Keeping spacers clean from wood stain.

Mark Barone

Well-Known Member
If I were to stain a wooden handle that has a colored or even white spacer on it, will the stain wipe off the spacer. It seems I have some spacers that are like plastic and others that have a papery texture to it. I guess I should do a test run. I want to get a handle as black as possible without using micarta, but I want to use a spacer also.
 
I’ve used white G10 spacers and I’be noticed they aren’t impervious to stains or picking up polishing compound or sanding residue. But others may not have experienced that problem.
 
NO! Unfortunately, I have not discovered any white spacer material that you can remove the stain from without also removing it from the handle material. I love white spacers, but when I use a wood tint/dye/stain I have to force myself not to use white spacers. I have tried and tried and tried, and the white never comes white again no matter what I do.

If anyone has a solution to this I'd love to hear it.
 
I would tape around the handle to separate the wood from the liner then use nail polish on the liner/spine/liner. The stain should not then effect the liner and then with another tape wrap, the nail polish remover will clean it all up and you will be ready for final buff and can do the finish.
Havent done this but if I was faced with the problem that is what I would do.
On the other hand could you not just use ebony, blackwood or buffalo horn and solve the problem without having to stain anything
 
I have tried and tried and tried, and the white never comes white again no matter what I do.
I find with G10 the white soaks up about EVERYTHING. The best solution I have so far is to sand to finish...wipe with alcohol...then with a soft tiny paintbrush use thin crazy glue and paint the liner stripes. Sand that portion and then it doesn't soak up color as bad.
 
I'll prolly stop using white...it's too much work. The crazy glue helps a bunch but is not perfect. every other color g10 takes a very minor tint but still looks good.(really just dust staining the pores) With white you can see it and since g10 in spacer position is "endgrain" it's a fight.
 
I don't generally dye wood handle material, but I like to use dark ironwood and white G10 liners.
The G10 sometimes looks dirty from picking up some of the wood dust.
Sometimes I can lightly sand the liners and remove some of the discoloration.
I've also found that wiping with acetone sometimes improves the situation.
It's never perfect though.
The white G10 looks good to my eye with the dark wood, so I'd love to hear any other ideas about this.
 
Back
Top