Need Advice: Best way to clean heavy sweat/oil stains off a Viscaria?

[skyphantom]

Hey everyone

I’m looking for some advice on cleaning up my Butterfly Viscaria (FL). As you can see in the attached photos, it has built up quite a bit of dark staining from sweat, skin oils, and dirt around the handle and the lower part of the blade face.


I want to clean this up safely before I apply a light layer of blade sealant and glue on new rubbers. Because of the delicate Koto outer ply, I want to be extra careful not to damage the wood, weaken the glue lines, or alter how the blade plays.


I’m currently considering a few options to lift the stains:


• Very fine-grit sandpaper (400-600 grit) to gently take off the top layer of grime.


• High-percentage Isopropyl alcohol or lighter fluid (Naphtha) to dissolve the oils quickly without warping the wood.


• A clean pencil eraser to try and rub out the surface-level dirt.


Has anyone dealt with this level of staining on a Viscaria or a similar blade? What method worked best for you, and is there anything I should absolutely avoid doing?


Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[skyphantom]

🥹🥹🥹

 

[belllfador]

Paint it black. The strains are too deep.

 

[dingyibvs]

I don't think those stains on the blade face is grime from use. Glue is an excellent cleaner and every time you rip off a rubber the glue will remove everything on the blade face so there's no possible way for anything to build up on the blade face. That looks like wood aging from the elements, like the blade was left outdoors for a long time.