Blueing of Khukuri Blades

A

Arvind

Joined
Sep 30, 1999
Messages
227
My question comes up as a result of seeing some pictures of both HI khukuries and GH khukuries that have been posted by forumites. Some of the khukuri blades had been blued. What are the benefits of blueing a khukuri or for that matter any knife blade? Is it done for mostly cosmetic purposes or does it help in rust proofing and confer any other benefits to the upkeep of the blade?

Arvind
 
Arvind,
Blueing also makes a blade more rust resistant. Blueing IS an oxidizing (rusting) process and it fills the pores of the steel and as it is a controlled process it resists the molicules of water.
Dan
 
Thanks Kaka and Dan for great info. Your info leads me to another question, how is blueing done on the blade?

Arvind
 
Arvind,
Blueing a blade can be done in two ways. The first way is to hot blue it. A tank with the blueing liquid is heated, and the intended piece to be blued is dunked in. This lasts alot longer, but if the liquid is too hot, it might affect the temper of the blade. I seen this happen several times already. The other method is to use a cold blueing liquid. This doesn't last as long, but it is safer for your temper. Blueing is a controlled form of rust, so it is better than nothing. There are other finishes available, but if you want a blackened blade the strongest out there is the titanium nitride finish. You can get it in different colors and it works, but its expensive. Various other baked on or sprayed on finishes are o.k., but will scratch off with heavy use. Only if Glock would allow the use of its Tenifer finish on other products. This finish is awesome. My Glock 17 that I use as a new and improved bang stick(for sharks) hasn't rusted yet, after numerous times under salt water. Hope this helps.
 
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Arvind I have yet to "blue" a khukuri,but I have done so with other blades like my CS Trailmaster that I have yet to rehandle.
frown.gif

It has set for a long time without one now,but back to the subject.

I use Birchwood Casey products,because they are easy to obtain at my local Wal-mart.
The trick to "Cold Blueing" is to get whatever you're blueing warm to the touch.
The directions say room temperature,but steel always feels colder when first picked up.

You must get the steel scroupously Clean!!
I wash it good with a dish detergent like Dawn using rubber gloves.Then I clean it further with rubbing alcohol.After cleaning it I always keep it on paper towels or anything that won't let even a speck of grease or oil on it.

Then I either heat the steel if it's small enough in a pan of water that is just showng the bubbles before it boils or run the hot water out of the tap until the steel is hot enough to evaporate the water when taken out from under it.

Then I follow the directions on the bottle and using cotton balls wipe the blueing chemical on.I do this until I think it is about the color I want before using the steel wool on it to bring out the color.
I am betting the Scotch Brite pads will work better than steel wool,because it doesn't shed.

When I get it the color I want I Gently wipe a Thin coat of oil on the piece and let it set for 24 hours.It takes that long to "set" up and harden.
I then buff it out with a soft cloth and if it needs more "Blue" I repeat the process.

I blued my CS TM several years ago and when I took the handle off I reblued it.
It seems to last quite a long time when done this way and I didn't have any major problems with the Carbon V rusting and it didn't always get the best of care.
Caerbon V is notorious for it's rusting ability!!

Hope this helps and if you have any further questions feel free to ask.
smile.gif


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>>>>---¥vsa---->®

If you mix milk of magnesia with vodka and orange juice do you get a phillips screwdriver?

Khukuri FAQ


 
An earlier form used on flintlocks was called browning. I think Birtchwood Casey has something called Plum Brown. If you are willing to do the work and wait and work and wait, it or other browning solutions would put a nice patina on a new but older style khuk. I am incapable of letting things sit umpteen hours or days at a time. If you have access to sulfuric acid, you could use that as an etch before blueing/browning. For people into rendezvous and mountain men, you can't beat it.

Of course, my idea is to antique a Remington or Schofield replica after tuning to make it look like a hundred twenty-five-year old collector's item. Make it look like a dewat so they don't even think they make ammo for it anymore.

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The sword of Charlemagne the Just is ferric oxide, known as rust. Great Caesar's bust is on the shelf, and I don't feel so well myself.
 
Thanks for all the info guys. I will try the cold blueing technique on one of my older knives in order to get it right. Once I know I've done it right, then I will do this on one of my khukuries and go from there..

Arvind

 
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