DLC coating on a blade

I'm sure you're aware that DLC coating your XM will render your warranty null and void.
 
The coating is very thin, so if the markings on your blade have relief (height or depth) to them, they will probably show through the coating. The coating itself is Tungsten Carbide which is applied in a vacuum chamber using a Physical Vapor Deposition process. The guys who apply the coating can probably answer your questions about masking.
I would rather have a Titanium Aluminum Nitride coating because it is harder. 72HRC vs. 92HRC
 
The pecking order as I am familiar with it goes something like this: TDLC-72HRC, TiN-82HRC, ZrN-85HRC, XL100-90HRC, and TiAlN-92HRC. There are other factors that contribute to tool life besides the hardness of the coatings. Toughness, lubricity, and heat resistance come to mind. Many of the new proprietary coatings (like Firex) have multiple layers of multiple materials to improve tool life and permit higher speeds and feed rates.
 
It would be interesting to me, as a machinist, to have some blades coated after sharpening - to see how the coatings fared in terms of improving edge retention. Manufacturers coat sharp-edged machine cutting tools like endmills and drill all the time, so I'd think it would be feasible to do.
 
Buck did this (TAIN edge coating) years ago. They only coated one side of the blade.
The problem with edge-coating is that, while the knife will stay sharp longer, it will eventually need resharpening. Doing so removes the edge coating.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Buck did this (TAIN edge coating) years ago. They only coated one side of the blade.
The problem with edge-coating is that, while the knife will stay sharp longer, it will eventually need resharpening. Doing so removes the edge coating.
Click to expand...

Buck's version of that, called 'BuckCote' (or later, 'IonFusion'), coated the entire blade on one side, with a warning to sharpen the bevels only on the uncoated side (chisel grind). This meant the apex of the chisel grind always had a 'fresh' hardened, coated edge exposed, with the uncoated steel just behind the apex. Sharpenening did remove some of the coating each time, but the chisel grind always kept the coated side at the leading edge of the apex, therefore doing most of the work. In effect, the 'softer' steel on the uncoated side of the chisel grind wore away faster in use, always keeping the harder coated edge exposed, and therefore making these knives 'self-sharpening' (in theory, anyway).

Here's a thread on those knives, from the Buck sub-forum, with a pretty good description of the coating and the edge quoted below:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/776994-Buckcote-knives

tiguy7 said:
The dark gold blades are coated with Titanium Nitride (TiN) which has a hardness on the Rockwell scale of 82C (HRC). The light gold or champagne blades are Zirconium Nitride (ZrN) at 85 HRC. The dark gray or charcoal blades are Titanium Aluminum Nitride (TiAlN) at 92 HRC. The Purple Titanium Carbonitride blades are 87 HRC.
These blades were chisel sharpened to expose the coating on the micro edge. In use , the steel wore away in preference to the coat, making the knives self-sharpening. This geometry (single bevel) is inherently twice as sharp as a double bevel. Japanese kitchen knives often have single bevels which makes them great for yielding uniform slices.
The knives are easy to sharpen with the proper technique and equipment. I have many of these blades in the 110 format. I have installed them in Aluminum and Titanium handles and also converted some to Selector blades. I use them all the time. They are very impressive.
Click to expand...


David
 
Last edited:
Nice to hear someone mentioning the Ion Fusion process by Buck as it made a world of difference on their 420HC steel.I think their heat treatment is effective at making their steel perform but the Buckcote/IonFusion literally made a world of difference.You couldn't compare a common steel to it in edge retention at that point.I wish they would bring it back or offer it as an alternative in price.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top