How Do I Get A "Satin" Finish?

M

maury

Joined
Sep 24, 2000
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606
I finally decided to take attack the blade on my CS Recon 1 Tanto Folder, specifically to get rid of that shiny black finish. Took the knife apart and removed the "Teflon" coating. That stuff flew off with a bit of sanding. I then used 400 grit wet/dry paper to remove the scratches. I now have a blade that's pretty good looking but much too shiny.

What I would like to do before I reassemble the whole thing is to dull down the finish. Ideally, I'd like to end up with something that looks like the finish I've seen on some of the better tactical blades. OK, I don't expect to get anything that good. I will be real happy with a nice non-glare finish.

Is there a way of doing this by hand, maybe with some sort of abrasive compound? My only power tool options are a Dremel Tool and a small electric drill. Any suggestions most appreciated!

By the way, while this knife might have a hefty feel and look to be solid, taking it apart showed up the places they really cut corners. Still a good buy, but I guess in the end you do get what you pay for!
 
A 400 grit finish is generally considered "satin." You could go over the blade with 320 grit paper.
Bill
 
One really good way to achieve a dull but still metallic finish is to acid etch the blade with ferric chloride (labelled as PCB board etchant at radio shack, $4 or so for a 16 oz. bottle). Dilute it with at least three parts water, drop it in for ten seconds, soak it in ammonia (ammonia is basic, so it neutralizes the acid), then wash. Then give it a quick rubbing with 000 steel wool to get it looking nice and even. If it's too dark, rub more, if it's too light, drop it in for another treatment. Basically, it will look pretty natural and very pretty while still maintaining a very metallic look. The best part is, it covers up bad finishes on the blade and if you are anal retentive about scratches you can always redo it easily. Good luck! :thumbup:

As far as corner cutting goes, Cold Steel doing that wouldn't surprise me, but I think it could also have a practical reasoning- if you mean that it looks like the liners are small or flimsy, that could be to keep the knife balanced. If you mean things are just poorly machined...well..you get what you pay for :D But still, I'm sure it will serve you well.
 
Attach your blade to a guide (I use 1/4" thick aluminium bar) that the edge of your finger will follow to keep strokes straight. The guide should be the same or slightly narrower width as the blade. Sit (do not stand) with forearms parallel and level to work surface with near 90 degree angle formed by forearm and upper arm/body. After cleaning the blade with a back and forth motion until only 400 grit scratches remain, start dragging from choil to tip using fresh wet 400 paper. Continue until all scratches are straight. Apply lighter and lighter pressure until finish is acceptable to you.

STR
 
Stopped by a local jeweler's supply shop and explained the problem. They sold me a sheet of sandpaper called "Microfinishing Film" with a coarsness designation of "60 microns".

Great Stuff! using only a few square inches of this stuff with cutting oil, I was able to rub the blade down to the soft luster satin finish I wanted.

Turns out the guy behind the counter had a Dozier folder in his pocket, so the advice was good!

By the way, if you are fortunate enough to have one of these suppliers near you, you can save lots over the cost of many hardware items. Found Dremmel (type) accessories like felt wheels and cutting disks sold in bulk for about 20% of the cost of bubble packed ones. Same for small drills, polishing compounds, etc.
 
One thing not mentioned is, you should sand in the direction of the grind. From spine to edge not the length of the blade.
Scott
 
Scott I think people do it full length as much as with the grind. Gene Ingram always does his choil to tip among other makers I've met. In an old article I have from the 80s in Knives magazine it gives probably half a dozen ways to do a satin finish and only one they show is with the grind using a 3M Scotchbrite belt as I recall. Both ways work fine though. I guess its just a matter of personal preference.

STR
 
STR said:
Scott I think people do it full length as much as with the grind.
Click to expand...

If you are using a belt sander it is easier spine to edge, if you are hand sanding it is easier tip to choil.

-Cliff
 
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