Bead Blasting......

Ok. So I've finished my tedious disassembly and packed up the good to be shipped out. Here's a pic of the stuff to be done. Let me know if I'm good to go.

I'd like to get these as rough as possible for maximum grip
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Some to be stonewashed
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Some to be satin finish
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And lastly my KaBar to be tigerstriped.
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I just wanted to share a trio of titanium flashlights I just finished for Scoobyaz. I think they turned out fantastic! :D


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Nice work!

I might send in some work if I didn't live outside the US...shipping problems, customs problems etc.
 
Ok so I got my package in yesterday and couldn't wait to get this stuff assembled. Everything came out perfect.

First, my Tigerstripe heavy bowie
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All metal parts on these are stonewash. I really disappointed myself with the drifter. I had planned to use a G-10 scale on the front and a framelock on the back. This meant using a liner with the G-10 but alas the pillar holes on the framelock side did not match the liner side. Just off by a couple of mm's. So I ended up going all metal. These handles are really grippy;).
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Some polished clips
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The millie clip is satin to match the blade and the spec bump clip is stonewashed to match.
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Once again, thanks to Mitch for the excellent work at an unbeatable price:D
 
Hey, everything looks great....Mitch does a great job.....and great to work with too.:thumbup:
 
Hi guys,

I am truly impressed by the bead blasted finish. I am taking my TOPS Knives to bead blast this weekend. I just hate that black crinkle coating.

but, do you have reshapen the blade after the blasting?? Would the beads take the sharp edge away??
 
To dslteck:

Since you've media blasted aluminum, maybe you can answer this question. How fast does the bare aluminum oxidize, and when it does, will it be uniform?

I have a blasting cabinet at home, but have no aluminum to experiment with. I'm tempted to media blast some aluminum handle scales, but am concerned with how the aluminum oxidizes. I know that aluminum oxide forms a protective layer over the aluminum at which point the oxidation process slows down to almost zilch, but if it's uneven, I'll probably not do it.
 
andico99 said:
Hi guys,

I am truly impressed by the bead blasted finish. I am taking my TOPS Knives to bead blast this weekend. I just hate that black crinkle coating.

but, do you have reshapen the blade after the blasting?? Would the beads take the sharp edge away??
Click to expand...

Yes you will have to sharpen your blade!




harkamus said:
To dslteck:

Since you've media blasted aluminum, maybe you can answer this question. How fast does the bare aluminum oxidize, and when it does, will it be uniform?

I have a blasting cabinet at home, but have no aluminum to experiment with. I'm tempted to media blast some aluminum handle scales, but am concerned with how the aluminum oxidizes. I know that aluminum oxide forms a protective layer over the aluminum at which point the oxidation process slows down to almost zilch, but if it's uneven, I'll probably not do it.
Click to expand...

To be honest every piece of aluminium I blast either gets clear coated or painted.
I would suppose which type of alloy is used in the handles as to how fast it oxidizes.
I do know that I blasted a "cheapie" flashlight for my pal Scooby and he relayed to me that it started to oxidize right away just with him handling it! I suspect the alloy used in that light wasn't of the higest quality. None of the aluminum castings I have blasted have oxidized just with handling.

If you want I could send you some scrap pieces of aluminum that you could experiment with! As long as you are willing to report you findings with us;)
Also, what media are you using in your cabinet?
 
I have various media. Glass beads, walnut shells, etc. Thanks for the offer, but I'll be heading to the metal place soon enough and pick some up. I just figured I'd see if you had any experience.

The metal on the scales are 6061. Time for some experimentation I guess.
 
harkamus said:
I have various media. Glass beads, walnut shells, etc. Thanks for the offer, but I'll be heading to the metal place soon enough and pick some up. I just figured I'd see if you had any experience.

The metal on the scales are 6061. Time for some experimentation I guess.
Click to expand...

If you don't mind I would like to hear your findings after your tests :D
 
Here is a set of Alias scales in titanuim. I bead blasted them and the sent them through the tumbler for about 2 hours....
As you can see they came out with a very nice(IMO) "stonewashed" finish!

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Bead blasting is so cool. How long does it take to do a knife to get that stonewashed finish? Steel is harder than titanium.
 
cotdt said:
Bead blasting is so cool. How long does it take to do a knife to get that stonewashed finish? Steel is harder than titanium.
Click to expand...

I can't achieve the same effect on steel with the media we use in the tumbler. We don't use ceramic.....unfortunately:grumpy: But the effect is amazing on Ti :D
What the tumbler does do for blasted steel is "smooth" out the bead blast so it is so porus and "raw" which in turn gives the appearance of a very subtle "stonewash".
I may eventually pick up some ceramic media, but have no plans to ATM.
 
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A quick pic of the some of the goodies that made their way back in the last batch.

As always many thanks to da man :thumbup::thumbup:
-scooby
 
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