- Joined
- Sep 20, 2002
- Messages
- 268
Hello Chaps,
Want to have your knife looking a bit different than the next guys, without going to any expense, or doing any damage to your knife?
How about gun blued fastenings?
This is so easy, and the range of colours that can be obtained, range from yellow, through to violet, then black. All are irridescent, and extremely beautiful.
The great thing about this is, if you don't like the result, you can polish (with a bit of hard work) the screws back to original. If the knife is expensive, I usually obtain a new set of screws to work with, and keep the originals, but be reassured, the process is reversible if you don't like the outcome.
Here's how you go about it.....
Tools required:
Mini tool, with felt polishing mop.
Some very fine polishing compound.
Gas/paraffin blowlamp.
Small container filled with oil.
Method:
Remove screw, and polish head to remove impurities.
Heat screw in blue flame, until head is red hot.
Drop into oil filled container.
Leave for a few seconds to cool.
Remove, and polish with soft rag.
Admire your beautifully coloured screw.
It really is that simple. Different colours are obtained by heating screw beyond red heat, and experimenting with different types of oil. Thick oil retards cooling, thin oil speeds cooling. I find that to get the classic 'gun blue' colour, you need to heat the head to red heat, plus a couple of seconds, and cool it with a medium viscosity oil, say 29w50.
Have a go. Practice with some gash stainless screws before you touch your pride and joy.
Incidentally... don't try this with a blade. You WILL ruin the temper, and it could prove dangerous.
Regards,
Doug
Want to have your knife looking a bit different than the next guys, without going to any expense, or doing any damage to your knife?
How about gun blued fastenings?
This is so easy, and the range of colours that can be obtained, range from yellow, through to violet, then black. All are irridescent, and extremely beautiful.
The great thing about this is, if you don't like the result, you can polish (with a bit of hard work) the screws back to original. If the knife is expensive, I usually obtain a new set of screws to work with, and keep the originals, but be reassured, the process is reversible if you don't like the outcome.
Here's how you go about it.....
Tools required:
Mini tool, with felt polishing mop.
Some very fine polishing compound.
Gas/paraffin blowlamp.
Small container filled with oil.
Method:
Remove screw, and polish head to remove impurities.
Heat screw in blue flame, until head is red hot.
Drop into oil filled container.
Leave for a few seconds to cool.
Remove, and polish with soft rag.
Admire your beautifully coloured screw.
It really is that simple. Different colours are obtained by heating screw beyond red heat, and experimenting with different types of oil. Thick oil retards cooling, thin oil speeds cooling. I find that to get the classic 'gun blue' colour, you need to heat the head to red heat, plus a couple of seconds, and cool it with a medium viscosity oil, say 29w50.
Have a go. Practice with some gash stainless screws before you touch your pride and joy.
Incidentally... don't try this with a blade. You WILL ruin the temper, and it could prove dangerous.
Regards,
Doug