May 20, 2025 12:46 pm
Re: Dyed bone handle bleeding
You guys have helped so much, I contacted case for the third time and got someone on the phone with experience in the company and they said that it’s normal. I will look into a sealant! I didn’t know that was a thing! I’m still new to knowledge on knives, and I fancy it a bit
also this knife is a retired model, but bought brand new from a dealers shop locally. It was the last of its kind in the store and it was the display! Thankyou all for responding so kindly!
- QTCut5
- Gold Tier
- Posts: 6571
- Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:59 am
- Location: Napo'opo'o, HI
Re: Dyed bone handle bleeding
Another option to consider: carry it in a pocket or somewhere that isn't in direct contact with your skin. Problem solved 
Pretty blue soddy jr, BTW

Pretty blue soddy jr, BTW

~Q~