Do It Yourself Blade Finishes

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Peter La

Joined
Mar 26, 2005
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Is their any "do it yourself" blade finishes for people that have next to no knife making experience? (Other than satin) How is the stone washed finish done?

Thanks for the help.
 
I know some guys have blued knives with gun blueing kits, results may depend on the steel in the blade.
 
There's also the mustard finish made popular by Wayne Goddard.

Or you could soak it in vinegar for an etched/gray finish (takes a few hours).
 
Daniel Koster said:
There's also the mustard finish made popular by Wayne Goddard.

Or you could soak it in vinegar for an etched/gray finish (takes a few hours).
Click to expand...

That gray finish be what I am after. Thaks!
 
how does the mustard finish work? is it the acids inthe mustard that discolor the steel, or is it the color compounds from the mustard seed?

for the vinegar etch, white or apple cider?

noob here on blade finishing :footinmou
 
There's also the method of stonewashing by putting the blade in a container with glass and or stone and putting it in the dryer to create an at-home-stonewash if I remember correctly.
 
woodybushman said:
how does the mustard finish work? is it the acids inthe mustard that discolor the steel, or is it the color compounds from the mustard seed?

for the vinegar etch, white or apple cider?

noob here on blade finishing :footinmou
Click to expand...
It's actually the vinegar in the mustard. Either vinegar, white or apple cider will work. Both have the acidic properties to discolor carbon steel. When using vinegar, dip until the blade is at desired color, remove wipe dry, steel wool with utra fine 0000 steel wool. Do this three times. Cold blueing gives the same affect. Follow same procedure as vinegar.
Scott
 
Discoloration on high-carbon steel (by food products) comes from a reaction to sulfur that then oxidizes.

Mustard has a great deal of sulfur in it. However, if you just lump it in big heaps on the blade, you decrease the steel's ability to oxidize, because you've cut it off from the air. So, put it in on in a thin layer. If there is unevenness (which is practically inevitable) it will etch the blade unevenly. Take advantage of this by "cratering" the mustard all over the blade. Different steels react differently - so you may need to repeat this several times. This is good, though, because it will make your finish more complex and interesting.

Vinegar also has sulfur in it (as do many foods - garlic, onions, potatoes, eggs, etc....interestingly...each of these tarnish carbon steel blades very quickly ;) ). It is much easier, but less predictable and less interesting perhaps (if you like patterning). Just dunk the knife in vinegar overnight - or at least 2 hours - pull it out, clean it off and you're done!


Add to this the fact that you need to tape off any parts of the knife you don't want etched. Also, any etching or "patina" you add to your knife will buff off with polishing compound should you not like it.
 
Very informative, thanks everyone, i see that now i have another project to do!!! :)

edit: so here i was at 4 in the morning, looking at my Opinel knife...grabbing a jar of mustard and dabbing it on the blade. Not even 20 minutes later it is all black so i rinse off the mustard and lo and behold... a cool design on the blade!!!!!!

:eek:
 
Just mustarded up a knife, was taking digital photos and the blade is too shiny. Will post before and after images if it works.
 
If it's carbon steel, you could parkerize it or cold blue it. Brownell's Oxpho-Blue is supposed to be one of the best cold blues.
 
Let’s see if we can find the right forum …
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There are home polymer coatings that are available as well. I used one on a Cold Steel Scalper and the results were great, except for a couple of runs, but they were under the handle scales anyway. The spray I used came from Brownells. Spray on 2-3 coats, drying in between, then bake in oven at the recommended temperature. Be sure to sand blast the blade, as a even a coarse sanded finish will allow the coating to peel off in large strips and flakes. After baking, it would cut through a coke can without coming off, except by wearing all the way through. Brownells also had several colors available.
 
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