A thought about decarb and coatings

FTR-14c

FTR-14c

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Jul 24, 2011
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Wouldn't it be cool if Busse went the extra mile and removed the carbon layer before applying the coating. I Would dish out a few extra bucks to know when the coating wears off, or I decide to strip a blade that there is a nice finish beneath the coating. Just imagine....you pick up a user on the exchange or don't like the color of a blade you could remove the coating to find a nice CF under there.
 
My LBTG was pretty nice under the coating just a little go round with a scotchbright wheel .
 
FTR-14c said:
Wouldn't it be cool if Busse went the extra mile and removed the carbon layer before applying the coating. I Would dish out a few extra bucks to know when the coating wears off, or I decide to strip a blade that there is a nice finish beneath the coating. Just imagine....you pick up a user on the exchange or don't like the color of a blade you could remove the coating to find a nice CF under there.
Click to expand...

Are you certain they haven't?

I ask because I've stripped many busse's and never had the surface rust issue like with my competition finished Sarsquatch. The comp finish 'squatch' will rust if you look at it sideways... but it is ONLY MILD SURFACE rust. It does NOT penetrate the INFI or pit. Besides making it a bit fugly, it is irrelevant. A simple scotch-brite wheel attached to a drill takes care of it in less than two minutes.

I'm thinking that they might do something to eliminate the decarb on CG models... maybe something chemically or just simple grinding.

Comp finish Squatch: Note that the edge, where it's been ground is perfect.
IMG_4370-1.jpg


Same knife, after about 2 minutes of scotch-brite wheel on a dewalt:
IMG_4373.jpg


Stripped NFSFNO: I've left this knife out in the rain and no rust after two days. Seems to suggest there is no decarb???
IMG_0200-1.jpg


As far as making everything smooth and pretty under the coating, you will find that the flat ground blades look a lot better under there than the saber grind.


.
 
My stripped AK had a beautiful decarb layer under it, dark gray patina. My wife even likes it, says its really manly looking. I'm not sure if it was gray like that already, or if it developed right after I stripped it in the hot damp garage.

edit: just like that NMSFNO. If you sand that off, it will stay bright, won't get dark again.
 
I think they do remove the decarb they just don't sand out the dimples.I don't know that I would want to pay for a satin finish just to have a coating put over the top of it.
 
I have stripped a few, you just never know what you are gonna get. I agree that some carbon patina looks sweet but for me it would be nice if it was more consistent.
Rust is never an issue, I just like the clean look of the the new comp finish process where the carbon layer is removed.
 
Well, I did a test a few weeks ago because of questions about decarb as a finish and I find when taking it from HT and not wrapping the blade with ss foil, it produces a blue black color that when placed in either bleach or acid it resists etching as if it were blued. It is not totally rust free by any means but I know it does have some effect and sometimes the color is amazing. Done to the right temp for several hours I have gotten a beautiful cobalt blue color.

Now if I remember right, Busse uses powdercoat over the blades. To get good adhesion, you need to sandblast to white metal or fine glass bead the entire thing coated and even prime before coating.
 
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