Blade Finishes

C

ctec9

Joined
Oct 25, 2008
Messages
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I would like to know more about blade finishes, such as coloring the blade with different coatings such as what you will find on Rat knives, Bussy knives etc.
Is this an epoxy coating, how is it applied, and where to get the supplies,
the colors available etc....

Years ago we supplies some parts semmler to this where we sprayed a epoxy coating to the part, and then baked it in the oven at low temperature.

I would like to have your ideas, and comments....

Thanks
 
Industrial hard chrome or nitriding are the only really durable solutions to blade coating. Any of the paints or bluings will wear off.
 
I prefer zinc. Hot dip gal can have a surprisingly good finish and best of all it will resist corrosion *at the edge* which AFAIK no other surface engineering can do. Ill take galvanised zinc any day over using the mechanically inferior stainless steels thats for sure.
 
Not to start a pissing match, but, when you sharpen how is the galvanizing going to be on the edge. When sharpened to a keen edge nothing will remain on the cutting edge, except the exposed steel of your original material. This applies to any finish. If galvanizing is used extensively in or near salt water, the zinc will succumb to galvanic action. That is why they use it for a sacrificial metal on boats. I work with piping and I can show you lots of rusty pipe (inside and out) that was heavily galvanized and plenty of stainless that is still clean. Also, mechanically inferior is a rather broad statement and only applies in certain properties when you compare one steel to another. Steels have many mechanical properties and no one steel is king of them all. Each has its superior properties and selection should be based on function of the finished product and the users desires. I use 5160, 52100, 1095, 15N20 and D2. I would use a high grade stainless like cpm 154 without hesitation if I thought it was the best steel for a knife and its owner. The last knife I received in the Christmas gift exchange was made with cpm 154 and has proven to be an outstanding blade. There are some excellent stainless steels and some makers make knives that prove it. Some guys drive 1 ton diesel pickups and some BMWs. Depends on their uses and desires. I think it is wonderful that we have such a wide variety of excellent steels to chose from and that everyone doesn't use or want the same one. I love D2, but I know it will break before 5160 and not get as sharp as 1084, but, it will hold its edge against the best of them for most cutting jobs and keep a decent finish well. I can clean my elk and my buddies elk, skin them and then shave the hair off my arm with one of my D2 hunters, then put it away and be ready for next year. My choice for a small hunter. Not everyones.
 
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I think this is a good question. There are applications where a shiny piece of metal is not a good idea. And from a purely aesthetic point, a different color on a blade can be very cool. I've had similar discussions but in the context of firearms. There's the "blued steel and wood" crowd, the "black gun" crowd, and the "paint it to fit the environ" crowd. No right or wrong answers from any as it's a personal thing.
Having camo painted a few rifles myself, I don't mind when some of the finish wears off from use. It shows that the piece does get actual use and is not a "trailer queen" to borrow from the hot rod crowd. So I've been thinking about some of the firearms finishes out there to try on one of my blade projects. OD green blade with matching G-10 scales is a definite cool look on some pieces.
If it did wear in spots I just tell myself that every color photo of an M-4 in the sandbox shows well worn camo paint, and that looks good to me.:thumbup:
 
Mate Im happy to be shown wrong :) Though, what I understand to be the science of it is that zinc galvanising is effective in stopping corrosion in exposed metal that is close to the protected coating. This is ideal for knives that have an exposed edge. Other coatings dont have this property AFAIK.
 
Ive done a bit of a ring around this morning about what other finishes might exist that protect near uncoated surfaces like zinc galvanising, and its reinforced my understanding that no other coatings have that property.
 
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