Competition Finish or Stripped decarb Patina?

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wacki

Joined
Sep 12, 2009
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For those that have seen both... what do you like better?

Competition Finish or a stripped Busse that develops the decarb Patina?
 
Based on my experience with the old competition finish, decarb patina looks a whole lot like ordinary rust. And maybe it's just me, but I don't like the look of a rusty blade.
 
I have never really liked the look of a blade with patina even if done very well so it would be comp finish for me.
 
wacki said:
For those that have seen both... what do you like better?

Competition Finish or a stripped Busse that develops the decarb Patina?
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A stripped blade doesn't develope decarb. Decarb is a result of the heat treating process. It can rust, so its best to get if off.
The early Competition blades had it, but they now get it off.

Patina, and decarb are two different things. A patina will help keep a carbon steel blade from rusting, but INFI is very close to a non stainless, and doesn't really need a patina, nor does it take one very well. Meat is about the only thing that I've seen that will cause patina on INFI.
 
JohnTheTexican said:
Based on my experience with the old competition finish, decarb patina looks a whole lot like ordinary rust. And maybe it's just me, but I don't like the look of a rusty blade.
Click to expand...

It's not just you. Lots of video games in the world will back this up, where your first, cheapest, weakest sword is usually a rusty sword.

RustySword.png
 
Based on my experience with the old competition finish, decarb patina looks a whole lot like ordinary rust. And maybe it's just me, but I don't like the look of a rusty blade.
Click to expand...

I'm told the gemini here was stripped and developed a patina

TGCW02.jpg


and this is a competition finish:

sale4of5_zps9bc9c6bd.jpg



So one is dull one is shiny. Pictures don't always do it justice though.
 
wacki said:
I'm told the gemini here was stripped and developed a patina
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Thats not a patina. It looks like an undercoating, or maybe decarb from the factory.
The older Comp blades looked alot like that, but they no longer do, and now look like your bottom pic.

I'm thinking the top pic is an undercoating(maybe decarb,but doubt it) and looked that way after it was stripped. It didn't develope it, and its not a patina.
 
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Actually, that first pic looks like the coating was stripped off, but the grey coat underneath was left mostly intact , that needs to be sanded off. I always thought that was more of a primer coat to get the coating to adhere than decarb.
 
I don't think the grey layer is a primer, because stripper doesn't touch it. More likely it is a chemical conversion coating, something like a chromate or phosphate treatment, intended to passivate the bare metal, improve corrosion resistance, and improve adhesion of the powdercoat.
 
resinguy said:
I don't think the grey layer is a primer, because stripper doesn't touch it. More likely it is a chemical conversion coating, something like a chromate or phosphate treatment, intended to passivate the bare metal, improve corrosion resistance, and improve adhesion of the powdercoat.
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That was my thought... whatever it is it looks cool. Rest assured this darkish grey 'coat' left behind after stripping does NOT rust any more than INFI itself.

The ONLY infi blades I've seen that gather surface rust are the series of COMPETITION finished blades that came out years ago when the SARSQUATCH was released. I also have a SJTAC from the same series, that oddly enough... did not have any rust issues at all like the 'squatch model did. My TGLB is comp finish... no surface rust whatsoever.

Whatever caused the issue of decarb and rust has been resolved by Jerry and the gang in Waseon-land. It's a non-issue... ;)

.

The decarb rust thing was limited to those particular models I believe.
 
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