Okay, I know this is a bit of a resuscitation (I don't think it becomes a "resurrection" until the thread is at least three months old
) but having picked up a couple of composite-blade JYDs in the interim and revisited this problem, I wanted to chime back in...especially since I found a new product!
These pictures are of another JYD clip that I've modified, and then went the extra step of blackening with Caswell Stainless Steel Blackener. Now, I don't want to cause trouble by linking a product, but if you do a search for "Caswell Stainless Blackener 4oz gel kit" you'll find it, and that's the cool part--it comes in a small amount! For all I know it's been there forever and I'd just missed it, but all other times when I've looked for stainless blackener solutions they've always been by the gallon (at the smallest) and were always in liquid form which is harder to deal with when you want the stuff to actually stay put on a curved surface. This is a gel, and you just wipe it on and wait between thirty seconds and five minutes, then wash off. You get a bottle of "sealer" with it which, as far as I can tell, is basically clear nail polish. Yes, it'll make sure that the oxidation process is halted and your black surface doesn't turn brown, but you can also achieve the same thing by putting some mineral oil on it for about twenty minutes, and then you won't have a solid film on top that will flake away over time.
Now, a couple of things: Applying this finish is very much like applying cold bluing to non-stainless steel, in that surface preparation plays heavily into how well it comes out. I could have done it FAR better than this, and may go back and fix it at some point, I just wanted to see how quick and easy it could be for function versus aesthetics. For a start, since I can guarantee that there was already a tiny bit of an oxidation layer on the bead-blasted clip before I ever started, that will affect how well a new oxidation reaction occurs. The effect achieved by just slathering it on after a mineral spirits wipe down is--as you can see below--almost like a color-case hardened appearance, with a few different colors/darkness levels. Again, this is similar to what happens to regular steel if you just put cold bluing solution on it without preparing the surface. On the other hand, had I actually done a good steel wool rub down of the surface to clean up existing oxidation, then wiped it down with mineral spirits, and then heated it up with a hair dryer or heat gun (should be very warm to the touch but not painfully hot) before putting the gel on, it would have been much darker and more even. I know this is true because I've since blackened a couple pieces of scrap stainless in this way and it comes off looking like a dark parkerized finish. So far, I've used exactly two cotton swabs worth of the solution, and am pretty sure this $20 kit is going to last a VERY long time. Just kind of neat to not have to have a giant container of the stuff sitting around.
Anyway, on to the pictures! The knife has been worn for a week now, and the clip is in constant rubbing contact with the back of a stiff leather belt, so the finish seems to be relatively stable. Comparatively, the best oxidation layer I could create with Naval Jelly (after a two day soak) wiped off with nothing but a paper towel as I was cleaning the thing. I included the other new JYD (which will live in reserve in case I ever lose this one) just to give contrast between the clips, and took a couple shots in the mirror of the knives where they ride on me (about 4:30 position) to show just how much more visible the large, bright clip is compared to the cut down blackened one; and that's against fairly faded jeans, so on darker pants it would disappear. I'm sorry for the poor quality of these shots, but I didn't want to set up my light box, and twisting sideways and shooting yourself in the mirror is tougher than it might seem.
