Fading on G-10?

[Ravana]

Hey, I took a good look at my Persian in the sun today and noticed that it has some areas where the G-10 fades to almost a white at the right angle.

I was concerned that I might be scratiching it against my jean rivet when taking it out but I'm careful to take out the knife at an angle facing away from the rivet and plus it doesn't seem like it would be from a scratch.

Is this just a natural property of G-10?

Thanks,
Ravana

[Agent_Ohm]

The foliage green G10 on my khukuri has worn where the clip meets the G10, this wear has changed the color a tad and it might appear to be faded.

[The Deacon]

G-10 can fade from sunlight, but it takes prolonged exposure. Normally only happens on knives that have sat in store display cases that got a lot of sun for years. More likely is an accumulation of "something" in the hollows of the textured surface or normal wear and tear changing the texture, and thus the reflectivity, in certain areas. If the first, a good scrubbing with dish detergent and a nail brush should help. If the later, you can try wiping it down with WD-40 and see if that restores the color.

[sharpguitarist]

hey rav.
you can wipe down the g10 with some wd40 and that should bring the color right back.
later
don

[JD Spydo]

If you give your G-10 handled knives a regular treatment with "BALLISTOL" you won't have that problem. I've been using Ballistol on all my G-10 handles for some time now and it truly protects, cleans and rejuvenates G-10 better than anything I've ever used.

You can even get Ballistol at the Spyderco Factory Store which is where I got my very first big can of it. And Ballistol is good for dozens of lubricative, preventative jobs as well as cleaning jobs. I've never had any fading problems on any G-10 handle since I've been using it.

Ballistol is not the only product that is good for G-10 but it's the best I've found up till now.

[phillipsted]

I've had G10 fade when left clipped to the back side of my truck visor for long periods. Anything will start to fade if left to bake in the sun...

TedP

[CalviNNatioN]

if you wash it with strong cleaners, it will fade as well. I always use rubbing alchohal to clean steel, and if you get it on your g10 it can fade it.

[araneae]

Mineral oil will also darken it back up without the chemicals in WD-40 or other lubes. Every so often I clean my G-10 scales with dish soap and a toothbrush, then follow with a coat of mineral oil. Looks almost new when you're done.

[dgulbra]

What I have found works the best is to wash g10 with a damp Mr Clean Magic Eraser. It will make your g10 look and feel brand new. After you clean it, apply a thin coat of whatever lubricant you use.

[Tdog]

What I have found works the best is to wash g10 with a damp Mr Clean Magic Eraser. It will make your g10 look and feel brand new. After you clean it, apply a thin coat of whatever lubricant you use.

+1 on this, the Magic Eraser also works well for cleaning the ceramic sticks on the Sharpmaker. I was scrubbing our bathroom with serious elbowgrease and my wife just HAAD to show me how well the Magic Eraser works. She showed me "what it was" Liking the ME's for lot's of cleaning ideas. Works great on leather couches too. No I don't own stock :D

[Ravana]

My persian rests in my jean pockets almost always, only comes out when needed so it's not sun discoloration. I merely mentioned the sun to say that in bright light, at the right angle I could see my g-10 looking whiteish. I think cleaning it up with something is the solution.

Is the mineral oil anything special? Would it be found in any hardware store or since it's food grade a grocery/drug store would carry it?

Also it is a good food-safe lubricant as well, correct?

Thanks alot,
Ravana

[defenestrate]

Agreed about mineral oil, then secondarily the wd-40.