blue thumbstuds

JediKnight86

JediKnight86

Joined
Jul 9, 2003
Messages
1,702
I haven't had a blue thumbstud Seb in a long time. I've seen many Sebs in stores and in pictures with very vivid blue studs. And, I've seen some with pale blue. The 21 I just got is pale. I was hoping for vivid when it showed up in the mail.

Silly question, but can I get the thumbstud more blue or swap it? Applies to backspacer also.

Also, has anyone noticed the change in the style of the jimping on the 21? They're narrower, and have a different style terminus by the thumbstud. I don't remember noticing them on the micarta 21 I had a few months ago.
 
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I don't own a Seb, but what are the thumb studs made out of? If they're titanium, you can make them more blue yourself with three 9 volt batteries, some cola, and some wire. The electricity combined with the phosphoric acid in coke makes titanium oxidize. For those that may not believe me, I had someone doubt the theory, so I tried it and indeed proved them wrong! It works. If the thumb studs are not titanium, well, good luck. I don't have any other ideas if it's not titanium.

Oh, where in California are you from? I'm out on the central coast.
 
If I remember correctly, the studs are made out of Ti....I want a green thumb stud...:thumbup:
 
You can have all sorts of colors!

titanium-spectrum-web-2.jpg
 
Woah interesting.... they are titanium and the colors are anodized. I've seen it on the CRK DVD, but I just didn't know if I could change anything. Right now it's at about 20V and I'd love it to be around 25V on that scale.

Here's a vid from Cajunblaze with his new small 21 and it's exactly the color I want. I found some pics also, so I know I didn't imagine it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkhyuUiTooA
 
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I anodized a cheapy CRKT knife that I have and it came out very blue. I used three 9V batteris, so 27V. It seemed that the finish on the metal affected it a lot. With a semi polished finish I got the best results. I'll post a picture or two when I have some time today so you can see how it looks.
 
Seriously why the new jimping? It's less grippy, poorly polished and ugly by comparison to the standard.
 
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You can get nearly all those colours with just heat. I also find a the "heat finish" to be
much "tougher" than an anodised one. The oxide layer must be thicker or something.
 
can't get green...only teal and I've noticed that the stud & spacer vary in blueness from knife to knife which I think adds to the uniqueness from one to the next
 
CRK said they would swap it for a bluer one for free if I wanted!

Anyone got insight on the new jimping on the 21?
 
Haze said:
You can get nearly all those colours with just heat. I also find a the "heat finish" to be
much "tougher" than an anodised one. The oxide layer must be thicker or something.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure why the heat method finish would be tougher, but it shouldn't be any thicker. The colors vary as they do because of the thickness of the oxide layer. A certain thickness reflects a certain color. Therefore, you can't have a thicker layer of the same color. I'm not saying that the heat method doesn't create a tougher finish, but that the thickness is not the reason for it. I like that with the voltage method the color can be controlled more than with heat.
 
Here's the cheap CRKT knife that I anodized blue using the 9V batteries and Coke method:

DSCF7785.jpg
 
ExMachina said:
insight?

it's only minimally different if that's what you're asking?--no pics but i think it looks good. basically just a small chamfer down either side of the jimping.
Click to expand...

Insight I mean when did it start and why? I don't remember it on my 21 micarta. I think the classic jimping on my regular Seb is so much nicer. My biggest gripe is the beginning and end aren't finished nicely.

Oh well.
 
dl351 said:
I'm not sure why the heat method finish would be tougher, but it shouldn't be any thicker. The colors vary as they do because of the thickness of the oxide layer. A certain thickness reflects a certain color. Therefore, you can't have a thicker layer of the same color. I'm not saying that the heat method doesn't create a tougher finish, but that the thickness is not the reason for it. I like that with the voltage method the color can be controlled more than with heat.
Click to expand...

Yup, I know what you're saying, the reflected colour does indeed depend on the depth of the oxide layer but I couldn't think of a better way to put it :p.
I do quite alot of work with Titanium and in my experience the heat finish is much harder to sand off and takes longer to "wear out" than the anodised one.

You do get much better contol of colours and a more uniform finish with "electrical anodising" but with a bit of prctice the heat method is better IMO, especially for small pieces where it is much easier to get the whole thing the same colour. Heat is also great for getting a multi coloured effect, like I used on this Ti pry bar.

:):thumbup:

attachment.php
 
JediKnight86 said:
Insight I mean when did it start and why? I don't remember it on my 21 micarta. I think the classic jimping on my regular Seb is so much nicer. My biggest gripe is the beginning and end aren't finished nicely.

Oh well.
Click to expand...

looking at my 21 now, i'd say that the chamfer DOES improve the ends of the jimping. it extends past the jimping for a little ways and then leads nicely into the rounded blade spine...

now i'm also curious to know if all 21's have this or if this is a newer thing?...
 
Haze said:
Yup, I know what you're saying, the reflected colour does indeed depend on the depth of the oxide layer but I couldn't think of a better way to put it :p.
I do quite alot of work with Titanium and in my experience the heat finish is much harder to sand off and takes longer to "wear out" than the anodised one.

You do get much better contol of colours and a more uniform finish with "electrical anodising" but with a bit of prctice the heat method is better IMO, especially for small pieces where it is much easier to get the whole thing the same colour. Heat is also great for getting a multi coloured effect, like I used on this Ti pry bar.
Click to expand...

I'll say, for a multi colored effect that blends well, heat is a good way to go. The down side of the electricity method is that to get some of the different colors, you're messing with some fairly high voltage.
 
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