DLC & Cerakote modding questions

marcus aurelius

marcus aurelius

Gold Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2023
Messages
234
I'm thinking about modding my full sized drop point Inkosi. I have a full length J&H backspacer on it and a number of different Ti clips to choose from. I've never modded a CRK in any serious way, so I'm hoping to tap into you guys' wisdom and pick up some tips. Or maybe learn that it's not a good idea at all for whatever reason. We won't concern ourselves with resale for this.

I've found some resources that can do the DLC and Cerakoting, but I haven't signed up with anyone yet, so if there's someone you think I should be looking at because they are outstanding, then I'd be interested in hearing about them.

Right now my plan is to DLC the blade for sure and Cerakote the scales. I'm still up in the air on hardware, backspacer, and clip on which process to use. DLC obviously limits you in color more than cerakoting does.

I've attempted some AI pic generation to help me see color schemes, but these pics make the knife look like a toy and rather undesirable to me. So me using AI has had limited amount of benefit - see below. Making the knife look good/mean/sturdy/etc is all about picking the correct version of a particular color and also the finish/sheen of each part. The AI, at least with me writing the prompts, isn't really producing knives that I would want, but I'll show them here anyway in hopes of generating ideas. Probably one of you are much better at writing prompts than I am.

So give me some ideas and tell me about your experiences. Thanks.
 

Attachments

  • OD green inkosi.jpg
    OD green inkosi.jpg
    34.3 KB · Views: 2
  • inkosi OD bronze.jpg
    inkosi OD bronze.jpg
    54.8 KB · Views: 4
  • bronze inkosi3.jpg
    bronze inkosi3.jpg
    62.6 KB · Views: 5
Maybe this isn't as popular as I originally thought. :)

I've generally liked the OD green Sebs that various dealers have put out over the years. But I do think they can be improved upon. They certainly look better in photos and IRL than my AI pics. Below is from Northwest Knives recently. It really is all about the execution of the finishes.

NW ODgreen.jpg
 
What little I know about finishes is from my handgun experience. DLC is considered the strongest, most durable coatings for firearms. It looks good and actually provides a small degree of lubricity. It's usually black but I've also seen silver. In the attached pic, the slide of the 1911 has been coated in black DLC and the frame received the silver version. The thing to know about DLC is that the final finish is determined by how the metal is prepped BEFORE it's coated. Cerakote is at the other end of the spectrum in terms of durability, but offers a lot of color options. I've always had the impression that the result with Cerakote depend on the guy doing the application. I tend to over think stuff, so I might get a cheaper knife coated before putting Cerakote on my CRK.
pm2.jpg
 
Tensaw said:
What little I know about finishes is from my handgun experience. DLC is considered the strongest, most durable coatings for firearms. It looks good and actually provides a small degree of lubricity. It's usually black but I've also seen silver. In the attached pic, the slide of the 1911 has been coated in black DLC and the frame received the silver version. The thing to know about DLC is that the final finish is determined by how the metal is prepped BEFORE it's coated. Cerakote is at the other end of the spectrum in terms of durability, but offers a lot of color options. I've always had the impression that the result with Cerakote depend on the guy doing the application. I tend to over think stuff, so I might get a cheaper knife coated before putting Cerakote on my CRK.
View attachment 3094717
Click to expand...
The more I look at it, the less I'm liking the idea of Carekote on the scales. That is going to scratch up a fair amount under use, so I'm thinking about it. I'm looking at PVD at an option, but I haven't learned much yet on that.

I'm looking at different PVD, CVD, and DCD coatings and trying to figure out which would be the best for not scratching up and still having some options in the colorway.
 
Murphjd25 said:
If you want to do it get ahold of REK Knives REK Knives he does the best work and it doesn’t compromise anything. He did a Large 21 Insingo for me some time back. It has help up phenomenal. View attachment 3094901
Click to expand...
This really does look great.You may sell me on all black and it also may be the toughest coating as well.

One of the tricky parts of this whole operation is getting the OD green color correct,bc there are a hundred different versions. I'm getting a light done right now in a particular Cerakote color, so I'll have the benefit of seeing how it looks IRL on Ti once done.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top