Tuf-Glide removal

[jackknifeh]

I decided to try getting a Patina on my Gayle Bradley. I've been using Tuf-Glide on it since I got it. I used gun solvent all over the blade and tang. Then I used mustard trying to get a patina and was successful. It has a very consistant patina on the blade. It's a little obvious if you are used to looking at the GB. You can really see it in outside light. The contrast between the blade and the bevel makes it noticable. The bevel is very shiny. It looks good to me. I like the blade a little less shiny but not black on the GB. I may try for a darker patina later but maybe not. After I was done I reapplied Tuf-Glide. Anyway I wanted to let anyone know how to remove Tuf-Glide in case someone doesn't know how. It seemed to work very well. I put mustard on the blade until it dried then washed it off and repeated 3 times. I read somewhere that after the mustard dries it's patina forming ability is gone so repeating until the desired effect is how to use mustard. I guess that is right. I'll try to get a picture but the camera I have is not the best quality.

Jack

[SQSAR]

Thanks Jack. I'm toying with the idea of putting a patina on my GB lately.

[DeathBySnooSnoo]

Funny enough...I just removed the one on mine.

[DCDesigns]

haha, I just redid mine... and might have to stone wash it again its getting so much use...

-Jack, I cant wait to see your pics. I did not have much success with the mustard. sure it made a patina, but I didnt like the squigly lines it made. Soaking the whole thing in something acidic like vinegar is a good way to get a nice even patina. I also think the stone wash on mine helped lighten up the blade a bit and make it look more even. It was almost completely black when it went into the stone wash.

[Lord vader]

I have used mustard, and it does work well achieving a good patina.I wonder how well vinegar would do?By the way that tuff-glide is tough stuff.

[DeathBySnooSnoo]

I have used mustard, and it does work well achieving a good patina.I wonder how well vinegar would do?By the way that tuff-glide is tough stuff.

It's the vinegar in the mustard that gives it the patina. The thickness of the mustard just makes it easier to work with.

[jackknifeh]

I don't know how you guys get the blade so dark. Do you let what you are using stay on the blade longer? How long do you keep the blade in the vinegar, mustard, etc.?

Mine got a little darker which is fine. I don't want it real dark. I let the mustard sit on the blade for about an hour a few times. I heard that after the mustard dries you wash it off. So I just reapplied it hoping to get a darker appearance. Here is what I got so far. I wish I had taken a before picture for comparison. Plus, my camera or my ability doesn't seem to do a very good job. I know my ability sucks so I can't blame the camera but it is a phone camera and not a high quality camera. The only comparison is between the side of the blade and the edge bevel.

Gayle Bradley patina1.jpg

Gayle Bradley patina2.jpg

I put tape on the top portion of the blade and applied mustard to the bottom part to create a different shade. I don't know if I only get a slight effect because I didn't get all the Tuf-Glide off or if it's something else. I'd like to do more to the blade but would appreciate any help you guys can give.

How long do you soak the blade and what do you use? Any details are appreciated also.

Jack

[Lord vader]

I never tried vinegar,but it seams like it would get the desired affect in less time than it would take for the mustard.What I was thinking of doing is pour vinegar in a glass put the blade in and let it set for a few minutes to see what happens.

[jackknifeh]

I never tried vinegar,but it seams like it would get the desired affect in less time than it would take for the mustard.What I was thinking of doing is pour vinegar in a glass put the blade in and let it set for a few minutes to see what happens.

It's the "few minutes" thing that everyone talks about that bugs me. I've gotten such a small amount of patina after hours of soaking in different things (potato, vinegar, mustard) that the few minutes people confuse me. The only thing I can think of is I have never tried to patina a blade that has never had Tuf-Glide on it.

Jack

[DeathBySnooSnoo]

Just stick it in and leave it...M4 isn't the same as carbon steel and won't patina as fast, especially if you have treated it previously. Take a look at it every 20min or so...when you see a color you like. Pull it out and clean it.

[Donut]

It took me 20 minutes with vinegar to get a moderate patina, not dark.

I emailed sentry to find out how to remove tuf glide and got a pretty good explaination from them. I think they said to warm the blade and use mineral spirits, but I need to recheck my email to make sure that is correct.

[Bert T]

Most of the time I use unscented mineral spirits from Lowe's to clean my firearms and knives. I learned this from a gun smith. Tuf glide I don't know, but the mineral spirits should remove it.

Bert

[MachSchnell]

I don't know what they oil an ESEE Izula with from the factory, but I'm trying to etch the engravings with PCB to no avail (like it's protected with some super corrosion inhibitor). So far hot soapy water then rubbing alcohol hasn't seemed to do anything, even a light rubbing with sand paper hasn't helped (granted it the sand paper probably didn't contact much of the steel). I'll leave it in overnight and see how it goes.The engravings on my Junglas seem to be etching nicely and that has been heavily oiled with mineral oil since I first got it. Keep in mind they both have been soaking for the same amount of time.

[C.L.L 97]

The patina/stonewash is awesome on your GB!!


-Jack, in your second picture of your GB, is that an antler tip as a lanyard??

[Daniel]

I really like this!!

[jackknifeh]

-Jack, in your second picture of your GB, is that an antler tip as a lanyard??

Yes.

[Wildernest Survivor]

I emailed sentry to find out how to remove tuf glide and got a pretty good explaination from them. I think they said to warm the blade and use mineral spirits, but I need to recheck my email to make sure that is correct.

+1
This sounds right. On the back of the Tuf-Cloth, the instructions say that if you want to "thin" the solution on the cloth, use neutral mineral spirits. This will also bring a completely dried out cloth "back to life".
I am a fan of natural patinas, earned through hard work, but I have no experience with artificially forcing one. I really like that stonewashed finish, DCDesigns!

[jackknifeh]

+1
This sounds right. On the back of the Tuf-Cloth, the instructions say that if you want to "thin" the solution on the cloth, use neutral mineral spirits. This will also bring a completely dried out cloth "back to life".
I am a fan of natural patinas, earned through hard work, but I have no experience with artificially forcing one. I really like that stonewashed finish, DCDesigns!

Sentry Solutions told me to use an industrial solvent to remove Tuf-Glide. I used gun solvent. I guess it worked but I still didn't get the patina after soaking in something overnight that others get in 15 minutes. I was patinaing M4 which I've heard doesn't change as fast as other carbon steels. I've read that M4 isn't really a carbon steel (whatever that means) under the strictest description. So, I didn't apply Tuf-Glide to the blade for 2-3 months. I got better results but still NOTHING like the level of darkness I've seen on other GB blades.

I only wanted patina for corrosion control, not appearance. I do like some of the darker blades though. And some pictures of blades with patterns really look good.

Jack

[Donut]

I emailed them back in November, but I guess I never posted what they told me.

"TUF-GLIDE and TUF-CLOTH may be removed by most industrial cleaning solvents including mineral spirits. More effective cleaning will result if the metal is pre-heated before cleaning."

When I asked them how hot, they said:

"Hot or warm to the touch is enough. Even placing the metal item in the sun for awhile or warming with a hair dryer will help with cleaning."

[MachSchnell]

Mineral spirit soak and cleaned with a brush, then back into the PCB solution, still no dice. Might need a fiberglass scratch pen to scratch the lettering and logos to get the etch process started.