Painting a Knife?

R

rayman828

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Oct 30, 2005
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I want to put a matte black paint on one of my knife blades but the paint will not stick. Can someone tell me how to get the paint to stick. I think I am not preping it right.
 
Go to www.molyresin.com and check out the product and the prep. instructions. I've refinished a couple AR15s with it and understand Wilson Combat and other OEMs use it. It is good stuff.

I'm not associated with the manufacturer - I've just had good luck with the stuff.
 
I used OD Krylon on a blade with decent results. Maybe sand it with finegrit paper so the paint has something to adhere to.
 
Any paint you put on the blade will wear off, unless you are cutting things much softer than paint!
Bill
 
Check out Kalguard Gunkote, which is used by Chris Reeve among others as a protective blade coating. I have heard from a knifemaker who uses it that prep is fairly critical and that using their K-Phos primer is highly recommended.

http://www.kgcoatings.com/gunkote.html

The general process seems to be: clean thoroughly, prime with K-Phos, paint on the GunKote, bake in oven at the mfr's recommended time/temp. If you want more than one color, repeat the last two step for each color.
 
I like to blue my carbon blades with Birchwood Casey's Gun Blue at Wal-Mart for $3. I'v blued a shotgun with it also, it gives pretty good results.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Any paint you put on the blade will wear off, unless you are cutting things much softer than paint!
Bill
Click to expand...

Very true. Another type of coating would be much better, as already mentioned.

I will add my .02 since I paint cars for a living and had to learn certain stuff in school. If anyone wanted to paint a blade that will never see use, a self etching primer is the best undercoat. It has acids that etch and grab the metal for a good bond. Spray paint is nowhere near as good as todays automotive basecoat/clearcoat as far as durability/scratch resistance goes, but they are much more expensive and need a spray gun to apply.

The main problem with any paint is that there would be an edge to the paint where the edge bevel would be. When paint gets an edge, it will chip.
 
ok.... 20 years exp in painting metals will give you this advice.... either self etching oil based paint or epoxy based.... nothing else will realy work
 
There are few (if any) coatings that will hold up on a blade that will be used.
Some of the titanium nitrides may work. Even hard chrome will scar. Bluing is only as hard as the blade steel, and the OTC "cold blues" will wear quickly. Paints chip and wear. Teflon comes off eventually.
So, why bother? If the knife is for display, just hit it with Krylon-at least you can touch it up easily. I don't like coated blades, why try to make steel look like plastic?
Bill
 
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