Painting a knife clip (UPDATED with pictures)

E

edcrefiner

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Aug 26, 2010
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Hi,

I was thinking about painting a knife clip on a knife that has a silver clip about two inches long. It is highly noticeable and I wish to make it more discreet. I don't have very much funds right now so I am looking for very low cost materials.

I have already ruled out Duracoating and Durabaking because of the costs associated with them and the equipment necessary.

I have considered truck bed liner (probably look rugged and ugly when done) to Rustoleum and Krylon (cheap but will flake).

So far I am thinking about going with Rustoleum because I already have a can of it in coyote brown/tan. What I really need to know is how would I get the paint to not fake and chip? I mean people are using this paint on high use objects like metal benches are cars with good durability results. Should I look for a primer to use before the paint or a finish to use after or both? Are there any special techniques I could utilize?
 
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Buy Grey primer krylon, a Black satin krylon, and a matte finish krylon.

paint it using that order.

The paint will last longer.
 
Depends on the metal that you are painting. You said silver, but is it? Probably a stainless steel. Those are "difficult" to paint.
You should scuff it a bit. If it is slick, the paint has nothing to grab onto. Scotchbrite pad, till it's dull. Clean with denatured alcohol, paint thinner, or similar. Now you can prime, then paint.

There's a primer product called Bulldog. We used it at a body shop I worked at. It claims to stick to anything, and seemed to work really well.
 
Have you thought about cold blueing it? Can get a bottle of cold blue for about $5. May be worth looking into, will wear better than the paint and can be done again and again if needed.
 
cold blue probably won't work well if it is a stainless which I'm sure it would be. I would go to a local powder-coating shop and tell them to hang it up next time they do a round of the color you choose. If they charge you at all, it shouldn't be much.
 
ive been a full time painter for 12 yrs and i'll tell you painting metal is hit or miss..........id scratch it up first with sand paper then spray prime it then 2 coats enamel.........id let the finish coats cure over night.....they key here is to scratch the metal so the paint has something to grip too and the longer the paints on there the harder it will get . i have a few putty knifes from over the years with latex on the blade no primer coat and the only way your gettin that paint off is with a wire wheel ! might want to try a coat of satin poly when your finished..... poly turns yellow but i doubt your knife will be left out in the sun, maybe the poly will give it that added layer of protection.....



next time im in the basement ill run some tests on painting metal an post the results



edit: like the guy above mentioned, clean the metal first with denatured or thinners
 
I am sorry for the confusion on the clip material. Yes it is stainless steel. I don't know why I wrote "silver". If it helps, the clip is also a Spyderco clip.

Advice looks good so far and I will really consider it.

How do you guys think a coyote brown clip will look on Black FRN? Kinda funny huh? Well I am a college student really living on every penny. Hopefully, I can get some good money tomorrow to pay for this material to keep me busy for 3 weeks of winter break.
 
I think matte black would look way better. Try a sharpie marker to see what it will look like
 
how hard of a grain should I use to sand the clip? Is 300 good enough or should I use some more aggressive paper.
 
I have done at least six clips and have been carrying the knives for over a year and they are still in perfect shape. Sand or emery paper the clip to make it rough, one coat of spry primer, then a coat of black spray paint and then about six coats of spray lacquer. Let it dry for about two weeks and you cant smell the lacquer anymore, and you are done.
 
Caswell coatings has stainless steel blueing liquid. I've used it to some success.
 
Something I do to mute the silver clips, and at the same time improve my ability to withdraw the knife from my pocket, is to use black 3M Stair Step tape to cover the clip. The adhesive on this tape is VERY strong, I have clips that have been covered for a few years and still sticking. Also fairly cheap at about $2.00 a foot, which will cover very many clips.
 
^^^^ thanks for that idea. I'll have to try it if I can find the tape.

I used Brownell's baking laquer on some clips with good success, but I have also used black high temperature stove paint. Dull the clip well with sandpaper or a Scotchbrite, degreaser, spray then put it in the toaster oven for 30 minutes or so.

All of these were done one of these two methods (except for the pink one, of course):
manixwheel.jpg
 
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elkins, thanks for the picture. And to everyone who posted suggestions thanks for them. As for 3M stair tape, I am seeing them being sold in a long roll for a higher cost. Do you think skate board tape or some sort of grip tape can be a substitute?
 
also it seems that in the picture the spyderco imprint on the clip disappears after painting am I right?
 
Or find a black replacement clip from Spyderco they are only lol $6.00 with new screws!
 
for a quick temporary measure that's cheap and could be re-done countless times...
there's always permanent marker pens with every color to match it's surroundings.
if you could find someone with sand blasting equipment, a dull aluminium like finish would far outlast any paint coating.
 
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