Buck's Black Oxide Coating

L

Lostification

Joined
Jun 23, 2006
Messages
33
I just recently bought a Short Nighthawk and was wondering if it is normal for the black oxide coating to make a big black mess when the blade is handled :(

Today, I used it to cut up a few card-board boxes so they would fit in the trash can and it seems like the black coating is slowly but surely coming off. The blade looks like crap. It doesnt matter that much to me cuz its not ment to be pretty with how I am planning to use it. The blade is... in lack of better terms, 'splotchy'.

If its ugly, thats one thing. But the black is coming off and that would defeat the purpose of why I got the knife. I wanted something non-reflective for when I'm out on the feild.

So, is this normal? Is there anyway to keep it from coming off? I guess I could spray paint it but that would come off even easier wouldnt it?:thumbdn:
 
Coatings come off. There's no way around it. If the coating is wearing faster than you think it should, send it to Buck and see what they can do for you.

Don't spray paint it.

The blade is 420HC, which is a pretty good steel at staying fairly corrosion free. I've never really grasped the reason for coating stainless steel blades. If it were my knife, I'd get a sanding block and get rid of the coating. If it has to be non-reflective, satin finishes aren't hard to achieve.
 
Well, with better light, it seems to be fading to a lighter black. It's not that bad.. At least the color is uniform where it has faded.

If theres anything else that I'm gonna gripe about, it would rubber grip on top where you place your thumb. The space is so big between the rubber and the plastic that you can feel the sharp edge on the plastic.... :p Ah, hell! Better grip :D
 
My SBMF has (had) a similar coating, you could run your thumb over it and blacken your thumb. I used a little Flitz metal polish and it cleaned up nicely. Not exactly black anymore but still dark, almost resembling a black nickel finish (a fisherman's reference, to black nickel hooks...). I'll post a pic later if you're interested.
 
Lostification said:
Well, with better light, it seems to be fading to a lighter black. It's not that bad.. At least the color is uniform where it has faded.

If theres anything else that I'm gonna gripe about, it would rubber grip on top where you place your thumb. The space is so big between the rubber and the plastic that you can feel the sharp edge on the plastic.... :p Ah, hell! Better grip :D
Click to expand...

Lost, you might consider looking for a 470 if you want a good field knife with a good gripping rubber handle. It is a satin finished blade. Makes for a great field knife. Usually fairly cheap on ebay.
 
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