Hello all,
I recently commented in another thread regarding the faded blue accents on my titanium blue stepped Chaparral. I bought this knife at BladeShow this year and have carried it daily since. I work in a hospital as a nurse anesthetist so my knives rarely see heavy use but I have found the Chap to be nearly perfect for me. It wasn't until I saw pictures recently in another thread that I noticed the blue anodization has faded significantly on my knife. Any recommendations on how I can restore my knife to its original beauty? I'm concerned because I'd like to get a Centofante Memory as well as the upcoming Vrango, both of which are blue titanium.
Thanks for reading!,
David Devine
Anodizing is fairly easy to wear off. Back in my bmx days practically everything was anodized and if it wasn't wearing off it was fading from sunlight. Most parts I would just let wear until they lost their true colors and then strip them. Reds would turn pink, etc. You can use Easy-Off oven cleaner to remove it. I know that's not the answer you're looking for but this is one of those things that is going to wear over time.
Does seem odd. Especially given that you've only had it a couple months. I haven't carried my blue ti Chaparral at all, and don't intend to, but I've carried a Centofante Memory occasionally over the past couple years without it showing any significant fading, just the predictable bit of wear on the corners. I'm inclined to think that, if anything, the texture on the Chaparral should protect the anodizing rather than making it more susceptible to wear.
I'm fairly certain that the texture is milled into the scale, which is then completely anodized, then partially milled again to remove some of the anodizing selectively. So I'd agree with JAfromMN that refinishing is probably impossible. I'd also agree with swigert that sending it in to Spyderco for evaluation might be good idea.
I notice that sometimes the blue anodizing on knives hasn't actually faded but is 'obscured' with the natural oils from your hands etc... A little windex takes care of this problem. That doesn't mean that the anodizing can fade, I've had it happen also with different knives. But I've had good luck with windex to clean up anodizing on knife handles to bring back the color as well.
Mr. Blonde beat me to it. Windex will remove the oils that build up and restore anodized titanium colors. If the anodization is truly worn away, the only remedy is to re-anodize it. I doubt you would be able to refinish like original, but anodizing isn't terribly difficult. It does require disassembling the knife and only dipping the titanium parts though.
I've done some anodizing with 9 volt batteries hooked up in series, but nothing as detailed as the above. Not sure if it's something you would want to take on, but hope the info helps.
If you re-ano the scales, the whole scale becomes colored and you lose the color stepping pattern...
I've got one and I've not carried it, but there's certainly spots where the ano job didn't take as well and are lighter. I go back and forth on whether to send it to the SFO for a better replacement...
It's better to be good than evil, but one achieves goodness at a terrific cost. ––– Stephen King
RadioactiveSpyder wrote:If you re-ano the scales, the whole scale becomes colored and you lose the color stepping pattern...
Sorry if it wasn't clear what I was linking to above, but this is NOT necessarily true. I'm not saying it wouldn't be a pita on something like the Chap 3, but it absolutely can be done with masking and other techniques.
Also, just guessing, but it doesn't seem like this would be a warranty issue at all, any more than scratches or other normal wear would be. Maybe if it was faded or washed out when brand new, but that's different. From the knives and other ti pieces I've anodized, I'd say that a good cleaning will do a lot to bring back the initial color if it's only been carried for a few months.
RadioactiveSpyder wrote:If you re-ano the scales, the whole scale becomes colored and you lose the color stepping pattern...
Sorry if it wasn't clear what I was linking to above, but this is NOT necessarily true. I'm not saying it wouldn't be a pita on something like the Chap 3, but it absolutely can be done with masking and other techniques.
Also, just guessing, but it doesn't seem like this would be a warranty issue at all, any more than scratches or other normal wear would be. Maybe if it was faded or washed out when brand new, but that's different. From the knives and other ti pieces I've anodized, I'd say that a good cleaning will do a lot to bring back the initial color if it's only been carried for a few months.
Masking it would definitely be a pita...
As for whether it's a warranty issue, I think that's for Spyderco to decide, assuming a good cleaning does not restore the color. If the knife was a year old and had been carried daily, I'd be more open to the idea of it being just normal wear and tear, but Blade Show was just under three months ago and the fading seems more consistent than I'd expect to see from pocket wear.
The Deacon wrote:As for whether it's a warranty issue, I think that's for Spyderco to decide, assuming a good cleaning does not restore the color.
By all means. Just saying if you plan to carry it, it's a 'gonna wear, and also sharing some info. I didn't want to cross post pics from that thread above without permission, but it's pretty cool what you can do with even a simple setup for anodizing. Tedious, pita? yes. Impossible? no.
The Deacon wrote:As for whether it's a warranty issue, I think that's for Spyderco to decide, assuming a good cleaning does not restore the color.
By all means. Just saying if you plan to carry it, it's a 'gonna wear, and also sharing some info. I didn't want to cross post pics from that thread above without permission, but it's pretty cool what you can do with even a simple setup for anodizing. Tedious, pita? yes. Impossible? no.
Understood. Wasn't trying to be argumentative, just wasn't sure if you were aware how intricate the pattern was, or that, rather than being flat, the scales are machined in a series of steps and that each area of the scales is a distinct facet. While I'm aware that pretty much any coating will wear I'm also of the opinion that, just as the sharp corners and edges of flat surfaces will wear faster than the flats, the high points of uneven surfaces tend to wear more than the depressions.
Possibility versus probability here. I never said one "couldn't" recreate the pattern if one masked it off. I'll call ahead and reserve a room at the "clinic" for anyone who wants to try it themselves
It's better to be good than evil, but one achieves goodness at a terrific cost. ––– Stephen King
Haha, I guess I'm the lone crazy who could get excited about a project like that. I'm tempted to start saving up for one so I can go "full kaleidoscope" on it...
Nate wrote:Haha, I guess I'm the lone crazy who could get excited about a project like that. I'm tempted to start saving up for one so I can go "full kaleidoscope" on it...
Or go with the Chaparral 3, which has the same pattern, minus the anodizing, and start with a clean canvas...
On a different note, I've seen this before, but am still amazed at how different a given color can look, depending on the light source. The blue anodizing looks kind of washed out under the "soft white" CFL's in this room, but really pops under the "warm white" LED's in the next room.
