Coating handle of an all metal knife

S

Skeptikos

Joined
Aug 17, 2009
Messages
46
Hi everybody

I'm working on a knife strongly based on the Rat's Izula

Here is the picture of my version (WIP). It's made out of 5160, 0.20" thick.

cuchi.jpg


I was thinking about coating the handle with something to finish it. Would epoxy paint work? Any suggestions on the coating and how to apply it? It does not have to be a super heavy duty finish, as I made the knife for learning mostly, but it would be nice if it were usable.
 
PlastiDip comes to mind. It's not super durable, but if it wears, you can just cut it off and re dip it.
 
You could also easily put scales on the knife, with a few strategically placed pins, or with spacers for the cut outs.
 
Hi Skeptikos,

I like your project so far. That should make a really handy necker.

Something I've been playing around with is standard 2 part epoxy mixed with some sort of abrasive, such as fine sand, stainless steel filings, etc. and a dye or/ G10 dust of whatever color you'd like the coating to be.

Let us know what you decide to go with and don't forget the pictures!;)

Taylor

Edited to add: You could also try one of the aerosol spray on truck bed liners available at most auto parts stores. I've used that in the past and it's surprisingly grippy and durable.
 
You could Cerakote the entire blade for a good look. Also, have you considered a paracord wrapped handle?
 
Personally I would coat the handle with a couple pieces of micarta or G10. ;-)

- LonePine
Alias Paul Meske, Wisconsin
 
You could go to your local gun store and buy a little bottle of Birchwood Casey cold blue. Then let the coated blade sit/soak in some oil for a couple of days.

Or just blue the blade and spray the handle area with some aerosol bed coating.
 
Cold blue will wear off VERY easily. It's designed for touch-up work on guns.
 
Bed liner can work well, surface prep will be key. The rustoleum isn't going to stand up to heavy use, in my opinion, and won't provide any more rust protection than any other spray, paint or bake on product. Again, in my opinion.

Just about the most durable, best looking thing you can do to it is powder coat. It will outlast any spray or dip option out there, including epoxy based paints.
 
Thank you all guys for all the input. It is nice to see a community so willing to share knowledge.

I guess I will go the PlastiDip way. Some of the ideas such as Cerakote look attractive but this will be the third knife I finish and I guess it will not look nice enough to justify the trouble. Today, for example, I damaged one of the plunge lines because of some sloppy sanding. I will finish the knife anyway but it will look amateurish. I plan to redo the knife applying all I learned from this one and then will see what to do about the handle. I'll post pics of the knife before I HT, just in case it dies in the process :D

Thanks a bunch again
 
I have been using cold blues for 36 years or so.
There is always someone who thinks he has the magic solution for cold bluing.
Even if you get it to look right, which is difficult, the finish going to wear off-soon. Most cold blues contain copper sulphate and just plate the metal with blackened copper.
Many cold blues actually promote rust.
I guess people have to learn for themselves.
 
Hello everybody

Ok, here is a progress report and some questions about HT and coating. Going slowly, as I can only work on knifemaking while on vacation or during a long holiday, because I do not have a shop in my apartment. The shop I use is actually 600 miles from where I live :(

The first pics were taken before HT. You can see some droplets of water because it was raining. I usually build a temporary forge outside the house, but it rained during the last two days of my vacation and you cannot imagine how p*ssed off I was. I improvised something under a roof.

preht.jpg


plunge.jpg


Sorry I did not have a measuring tape in inches at the time, but if you manage to translate from metric :), you will see that the overall length of the knife is about 9.5 in. Therefore it is a little too big for a necker. I scaled up the izula's shape. I have a fetish for big knifes and the next one will be certainly bigger :D

img0277small.jpg


img0278small.jpg


I wasn't very sure if the knife had hardened properly but I went ahead and tempered in a hot oil bath.

Strangely, there was almost no scale formation. I had lots of scale on my previous knives. I don't know if that is because of the steel I used or because I injected less air this time. Maybe the charcoal was different.

I work for a university, so I took the knife to a lab where they tested its hardness for me. Measured at three points, it yielded 58-59 HRC values. Now, I believe that since I tempered at only about 375F, I could have done better with that steel (5160H). Good enough for my third HT though. I was afraid I was going to get a horrible value, like in the low 50's.

The surface of the steel had some weird pattern after HT. They remind me of bubbles.

bubblesh.jpg


Q1: Are these "bubbles" normal? Does it tell anything about the HT process, such as decarb/wrong temp, corrosion, problems with the quenchant not wetting well? I used sunflower oil preheated at 140F for quenching.

Before I get the usual suggestion of getting a proper oil, let me tell you that that supplies are very hard to get here. They are used in industry but they are sold in large quantities only. They would not sell me a 7 yard bar of 1080ish steel because it was too small an order :mad:. I found a place where they sell single bars of 5160, which is what I am using now.

Today, I used a small blowtorch to give the handle and the spine a softer temper.

springtemper.jpg


Tomorrow I will start polishing it and then I will sharpen the blade. They don't sell plastidip here either but my bro is visiting the states now, and he'll get me some (provided the TSA does not consider it a WMD).

Q2: Does it matter if the handle is rough or smooth? My concern is that if I polish the handle too much the coating may not stick. I plan to clean clean the surface with acetone before coating.

Will post a pics when it is finished.

Best regards
 
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