advice please

T

thejazz

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Apr 19, 2013
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Greetings, BladeForums.com

I just started making my own knives, but I have some very specific questions, that I couldn't find on the internet.

I'm just finishing a knife made of steel from bearings (don't know the exact type), and I'm planning to make some oxidation at the end, just like the gun barrels. For the oxidation process, I chose putting the knife in a box with nitrogen fertilizer for 25-28 days (any advice on this?). I have made some plans for next projects: another knife, and some throwing knives. I chose for the knife a Titanium-Vanadium alloy. Any information on this will be great! As for the throwing knives I chose 4x13 stainless steel. (If there is a better solution, please advice!)

Best regards!
 
thejazz said:
Greetings, BladeForums.com
I'm just finishing a knife made of steel from bearings (don't know the exact type), and I'm planning to make some oxidation at the end, just like the gun barrels. For the oxidation process, I chose putting the knife in a box with nitrogen fertilizer for 25-28 days (any advice on this?).
Click to expand...

Oxidation huh? Hmmmm... do you mean rust? I'm not sure I understand what you're describing but I would experiment with a piece of the steel (not the knife) before subjecting the knife to this treatment in case it doesn't do what you want it to do.

- Paul Meske
 
If you plan to have it be blued like a gun barrel, why not use cold blue like you would on a gun. That would be my first choice.
 
You are starting with unknown metals and figure someone can help you with what you should do to get mthem to a certain place. I don't believe they can help. It seems you want to try for the case hardening colours on a knife? This would destroy any hardness in the metal even if it was a good steel for making a knife with. Frank
 
if your looking for that dark black/blue finish on a new gun then grayzer is right. however if you prefer an antiqued look you can use plain old white vinegar, itll give you a dull gray forced patina. both will help resist rust to a degree also. i would apply oil after treatment and then place close to a lightbulb so the metal can warm up a bit. it could be my imagination but it seems that oil on warm metal kinda soaks into the part better. good luck.
 
It sounds to me like the OP is referring to a slow rust blued finish. I have read a bit on it but am not familiar enough with it to offer any advice. A search on "slow rust blue" might turn up some info. I think Brownells sells a formula for creating this type of finish.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies!!!

Here is what I mean by oxidation: steel in a nitrogen fertilizer for this long (as said) makes a durable layer from the chemical process between the materials (usually it's black). I know this is used for covering gun barrels on the outside, so they can resist corrosion.

Anyone tried the Ti6Al4V (Titanium + 6% Aluminium + 4% Vanadium) alloy for blade material ? Yesterday I read that despite the fact that it's one of the most strong alloys, it has poor shear qualities... Is it worth to buy some ?

- Gerdjikov
 
Hi, I'm a newbie to knife making, but I have done rust blueing before. It's not a complicated process if you do it the old fasioned way. Take your steel (I'm pretty sure this won't work on stainless) and suspend it in a box with a heat source (maybe a lightbulb) and a glass of water and a glass of lemon juice. turn on the heat source and leave it over night. The next morning the steel will be coated with a light layer of red oxide. Lightly scrub the rust off with steel wool (don't take it all off, just the chunks, you want the steel to be discoloured still). Do this process several times then boil the steel in water. This will transform the red oxide into black oxide. Keep doing this over and over until you reach the desired color. The more times you do it the darker it will be. The black oxide is rust so keep the steel oiled, just like you would an old blued gun!
 
thanks for the idea h20oni, but I thought it would make the steel more rustproof, and make the colour of the blade black.. Any other ideas how to make the knife black, and protect it from corrosion?
 
Oh, sorry, it will make it more corrosion resistant, just not rust proof. The black oxide is resistant to further oxidation, but not completely immune to it.
 
I can't help with your question, but I've wondered how the manufactor of cast iron cooking skillets/pots, etc. get such a black durable finish. And I do mean durable, you can't scrub it off with steel wool. I've heard it said they use some type of cabon laying process. Often wanted that color and durability on some of my blades.
 
Just watched an episode of unwrapped on food network about "lodge" brand cast iron. They bake on soy bean oil for their finish...
 
Thanks guys, right now some unexpected things happened, and I can't finish my first blade, but soon I'll be back. The thing is that I made a terrible mistake with the blade geometry (and the sharpening too), but for a first knife I think it's not that bad.

Best regards, Gerdjikov
 
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