- Joined
- Sep 19, 2001
- Messages
- 8,968
This is my attempt at a list of steel prep/finishing methods that alter the appearance of the knife steel. Any comments or additions to the list would be appreciated, trying to get an idea of what's out there and what it's good for. Interesting combinations would also be appreciated. Two tone blades and patterned steel with a temper line are always nice 
pattern welding
wootz/crucible/watered
I kinda grouped those as things to do to the steel before grinding out the blade. Mixing steels in a folding process, slow cooling from melting your own with the appropriate composition. You have to properly finish to have this work show up, but it still needs to be there before the grinding, sanding and etching.
as-forged
alloy banding
clay coating, edge quenching
The hammer marks are made before grinding, and you have to choose to leave them there. You can get alloy banding before the steel is made into a knife shape, but I stuck it here because I figure it would more likely be done after the profiling and bevels are set and the maker ups the number of normalizing cycles or quenches. The development of a hamon is of course from work done during heat treatment.
beadblast
stonewash/tumbled
satin
mirror polish
machine turned
heat colored
patina
plating
spray on/bake on coating
bluing
parkerizing
These can be applied any time after the blade steel is quenched. Most have nothing to do with the temper, but some of them require some heat, so I don't know how makers like to mix that together.
I think sculpting/engraving should also be put in here somewhere? Depending on the steel and equipment, the sculpting can be done in different steps of the process. Radical use of it also affects the profile more than I really figured fit in with the others.
pattern welding
wootz/crucible/watered
I kinda grouped those as things to do to the steel before grinding out the blade. Mixing steels in a folding process, slow cooling from melting your own with the appropriate composition. You have to properly finish to have this work show up, but it still needs to be there before the grinding, sanding and etching.
as-forged
alloy banding
clay coating, edge quenching
The hammer marks are made before grinding, and you have to choose to leave them there. You can get alloy banding before the steel is made into a knife shape, but I stuck it here because I figure it would more likely be done after the profiling and bevels are set and the maker ups the number of normalizing cycles or quenches. The development of a hamon is of course from work done during heat treatment.
beadblast
stonewash/tumbled
satin
mirror polish
machine turned
heat colored
patina
plating
spray on/bake on coating
bluing
parkerizing
These can be applied any time after the blade steel is quenched. Most have nothing to do with the temper, but some of them require some heat, so I don't know how makers like to mix that together.
I think sculpting/engraving should also be put in here somewhere? Depending on the steel and equipment, the sculpting can be done in different steps of the process. Radical use of it also affects the profile more than I really figured fit in with the others.