Black blade coating for tactical knife ?

J

J.Ziegler

Joined
Jun 11, 2003
Messages
120
Hi... This has probably been asked and answered before and I'm just too dumb to find it so here goes.
Is there a spray on or dip type finish in black or grey that can be applied to tactical blades and which has any kind of durability. I seem to recall something like this in the dim past which was applied and then the blade heated to set it.
Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks Jim Ziegler


Good people sleep soundly in their beds because rough men stand ready to do violence in their name............George Orwell 1984

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL POLICE !
 
I almost hate to recommend this because I've only used it on two blades so far but it sure looks promising so far.

Sand or bead blast the blade and use a product called Ospho. You can get it at any good auto paint store.
If the blade is clean (bead blasted,etc) it will turn it a medium grey.
If you want black, go over the blade with vinegar or anything to make it rust. You can loan it to my son for a few hours. :footinmou

Anyway.....the rust will turn black when you apply this stuff.
I did a piece of 01 about 10 days ago. On one side I used the Ospho and on the other, I used my favorite (sandblast, etch, the recipe beeswax-linseed oil-mineral spirits-japan dryer-paste wax)

I left it out and the Ospho side is NOT rusted while the recipe side is thickly crusted with rust.
 
OK Greg...you asked for it. First, the hatchet is one that I made and put a derilin handle on. It has been in the weather a lot since I made it and the finish is still good. I had it strapped on my pack when I was chasing the tornado a couple of weeks ago and everything got soaked.

The small blade beside it is a failed attempt at a smaller hatchet and is made from O1. The side you see in the first picture is the one coated with Ospho. The very back was not coated.

The second picture shows the reverse side coated with the recipe.

The pictures speak for themselves.

The Ospho will in time stain some . Wipe a little more on and the stain just turns dark and the protection is renewed.
ospho1.jpg


ospho2.jpg
 
Alumahyde II from Brownells is awesome. It'a available in Flat Black, Olive Drab, Desert Tan and even Clear!

Great stuff at abot $7.00 a can. Does not need to be baked.

-Jared
 
Hey Jim...

I've got one of Jeff's kives in S30V that he had dipped or etched the entire blade in muratic acid..
It came out a dull grey.. Nice finish, I like it....
I guess it all depends on what you want to do with it....

ttyle

Eric...
 
Thanks Guys.....Thanks for the suggestions they all look interesting. I'll get on Brownell's site and see if the guncoat and alumahyde can be shipped to Canada.
Peter..does the rust re-form through the Ospho after a period of time and then re-coating it cause the rust to stop forming or change its composition like some of the new rust paints claim?
Eric ..The muriatic seems the simplest. Does it last long? Also I called Jeff on the week-end and spoke to his Dad (I think), re the knife show I'll be calling again this week.

Thanks Jim
 
The Ospho is the active ingredient in the rust eating primers. Rust doesn't really form, at least not scaly rust but if it stays wet long enough it does discolor. Another coat of the ospho darkens it some and renews the protection.
The bad part of it is when you re coat, the different coloring gives a mottled look. You can see that on the hatchet. The test piece has only one coat.

For this application, I don't care about the mottled look, I'm looking for serious protection on a rough use tool.

I have used a lot of Brownells paints over the years and they are very good. I used their baking moly almost exclusively of AR receivers I built.
The down side is that it does look like paint. It could maybe be mistaken for powder coating but to me it looks like a good paint job. If you go that rout, talk to Brownells tech department. There are a few little tricks that make it go on much better.
 
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