All About Pocket Knives

Great work! I am very pleased to know that there is way to clean up those stained yellow handles. I really detest those old soft plastic yellow handles that stain so bad, they are my least favorite knife handles!
I am glad to know that something can be done for them!

orvet wrote:Great work! I am very pleased to know that there is way to clean up those stained yellow handles. I really detest those old soft plastic yellow handles that stain so bad, they are my least favorite knife handles!
I am glad to know that something can be done for them!

Yep, I don't know exactly how this scale material "wicks" but I noticed on this one that there was a deep scratch and the "oil and dirty hand gunk" had spread outward into the scale. There may have been a bunch of tiny scratches but the stain did not look like it was down inside scratches. It really looked like the material itself was stained. Almost like wood will stain.
I guess what I basically did was sand down into the material SLOWLY with the Gojo and sandpaper until the stained material was removed.
Some one above suggested a chemical solution BUT I don't like messing with ANY plastic by using chemicals. I am not a chemist and I don't know which chemicals are safe and which ones will disintegrate a scale.....LOL.
Any way... I hope some folks will learn from my efforts!
Mike

0000 Steel wool. It will remove the scratches that give the dirt and grime a place to hide. Used gently by hand you might get some good results. I've done this many times on dirty celluloid handles. You can finish polishing on denim or other coarse fabric.

Hey I know this is an old thread, so you have probably moved on by now. But I have a suggestion that works wonders on this type of handle material. It’s so unconventional some might think I am nuts, but it works. I have a ton of Griot’s Garage products in my garage. I have their 4 inch detailing machine and all the pads they sell plus all the polishing compounds that they have as well. Numbers 1 through 4. This set up is designed for clear coat on cars. Their 4 inch detailer is guaranteed not to burn through paint, so you will not overwork the surface w/ this. I start out w/ the 1 which is for fine scratches and work up to the more aggressive stuff if the number 1 doesn’t work. Amazing results. I will include a picture of my set up and some before and after pics. It even works on bolsters. Although the bolsters tend to make the pads dirty quicker, but they polish up nicely too. This isn’t my best example on this Carl Schlieper, I had already worked it a bit on the before photo and decided to work it some more. I keep forgetting to take pics of the before. I have a lot of knives to get ready for sale.

I think I already posted this somewhere else, but an ebay seller buys rough looking knives with yellow handles that have potential and cleans them up. I emailed him and asked him his secret. He said the final step was dental polish with a Dremel. Seemed to work great for him. I've never tried it.

Hey... both great ideas.. THANKS!!

Mike