Customizing Kabar

[Mortenoir]

Hello, I have a Kabar Combat Kukri that I want to customize. I'm not really a fan of the black anymore and want to change things up a bit. Currently my plan is to strip the powder coat off the blade and make it a new wooden handle. But I also want to do something else to the blade. Like these for example: http://imgur.com/a/AvMce
Would any of those be doable for someone who isn't a knife maker and without fancy equipment? I've also been looking into DIY hamons but it seems you need a furnace. A regular oven wouldn't suffice, correct?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Welcome to Shop Talk. Filling out your profile is a good idea.

You might be able to use a resist and etch a pattern like that on the blade with FC, but a hamon can not be done on your blade for several reasons. One is that the blade probably isn't the right type of steel. Two is that it takes special equipment capable of maintain 1500F. Three is that it takes considerable experience to get a hamon like the one shown.

Your best path is just to sand the blade clean and go up the grits to 2000.

 

[Carcara]

Those are a bunch of different finishes in your images. You could try using a resist and selectively etching
a pattern onto your sanded blade.

 

[Mortenoir]

Welcome to Shop Talk. Filling out your profile is a good idea.

Done

You might be able to use a resist and etch a pattern like that on the blade with FC, but a hamon can not be done on your blade for several reasons.

Those are a bunch of different finishes in your images. You could try using a resist and selectively etching
a pattern onto your sanded blade.

Yeah, any one will do. I didn't know which ones were even possible for me to do so I picked a few different ones.

So my only option is acid etching?

 

[Broomhead]

The 8th picture, hemp string-wrapped handle, leather lanyard, appears to be a cold bluing and bleach finish. You can do that DIY as well as the acid etches. The mixture of the bluing and bleach pits the blade and leaves the bluing in the pits after you clean it up. Just search for gun blue and bleach.

 

[redd1981]

I experimented with bluing and bleach on one of my moras. its pretty neat but I would def do it outside it puts off some vapors you dont want to be breathing

 

[Broomhead]

There is also mustard, lemon or tomato juice, vinegar, and electro-etching that can all be done DIY.

 

[Mortenoir]

The 8th picture, hemp string-wrapped handle, leather lanyard, appears to be a cold bluing and bleach finish. You can do that DIY as well as the acid etches. The mixture of the bluing and bleach pits the blade and leaves the bluing in the pits after you clean it up. Just search for gun blue and bleach.

Looks easy enough, I'll probably do this. Thanks.
After searching up on it, it seems that all you do is apply blue to the blade and dip it in bleach. But to get the transitioning effect like in that picture, I imagine I would first apply blue paste up to red line, dip the entire blade in bleach, then do a second round with blue paste up to the orange line. Does that sound right?

I experimented with bluing and bleach on one of my moras. its pretty neat but I would def do it outside it puts off some vapors you dont want to be breathing

Thanks for the tip. Do you have any pictures?

 

[coldsteelburns]

I'm pretty sure the upper portion of that blade has a darker color because of the left forge marks with some scale in the pits perhaps, but your idea of sorta layering, or feathering the bleach/blue effect sounds like it might work. That blade, and the other similar blades in 2 other pictures in your gallery are made by Rick Marchand from www.WilderTools.net, so you might ask him cause he is here on bladeforums. Also, different steels will react differently, as in become more pitted and textured) than others. I'm pretty sure O-1 and 1095 are the optimal steels to get that effect with, not sure what the kabar kukri is made from.

-Paul
www.youtube.com/Lsubslimed