I finally got the dereg stripped, and added a Patina to match my 1911.

Behold!

My Spec-ops Paint job, before stripping


Cleaning up with sandpaper 1st (took too long, went out and bought actual stripper)



HAPPINESS! the Logo remains!


I went cheap... so sue me!


Nothing but a Q-tip and some katsup! Oh, I applied a Base Patina with some rust remover, worked well to get a fairly even coat down 1st.


*drool*


She's got a really amazing looking coppery hue to her now. I love love love this blade!


a little brighter.


The pictures do NOT do this patina justice, it's iridescent and at the same time subdued, and boy does it suit my 1911 handsomely! I have to finish stripping the old paint off of the handle, but once that's done, I'll have a matching set. Removing the crinkle finish also shifted the balance of the knife ever so slightly back towards the tang, and now it's a lot easier to twirl and shift to a dagger grip without hanging up or shifting to grip the cutting edge. Also Dan, I gotta say I love the way the dereg Res-c machining grips my hand, when I go from a defensive grip, blade forward, and rotate the knife 180` in my hand, the thumb notch catches the web of my hand just right, and the knife actually ends up rotating to an edge forward grip when I catch it. It's hard to explain, but I will try and post a video as soon as I have a chance to take one. No other knife I own does that little pirouette when I spin them.

I love this knife!