blade coloring options

[halfflash]

I'm sure this has been covered before, and if it has I apologise.
What can be done to darken a blade? I'm a BIG fan of strider knives, and I've read about their bead blasting, to make te tiger stripes on their blades. It seems like a complicated process to make their knives.
Is there a way to do this on a normal blade, or just make it black?
Thank you

 

[Josh K]

The Strider guys put a black oxide coating on the blade and then bead blast stripes on them.

Older knives (BG-42 and ATS-34) actually came out of the heat treat with a black skin on them that was then bead blasted into stripes. With the move to S30V they started putting the black coating and then bead blasting.

 

[halfflash]

Is that a dificult process to add the black coating?

 

[Patrickknives]

Check this out, saw it at the steel supply but have not tried.

http://www.sculptnouveau.com/

 

[therron258]

i used durabake on a few, put it over a bead blast, seems like a good finish