Heat Coloring Carbon Damascus

adammichael

adammichael

Joined
Sep 13, 2004
Messages
1,553
Can someone please tell me the correct way to heat color carbon damascus?
When ever I try doing it I end up with a really hot piece of carbon damascus.


Thanks
 
Ha! ha! I'll post you a pic in the morn (with decent light...) of a fire blued guard I just did. A torch won't do it I must say, it has to be done in an oven. For some reason, the gas (in the flame) has some anti-oxidant effect on the process. To get the full oxidation iron has to offer, and that beautiful purple blue color, you've got to have it in an oven; gas, or electric in my case. I'm getting pretty good at it and I love the effect...

regards, mitch
 
You have to make sure that the surface is clean or it won't color, that means sanding the high spots to bright metal before doing it. If the whole thing has the oxides in it then it won't work. I've gotten a torch to work, but you have to keep it moving, if you keep it in one spot then you're keeping oxygen away from the hot part. You'll have better luck getting even colors with an oven though, a torch tends to give the rainbow effect since it's very hard to heat the whole thing evenly. By the way, I hope this is a guard or bolster, unless you're trying to color it yellow or bronze, alot of steels will have their temper hurt by the temperatures needed to get the good colors and that'd ruin most blades.
 
Hi gents,
you can try this i am using it now for about 6 years and it works great on bolsters and other fittings. take potassium nitrate (KNO3) and put it in a old aluminium pot (old because once it used for this thats it u can use it again for the same exersise) put it on the gas burner and melt it slowly when it looks like molten glass it is ready for use clean the bolsters or fittings with acetone and tie n thin copper wire to it throug a hole dip it in the molten KNO3 at first the stuff will stick to the item but keep it in there until the stuf is running of then keep watching for the ccolor you want if it is the right color dip it in cold water emediately if you have over run the color you must buf and clean the item again for the next try by practice one can get great even colors. last tip do bolsters same time to ensure same colors. if any question veel free to contact me "VAN" van der Merwe South Africa.

Ps. this stuff is very hot be carefull
 
Carbon damascus doesn't even have to be etched in order to get some very weird things going on. I chuck damascus tsuba into a 500 degree gas oven and get plenty of colour. It's actually quite neat! From dead on, it looks black, but when you turn it just right, it goes to a full rainbow.

Darryl
 
VANKNIFE said:
Hi gents,
you can try this i am using it now for about 6 years and it works great on bolsters and other fittings. take potassium nitrate (KNO3) and put it in a old aluminium pot ...........
Click to expand...


where can i get some?
 
D.A. Guertin said:
Carbon damascus doesn't even have to be etched in order to get some very weird things going on. I chuck damascus tsuba into a 500 degree gas oven and get plenty of colour. It's actually quite neat! From dead on, it looks black, but when you turn it just right, it goes to a full rainbow.

Darryl
Click to expand...
How long do you leave it in for?
 
Okay, the oxidation colors.
Doesn't this step come after tempering, where you have to keep it below the temper temperature, but until then, you can reach all sorts of colors, and if you start on the spine, and go up on a knife, I've seen something of a purple, green, blue rainbow thing going on. Doesn't that just mean- 1)clean 2)tempered 3)dark room?
 
Hi there, i normaly buy the (kno3) potasium nitrate at a chemist or as you guys call it a drug store or at the local chemical distributers. the only problem with the chemist is that they supply only small packets something like 100grm's the chemical distributers sell in kg's
 
I heat blued this blade at 610 degrees for 10 minutes. The steel is 1095 / mild steel - mostly for show - so the temper isn't an issue. It came out looking fairly nice.
heat-blue.jpg


I'd be interested in what temperatures others are using and on what steels. Share!
 
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