Question about bead blasting

twid

twid

Joined
Apr 7, 2009
Messages
603
I'm thinking about bead blasting the Ti slab of my ZT 301 this weekend. I have never done this before and have some questions.
Will blasting deform the threads in the handle and pocket clip holes? If so what is the best way to protect them? Also, same question for the lock face of the frame lock and the opening of the pivot hole. Will blasting affect those surfaces to where the knife won't function properly after I put it back together?
Thanks in advance. Chris.
 
Hi buddy good to see people taking initiative and modifying their knives to their liking. Bead blasting is a lot easier than it seems at first. What kind of media did you buy? I use fine glass media and it works very well. It is a pretty rough finish compared to many, almost exactly like the finish that comes on Chris Reeve knives. The clip holes will not get stripped or destroyed no don't worry about those. You can blast them good but don't spend quite as much time on them as the rest of the handle. You will want to mask off the tip of the lockbar, the ball detent and the area where the washers rub the titanium handle though. I like to you duct tape. Just cut out a little larger section than the area you don't want to get blasted and slap it on. Press the tape down firmly so the edges are nice and tight against the Ti and then blast away.

I have experimented a little with how much air pressure to use however I usually stick with 90 psi. Its enough to get the job done nice and even relatively quickly and enough to keep the trigger from sticking. If you get a "stuck throttle" that is the trigger sticks and it wont stop, disconnect it and raise your air pressure.

If you are using glass media don't freak out when you see sparks flying off of the titanium, that is normal. Good luck, let me know if you have any other questions.
 
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