Black coating wearing off already?

B

Bouigah

Joined
Dec 9, 2006
Messages
3
Hey guys, first post,

I got a black-coated Fallkniven F1 last week; this is my first blade with a black coating, so I'm not sure if this is normal. There are a few minor scratches on the side already, and the coat near the tip seems to be coming off slightly (a millimeter or two so far).
I've used it for a bit of food prep and as a steak knife, nothing major, and washed it off afterwards- does hot water reduce the life of this coating?

When I bought the knife I also didn't realize it was a convex grind- after reading how to sharpen convex, the first time I do sounds like it will take off the coat of the entire secondary convex bevel anyway.

What are your experiences & opinions of black-coated blades?
 
though it may scuff/scratch it will still protect the metal underneath, all of the coatings will scratch & scuff and i dont like them unless ya work on a fishing boat or something.
 
Get the rest of it off with 400 grit wet/dry emery cloth, and the knife will cut better.
 
Ben is right. Scrape that crap off, lol. If you work near salt-water or something, buy stainless.
 
are you guys saying that coatings are bad in general or just for this knife? I just ordered a Becker BK7, which I believe comes with a black coting. Will taking the coating off make that much difference in cutting?
 
I say leave the coating on to protect the blade and only when most of it does wear off, which they all do in time,then remove it all and polish it up etc !!!!
 
Leave it on and don't worry about it. Coatings show wear, but also protect the blade from corrosion. I've never noticed a bit of cutting difference in blades that are coated v.s. uncoated. I have, however, noticed more than a bit of rusting difference...
 
The coating will definitely help prevent rust. So will wiping it off when you're done using it, but the coating is better. It's really a matter of personal preference. I think coatings are ugly, and I don't mind a little patina on my knives.
 
Thanks for the replies guys; mixed opinions I notice :)

I knew all coatings wear off eventually, but should they start wearing away after the first week?
 
It seems they usally wear very quickly right near the edge, and possibly where it rubs against the sheath when you draw it, but unless you really use it a lot, it doesn't get too much worse. You can find Ka-Bars on Ebay that are 20-30 yrs old and clearly well-used, but still have a lot of the coating left on them.
 
Those old Kabars are Parkerized, not painted.
That is why most of the coating is still there.
Bill
 
SIFU1A said:
...all of the coatings will scratch & scuff and i dont like them unless ya work on a fishing boat or something.
Click to expand...

Depends on the coating. Bodycote (was used by Microtech some) is pretty tough. I've used the heck out of my Bodycote LUDT and there's just some slight flaking by the edge.

There's always after-market coatings too. I know a guy who's "pimped" my knives with coatings by his relative who owns this place that has harder coatings than I've ever seen on any knife:
http://www.tincoat.net/coatings/

Check this knife of mine out:
http://tinyurl.com/y4x2m7

.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Those old Kabars are Parkerized, not painted.
That is why most of the coating is still there.
Bill
Click to expand...

Excellent observation. I do not know the specifics of every coating, but as I understand it, Parkerizing involves a chemical reaction between the steel and the "coating". You are correct that no painted-on finish is likely to withstand much use.

The Fallkniven site describes their black coating as "CeraCoat 8H". I was unable to find much info on this particular technique. Fallkniven seems to have an excellent reputation for quality, so I tend to doubt this is just a painted-on coating.
 
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