I have seen pictures of apparently older opinels with what seem to be carbon steel lock rings. sometimes they are patinated and sometimes plain rusty. I want one. mine seems to be stainless, and it might sound strange but i don't like it as much when they mix stainless and carbon components on a knife. when the blade is nicely patinated, and the spring or in this case lock ring is shiny, it seems to be a mismatch. Does anybody know how I go about finding an opinel with carbon lock ring, or even one of the smaller non locking ones with carbon collar?
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Opinel carbon lock ring?
- Thread starter W.M.B.
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Henry Beige
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You might check L L Bean and ask if they have any new old stock. Just kidding, but that's where I got my old No.7 and No.10 sometime in the late '70s, or early '80s. No handy pic of the 10, but here's the 7.
afishhunter
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Have someone in high school or trade school machine shop make you a new ring out of carbon steel?
It's a spring steel of some sort. The heat treat might be an issue.
Henry Beige
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I wonder if you couldn't use some heat to blue the steel for a closer color match.
Might affect the temper. Ferric chloride (circuit board) etchant? That will turn some stainless kind of grey (I think).
afishhunter
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Not sure if it would be or not. When I took machine shop in high school, they taught us how to heat treat what we made.
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This might cause this thread to be moved (sorry) but here's a couple of solutions I've found to the 'shiny ring syndrome'.
First is PCB enchant, davek14 called it right....it etches the metal leaving it a dull grey as seen on the lock ring of this #6.
And then there is Caswell's Stainless Steel Blackener.
It works like cold blueing of carbon steels.(stinks worse than cold blueing, but the smell wears out in time:barf
Not a bad look IMO.
First is PCB enchant, davek14 called it right....it etches the metal leaving it a dull grey as seen on the lock ring of this #6.
And then there is Caswell's Stainless Steel Blackener.
It works like cold blueing of carbon steels.(stinks worse than cold blueing, but the smell wears out in time:barf
Not a bad look IMO.
afishhunter
Basic Member
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2014
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- 14,482
This might cause this thread to be moved (sorry) but here's a couple of solutions I've found to the 'shiny ring syndrome'.
First is PCB enchant, davek14 called it right....it etches the metal leaving it a dull grey as seen on the lock ring of this #6.
And then there is Caswell's Stainless Steel Blackener.
It works like cold blueing of carbon steels.(stinks worse than cold blueing, but the smell wears out in time:barf
Not a bad look IMO.
Looks really good. Especially that "cold blue". I like how you jigged the handle on that one. I'd ask how you did it, but that would get this thread moved for sure.
And then there is Caswell's Stainless Steel Blackener.
It works like cold blueing of carbon steels.(stinks worse than cold blueing, but the smell wears out in time:barf
I've seen that discussed on here before and even priced it, but I forgot about it. I hate getting old.
That looks good indeed.