buff backspacer on Caly

[Will Rogers]

There are some minor scratches on the backspacer of my Caly 3. Is it possible to buff these by hand, or will that damage the carbon fiber? What materials should I use?

[abbazaba]

Pics?

I'd start with Flitz. If that doesn't do it sandpaper will be necessary. I'd at least tape the scales off before operating.

[bh49]

There are some minor scratches on the backspacer of my Caly 3. Is it possible to buff these by hand, or will that damage the carbon fiber? What materials should I use?

If you will carry the knife, you will get many more. Why to bother? This is giving character to you knife :)
I have to admit that both: my C83 Persian and Kopa Coco have a lot of characters :D
2013 Native has even more :eek:

[Will Rogers]

Pics?

I'd start with Flitz. If that doesn't do it sandpaper will be necessary. I'd at least tape the scales off before operating.

Can't take the scales off - it's pinned. Actually, there's a small chip on the edge of the backspacer, right next to the scales, so I can't do anything do anything without touching the scales as well. I'll probably just leave it alone.

Thanks.

[Evil D]

You can sand the entire spine with high grit sandpaper and it won't hurt the CF. Just use a sanding block or something to keep the paper square so you don't round off the spine.

[Will Rogers]

Sorry, this pic isn't focused very well. The chip is on the top, next to the CF. What grit should I use? Thanks.

c

[Ocarr]

If that ding has a sharp edge to it and bothers you when you grip the knife, then hit it with the sandpaper. If it isn't sharp to the touch, then I would just leave it and use the knife as normal. (nothing wrong with a few battle-scars)

[Doc Dan]

I always let my knives wear with grace and dignity each and every scar.

[Evil D]

Sorry, this pic isn't focused very well. The chip is on the top, next to the CF. What grit should I use? Thanks.

c

DSC00881_rsz.jpg

I'd start with around 200 grit or so and progress up to about 4-600. It just depends on how "polished" you want the outer finish to be. The lower the grit you go, the more smooth and fine the scratch pattern will be. You want to work in one direction up and down the spine and take your time.

[SpyderNut]

Sorry, this pic isn't focused very well. The chip is on the top, next to the CF. What grit should I use? Thanks.

c

DSC00881_rsz.jpg

I'd start with around 200 grit or so and progress up to about 4-600. It just depends on how "polished" you want the outer finish to be. The lower the grit you go, the more smooth and fine the scratch pattern will be. You want to work in one direction up and down the spine and take your time.

Just to echo what David said, you should be able to remove the scratches by using fine sandpaper in the method described above. (Here's a quick tip: take a piece of plate glass--preferably 1/4" thick or so--and lay it flat on your work bench, making sure the glass is immovable. Now, attach a single piece of sandpaper to the glass. Some folks will use clamps, but double sided tape works well too. Just make sure that the sandpaper is completely flat on the glass with no bubbles, ripples, etc. *Also, please be careful not to cut yourself on the edges of the glass.* Now, take your knife and gently start to sand the damaged/scratched edge. Keep the spine of the knife square to the glass and you will achieve a nice, consistent grind. Start with 300 or 400 front wet/dry sandpaper and go up to 600 or higher to achieve the desired finish).

Removing the chip will likely require sanding on a belt grinder and should only be done if you really want to have it "perfect." Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about the chip. Bear in mind that you will need to remove .015" to maybe .030" of handle stock to adequately remove the chip. Probably not worth doing, IMHO.

[Evil D]

Personally I would just deburr the chip if it has any sharp edges on it and move on. I like the looks of a well worn knife.

[Will Rogers]

Thanks to all for taking the time to respond to my post. I don't have a belt grinder, so I'm not going to do anything about the chip. If it could have been removed by some hand sanding, I would have given it a shot, but based on all your feedback, it's clearly not worth the trouble.