Knife Finish

[sepcat]

I have always been curious why Randall military knives are not finished with a blueing or beadblast. I have never served in the military and assume that concealment is very imprtant and ask the question, are the soldiers who carry these knives concerned about how reflective they are? Is this not an issue or do service men dull or blue the the knife's finish?

Polished stainless can be like a signalling mirror..

 

[Architect]

I won't get into the reflectivity issue as far as military operations go, as I know nothing about it.

However, the vast majority of Randall Knives are made with O-1 high carbon steel. A mirror polish is the best way to minimize rusting on carbon steel in addition to good care in keeping the steel dry and oiled.

Bead blasting carbon steel (without high chromium percentage) will guarantee that you will end up with a very-hard-to-impossible to maintain blade.