Copper Liners - Ways to prevent discoloring? What to use?

C

CaptainFill

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Mar 30, 2015
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Hello,

I'm looking to do some knives with a copper liner and copper pins. The inspiration for the style I'm going for is based partially by the luxury watchmaker Hubolt with their distinctive copper and black colors. Here is one as an example http://www.passions.com.sg/v2/files/imagecache/watermark/files/2447-Hublot1.jpg

I'd like to take the copper accents into the liner however I'm really just looking for the color as using just copper would discolor quickly under use. Does anybody have suggestions for what material to use?

Thanks!
 
What about brass, red brass if you want a copperish look. Though the coloration is different, I would suggest c510 brass.

The change would more than be made up for in durability and added hardness. Other pluses of brass over is that copper is "gummy" and will fill files Very fast, there is a broader selection of brass available that would suit knife making better (bars, sheets, rounds, tubes, you name it), as well as being cheaper to purchase.

I like brass for liners and pins, for bolsters it can be a bit soft and get dinged easier than micarta, g10 or CF.

Good luck and keep us informed.
 
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Thank you for the suggestions, Bill. I think you are right on with using brass over copper and try and either use patina forming methods for the right color or try and find one close enough. I figure that the patina forming might be difficult because all of the finishing work with a patina would likely be sanded/polished off and to apply the patina on a finished blade would likely effect the blade steel itself.

Another option might just be to use bronze? I don't know much about the metallurgic properties of bronze but I think it would be much more corrosive resistant and harder than copper while still giving that "rose gold" look.

Either way, copper is out I think!

Thanks again!
 
I love copper as it ages naturally and forms it's own beautiful patina. If others don't as long as the liners are smooth they can be kept patina free pretty easily with some steel wool or polishing cloth. Another alternative would be to anodize Ti liners a copper color.

Mike
 
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