Cable Damascus Questions?

I always just burned the crap out of it..Weld the ends up, bring it up to heat, beat it across the anvil then flux the crap out of it..Though its not necessity I use to weld mine on a swage block too in a half round form..
You can also etch it deep, cold blue it then hit it with 2000grit paper for a really nice effect.
 
I have never heard of this cold blue. Where would I find it and do you have any pictures of the effects it has on the steel?
 
Just size your drill bit as close as possible, slide an overlong piece of straightened cable strand through with lots of epoxy, let sit overnight, saw off extra and finish while keeping cool. It should end up looking quite nice.
 
Gting, the cold blue is called "Birchwood Casey Perma Blue" Gun stores should carry it, walmart probably has it. Amazon probably has it.
my picture of a wire cable blade had the blueing.
One good thing about blueing is, it helps prevent rust.
 
Birchwood Casey cold blue is crap, it is very difficult to effectively neutralize and will rust on a summer day with 90 percent humidity if you don't bury it in grease. Brownell's Oxpho-blue works really well, although it is a more black color

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Birchwood Casey cold blue is NOT CRAP! I have used it on numerous Damascus blades with no problem at all. I first learned of this cold blue when I took a Damascus class in Washington AK back in 1990. I have used it ever since. I showed a picture of a blade I blued using Birchwood Casey Cold Blue. There is no rust on it.
 
I tend to agree that cold blue is OK. It is a matter of properly neutralizing any chemical. Most folks just rinse it off and call it a day....that will come back as rust later on. Wash the blade very well with soap and hot water and then use the commercial neutralizer, or TSP. Wash and dry well again and apply a good coating of a penetrating oil. Once that has sat for a day or two, wipe it down with a clean cotton cloth and apply something like Renaissance. Doing this will see that the blade should last a long time with no rust worries.
 
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