Taming Emerson's G10 Scales, Step-By-Step

hondahirny

hondahirny

Joined
Apr 2, 2012
Messages
395
My biggest complaint with Emerson knives would have to be the 120-grit G10 Ernie has chosen :D I absolutely love the blade shapes and grinds on Emersons, but destroying my pockets was really putting me off. I decided to give another Emerson a go, provided I could tame that oh-so-rough G10. I could have sent the knife out for a pimp job and new scales, but I really wanted to keep it looking as original as possible, while enhancing the knife for the jean-wearing man (or gal) out there. Also, I didn't want to spend any money :D Please read the entire post before attempting this. Epoxy is great stuff, but needs to be respected and you need to know which epoxy to use, or you'll ruin your scales. I already had all the supplies from my model airplane days, but you may need to go out and buy some of this stuff...

Tools Required:
  • Qty. 2 epoxy brushes. These are just cheap bristle brushes.
  • Qty. 2 mixing cups. Any two small containes willd do. You're only mixing a small amount of epoxy to do each scale.
  • Mixing stick of some sort. Small popsicle sticks would work.
  • Rubber gloves. Not absolutely required, but it's best not to get epoxy on your skin and your skin oils onto the G10.
  • Digital scale that can read 0.1g or smaller. This isn't required, but makes mixing small batches of epoxy accurately an easy thing.
  • A thin epoxy. I used West System 105 resin with 205 hardener.

Info & Tips on Epoxy:
  • I used West System #105 Resin and #205 Fast Hardener. This is available from West Marine. The #206 Slow Hardener will also work. If you can't get the West System stuff, find an epoxy that's meant for laying up fiberglass or "laminating." It's usually much thinner that the 5-minute epoxies most of us have used at one point or another. For this job, a relatively thin epoxy will be needed to get a good result.
  • The West System epoxy I used requires a 5 to 1 mix ratio. This is VERY difficult to do by "feel" and not recommended. I used a digital scale for the job to weigh out the right amount. If you don't have or don't want to have a digital scale, get a thin epoxy with a 1 to 1 mix ratio. This CAN be done by eye reasonably well. I've seen these epoxies sold in model airplane hobby shops as 20-minute or "laminating" epoxies. They seem to have the 1 to 1 mix ratio and should also be plenty thin enough to do the job.
  • Pot Life - This is the length of time the epoxy will stay relatively liquid once mixed in a cup. Since epoxy produces heat as it cures, that heat builds up much faster when epoxy is in greater quantity, crammed into a mixing cup. The pot life is the useful time of the epoxy in the cup only. You will want an epoxy with a pot life of at least 5 minutes, but preferably 10 or so.
  • Thin Film Cure Time - This doesn't affect the application process, but does tell you how long the epoxy will take to cure when "painted on" in a thin layer. Generally, 24 hours will be a pretty safe bet, provided you keep the scales in a reasonably warm space during this process.
  • Be sure that your finished scales cure in an environment that isn't overly humid or cold. Many slower-curing epoxies will have a minimum required temperature in order to fully cure. If you do this work in the middle of winter in your garage, the epoxy may end up experiencing rather cold temperatures and may never properly cure. I stongly suggest the scales be placed indoors when done, preferably at 70F or above. I placed mine next to my Play Station 3, which puts off lots of hot air (but not too hot). This sped up the cure a lot and I was able to insure that they were nicely cured up before 24 hours was up. The West System epoxies give you lots of details on their specifications, so you can make good decisions on where and when to apply them. If you buy another type of epoxy, make sure you understand things like pot life, thin film cure time, and minimum temperatures to reach full cure.

Directions:
  1. Take your Emerson apart, removing both scales so they can be easily worked on.
  2. Using a clean toothbrush (your wife's for example) and some dish soap, do a thorough cleaning job on the outside surface of both scales. I used warm water during the process and then rinsed VERY thoroughly. I also sprayed them down with alcohol and did a second clean water rinse after that. I wanted to make sure nothing greasy was left in the G10. Dry the scales thoroughly before proceeding. I put mine in front of a fan for about an hour.
  3. Using a small brush, apply thin epoxy to the rough side of the scale. You want to make sure the epoxy makes it into all those little nooks and crannies on the rough side of the scale. You DO NOT want to use a 5-minute epoxy for this. They're usually too thick for this application and cure way too fast. I used an epoxy meant for laying up fiberglass, such as when building a boat or canoe. I used West System (from West Marine) 105 resin and 205 fast hardener. This combo still gives several minutes of working time before anything in the mixing cup starts to thicken up. I ended up mixing my epoxy in two batches, one for each scale. It takes <5 minutes to do a good job with the brush. You will also want to have a couple toothpicks and q-tips handy, as you will inevitably get epoxy into the screw holes. The goal is to have epoxy only in the rough texturing and not on the sides/rear/holes of the scale.
  4. The key to this job is to then blot the "epoxy painted" scale with paper towels. While I did a thorough job applying the epoxy, I didn't want a ton of it on there. The paper towel will not remove all the epoxy. I used several towels on each scale, pressing fairly hard to remove all excess. DO NOT WIPE THE SCALES WITH PAPER TOWELS. Blotting is placing a paper towel down and pressing on it. Do not move it side-to-side. If you do, fibers will get stuck in the G10 and you'll end up with a crappy looking scale.
  5. Now, patience is a virtue. Let your scales cure for 24 hours before putting the knife back together. While the epoxy inside a cup will start to thicken in several minutes, this process is greatly slowed down once you spread the epoxy into a thin film on the G10 scale. Epoxy releases heat as it cures (exothermic reaction). When it's in a cup, the heat builds up a lot more and as a result, epoxy in a cup can cure rather quickly. Once spread out into a thin film, the self-heating almost entirely goes away and it takes much longer for the epoxy to fully cure. What's left in the cup may be hard after an hour, but what's on your newly smoothed scales will take much longer. Be patient and you will enjoy great results:

emersonG101.jpg


emersonG102.jpg


I did nothing else to the scales after I did the above procedure. Just put the knife back together and enjoyed the results. Still plenty of grip, but not longer the denim-destroyer it used to be. This was easy for me, as I have lots of experience with fiberglass and this particular epoxy system. If you've never used a thin epoxy, you may want to try painting some cardboard with a layer of it first and see if you can get it to cure properly. You don't want to "practice" on your Emerson.
 
Last edited:
Feel free to make this is a sticky, if you guys find it adds to this sub-forum. Thanks for the kinds words :D
 
I'm going to be a wise guy here and point out that you can also hit the scales for 30 seconds with some sand paper and get the same result. Though your way is much cooler. :thumbup:
 
powernoodle said:
I'm going to be a wise guy here and point out that you can also hit the scales for 30 seconds with some sand paper and get the same result. Though your way is much cooler. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

2nd kind of cool. Totally dudes. [/NUTNFANCY] :D I did actually try the sanding. It gave the scales a shinier surface, but the edges of the tiny "cups" in the G10 were still pretty sharp. I found this in particular under the pocket clip. I find that using the epoxy doesn't require any sanding and gives a nice "factory" look to the G10. It reminds me of my Benchmade 710 handles. A fine balance of grippy and doesn't tear up the pockets.

Another solution is to use an Emerson as a cheese grater for a little while. All that Parmesan is sure to help smooth out the G10 :D
 
Thanks for this tutorial Hondahirny! That cheese grater method is another reason every kitchen will find an Emerson useful. LOL! I'm with Powernoodle, just light sand paper does the trick for me in the cases of pocket shredding G10.
 
I have an old piece of indoor outdoor carpet I do gun work on and about 10-15 rubs back and forth cuts the edges down nicely. Did this to all 4 of the emerson's I own and it works great.

Tony P.
 
I cut a large piece of denim from an old pair of jeans, and stapled it to a piece of plywood. I took off the pocket clip and rubbed the knife against the denim for about 10 minutes on each side. It breaks in the G10 pretty well and gives the screws and pivot a slightly used appearance. Then I rub the pocket clip for a while to match. I've done this for 3 Emerson's so far.
 
wilson.cooper.5203 said:
I cut a large piece of denim from an old pair of jeans, and stapled it to a piece of plywood. I took off the pocket clip and rubbed the knife against the denim for about 10 minutes on each side. It breaks in the G10 pretty well and gives the screws and pivot a slightly used appearance. Then I rub the pocket clip for a while to match. I've done this for 3 Emerson's so far.
Click to expand...

I like you idea above, but let me interject an idea, you can notr add rought once it is gone. I think Double "E", aka Ernie design the knive the way he did for rought enviorments. Wet, Cold, Hot, Slippery, Icy, and that ROUGH G-10 don't silip out of your hand when called upon in these enviorments. Just an observation from the sidelines of life.
 
Akapennypincher said:
I like you idea above, but let me interject an idea, you can notr add rought once it is gone. I think Double "E", aka Ernie design the knive the way he did for rought enviorments. Wet, Cold, Hot, Slippery, Icy, and that ROUGH G-10 don't silip out of your hand when called upon in these enviorments. Just an observation from the sidelines of life.
Click to expand...

you can always add grooves or checkering.
 
I love the g10 just the way it is. This is a hard use tactical knife, why would I want to make it less "grippy". Different Strokes, Different Folks...I guess
 
I used a green Scotch Brite pad to tame the worst of the scratchiness on my CQC7. It didn't take much work, either or alter the fundamental character of the G10 - it's still plenty grippy, just less rough.

Jeff C
 
Well, the pocket ripping factor is a deal breaker. But I kinda like the Emerson knives. So I just took a strip of gorilla tape and stuck it to the scale underneath the pocket clip, just a little longer than where the clip rubs against the fabric of the pocket. Won't last forever, and does not look very good, but gets the job done with modifying the knife. I think Ernie could just smooth the darn G10 under the clip.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top