Damascus Hunter

Karl B. Andersen

Karl B. Andersen

Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Messages
5,667
I couldn't help myself! I had to make my favorite knife out of some premium Jerry Rados Damascus - and then hot blue it!
I got a really thick piece of Rados 512 layer Random Damascus, which required quite a bit of forging. The amount of forging it requires to get this blade to shape results in some AWESOME 3D effect that my photo skill and equipment can not do justice to.
Anyway, I also hot blued the mild steel fittings and I hope you can all enjoy it - as well as my camera in the butt cap!
And a nice piece of Sambar Stag in my take-down configuration.
 
Brownell's Oxynate No. 7.
You need all the stuff like the iron tanks and accessories.
Same stuff the gun smiths and manufacturers use.
This type of bluing can only be done at 292 degrees.
 
Good question!
Control.
I'm a rather active traditional bowhunter and muzzle loader hunter as are my "friends". For some reason, maybe it's my location in the country or the big oak tree with the "hanging" limb in my yard, but every fall a dozen or so deer end up at my house to get dressed!
I always hear, "Hey Karl! Gotta knife?!"
And, it always seems we're doing this at about 8:30 at night under head lights of somebody's truck and it's only 15 degrees!
So, I'm a knife maker and ACTIVE knife user.
I want control that I find difficult to achieve with blades having small of no ricasso.
Saves on stitches!
That lower photo is a great position for detail work!
 
kbaknife said:
Brownell's Oxynate No. 7.
You need all the stuff like the iron tanks and accessories.
Same stuff the gun smiths and manufacturers use.
This type of bluing can only be done at 292 degrees.
Click to expand...
Back'er down to 285-287 and limit time to 15 minutes. ( gives you a little more blue than black)
I've used that stuff for 26 years or so..
It's the bomb !
Most factories use straight 1101 .
Remington was the exception..
Use your rinse/cleaner tank at 200 before dipping the steel in the blue bath.. This will also lean you to a more " blue" than black.
Something about the metals temp and the shock of 280-290 makes it darker.
I never figured it out, scientifically, but had the Colt custom shop beeyatch about " black".

I eventually went to rust bluing...
A lot of work but far superior to " hot blue"

I see Brownell has a ' dry dip" I'm gonna play with that pretty soon.

Ya ever do " color hardening" with WD40 ? Pretty neat too.
Propane torch it to about 400-450 and spray ( or cotton ball ) it on.
It'd work good on pommels and guards..
I did a low wall reciever with that about 30 years ago.
They thought it was a cyanide job... LOL.. Took me about 45 seconds :cool:
 
I truly do like the black over any blue tint.
At the instruction of onwe of Brownells tech guys, I put the steel in when it's boiling at 185 and during the 30 minutes let it slowly creep up the 192.
Good hard bluing job that way.
I'd like to do the rust bluing some day.
 
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