5160 Blade Finish

SkyChi

SkyChi

Joined
Oct 29, 2004
Messages
289
What is the best way to get a brushed satin finish on a previously polished 5160 blade? What would you considder the Pros/Cons regarding the two finishes? I got this Bowie and don't know if I want to keep it polished. It's very nice but very flashy as well.

18'' oal, 12'' x 1/4'' blade, Hammer forged from 5160 bar w/ differential heat treat, Micarta handled super fit and finished w/ a very nice sheath.
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For me, the single most convincing argument to KEEP a polished finish on a carbon steel blade is it's enhanced rust resistance. Coarser finishes provide more nooks & pores for moisture, acids, salts and dirt to embed and hang on, accelerating corrosion. A polished finish will reduce or eliminate a lot of those hiding places in the steel. If it were my knife, I'd leave it polished. You could always force a patina on top of the polished finish, protecting the blade even more. And it would look just perfect on that (already attractive) knife, BTW. :thumbup:
 
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Obsessed with Edges said:
For me, the single most convincing argument to KEEP a polished finish on a carbon steel blade is it's enhanced rust resistance. Coarser finishes provide more nooks & pores for moisture, acids, salts and dirt to embed and hang on, accelerating corrosion. A polished finish will reduce or eliminate a lot of those hiding places in the steel. If it were my knife, I'd leave it polished. You could always force a patina on top of the polished finish, protecting the blade even more.
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I know this is true, but my experience with satin finished carbon is that it holds a fine film of oil better and resists a lot of atmospheric and "light contact" corrossion better. That said, beautiful knife, get some flitz or simichrome and keep that mirror!


Oh and scotchbrite if you dont want to go the belt route.

Or get it hot blued.
 
Thanks for the input. I'm probably going to keep the polish for a while and see how easy it is to maintain. I just thought a brushed finish would be a little more user friendly. Didn't know how hard it would be to do it though.

Forced patina on polish huh? I need to find some pics of that.
 
SkyChi said:
Thanks for the input. I'm probably going to keep the polish for a while and see how easy it is to maintain. I just thought a brushed finish would be a little more user friendly. Didn't know how hard it would be to do it though.

Forced patina on polish huh? I need to find some pics of that.
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The patina will also come naturally, especially if you're planning on using the knife. It'll still happen, just a bit slower on a polished blade, for the same reasons mentioned earlier. Some regular use would go a long ways towards protecting the blade from rust anyway, if it's getting cleaned up & dried on a consistent basis. The worst rusting problems always happen on blades that sit for a long time, if they're just a little bit dirty.

If you decide to put a satin finish on it anyways, some 400 - 800 grit wet/dry sandpaper would work well for that. Or, many like to use Scotch-Brite pads (green) for the same purpose.
 
You'd have to be outta yer mind to mess with that bowie. It's beautiful and built as a self defense/fighter knife anyway, which puts it on your belt and not out in the field beating the crap out of it. That's what they make Beckers for.
 
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