question about a blade finish

A

AJ1

Joined
Apr 18, 1999
Messages
34
i was wondering what a 'stonewash' finish on a blade was ? ive heard about it but thats about it thanks in advance
 
Its exactly what it sounds like, The blade is tumbled in a ceramic "stone" medium, causing micro scratches all over the blade, it also seems to help corrosion resistance by work hardening the surface, so Ive heard.
 
But what does it look like? does it resemble a really coarse bead blasting or what?
 
Lots of micro scratches on the blade.
Cant really associate it with anything. not quite like bead blasted. Sort of thing one does with lots of money to spend on equip.

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The size of a mans house does not reflect his wealth, but rather, his greed...BCK...Happy Knifemaking...
http://www.freeyellow.com/members6/cut/index.html
 
Scratches on the blade are not desirable from tne viewpoint of corrosion protection.

Industry sources specify that the smoother the surface finish the better the corrosion resistance ie Mirror is best for corrosion resistance, very fine scratches are next, then medium scratches, then coarse scratches, and mill finished is least corrosion resistance.

Well I guess then that the stone washed finish can be considered more corrosion resistant than the standard brushed finish.

I have tumbled metal parts in a plastic pipe fitted with end caps in the past and achieved a distinctive finish. It took a very long time (16 hrs per batch) and made so much noise that the wife threatened me with physical injury if I ever took another contract like that. It sounds like a cement mixer filed with pebbles.

The professional way is to use a machine called a vibrafinsher, basically a vibrating tub filled with stones. Put the pieces in and let it run for a long time. It is a cheap method to mass finish rough parts because there is basically no labour involved, just machine time.

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george
www.tichbourneknives.com
sales@tichbourneknives.com

 
George,

can you use a brass polisher for ammunition reloading to tumble parts if it's filled with another medium instead of the usual polishing one? I've been wanting to try that... :-)

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www.wilkins-knives.com


 
The short answer is yes. A certain amount of experimentation will be necessary to bet the best finish possible.

Possible variables include abrasive media, polishing compound,lubricants(water and soluable oil), and duration.

The resultant finish can range from deburring with scratches to bright burnishing that approaches mirror finish.

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george
www.tichbourneknives.com
sales@tichbourneknives.com

 
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