Question about Medford's "Vulcan" finish.

Heartland_edc

Heartland_edc

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May 4, 2015
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I was hoping someone could help me out with this. I read somewhere that this "finish" is basically how heat treated (foil) metal looks when it's "fresh off the grill." Which is fine, because they don't charge anything extra for it. My question is, is this beneficial in any way to the steal? I have a 3V Marauder coming with the "Vulcan" finish, and I know 3V is a little prone to corrosion. Does this protect against corrosion at all? Or is it just for looks? Is it WORSE than a tumbled finish as far as corrosion resistance goes? Just curious. The knife will be kept well oiled at all times, so it doesn't really matter all that much. I'd like to be able to explain it if someone asks about it while looking. Thanks!
 
In for better information. It was my understanding that the "vulcan" finish is just a made up Medford word for "how my knives look after heat treat and I don't feel like putting an actual finish on". I could very well be way off.
 
The color of the vulcan steel is from an oxide layer formed on the surface of the steel. From what I understand it offers a bit of corrosion resistance similar to acid etching though not as nearly effective as coatings or even polishing. I would look at it as a patina. And oxidation should not be confused with corrosion in this case.
 
Heartland_edc said:
Well the reason I ask is because after reading this article, this "patina" thing he describes looks very similar to medford's Vulcan finish. And he describes it as a way to prevent rust.

http://www.thetruthaboutknives.com/2014/07/ask-a-knifemaker-the-truth-about-rust/
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That is correct. But it wasnt as if greg created a new process for creating a new finish. Like many trends currently in vogue it is simply a matter of putting a positive spin on something previously thought to be an undesired by product of the manufacturing process.
 
The only scale I've ever seen was rust. It looked black at first because it was soaked with oil however sunlight revealed that it was actually red.
Anyways oil should keep it from spreading. In a knife like this I'd just go with what looks best. If it's a user however I'd go with whatever offers best functionality. :-)
 
PURPLEDC said:
The color of the vulcan steel is from an oxide layer formed on the surface of the steel. From what I understand it offers a bit of corrosion resistance similar to acid etching though not as nearly effective as coatings or even polishing. I would look at it as a patina. And oxidation should not be confused with corrosion in this case.
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this! yes! i must have been posting the "patina" article as you posted this reply! so it IS the same thing?
 
Heartland_edc said:
this! yes! i must have been posting the "patina" article as you posted this reply! so it IS the same thing?
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Yes and no. The color is created by oxidation just like a a forced patina but it is being created in a vacuum by heat rather than a chemical process. Patina is just a fancy word for oxidation. And oxidation can be applied in a variety of ways with different visual effects. The vacuum is created by sealing blade blanks in heat treating foil to prevent scale build up and prevent oxygen from being introduced creating the potential for rust.
 
Carbon and most stainless steels can all use a layer of oxide to prevent corrosion. Everything from bluing to the regular surface of standard stainless. The "least" protected steels would be coarsely finished carbon steel in the white, since it has no oxide and a bunch of surface area. Stainless forms it's oxide layer immediately and in a controlled manner that doesn't look much different than just before it forms.

So I would think the Vulcan finish would help, but it may prevent it somewhat unevenly depending on how much any area reacted more or less. 3V is not a steel that rusts easily, so it probably doesn't matter much.

The Vulcan finish is just a variation on "fire bluing" or "straw blue", familiar from Luger and other other old firearms.
 
Great! That puts my mind at ease. Anything that has to do with metal processing in folding knives is always confusing to me. It can be hard to be 100% sure about anything.
 
Hah! Ah well. It does add a nice visual touch to the knife. Since it's free, I'm ok with the verbal frills.
 
Heartland_edc said:
Hah! Ah well. It does add a nice visual touch to the knife. Since it's free, I'm ok with the verbal frills.
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If you like the look, that's all that matters! I just think that people should know what they're buying...and makers should be informative about what they're selling.

As a construction manager, it irks me to see what is essentially an unfinished product. That's like telling my client "You wanted the walls painted?!?! You don't like our exclusive gypsum finish?":D

I mean, come on... Take a little pride in your work, eh?
 
Blues Bender said:
If you like the look, that's all that matters! I just think that people should know what they're buying...and makers should be informative about what they're selling.

As a construction manager, it irks me to see what is essentially an unfinished product. That's like telling my client "You wanted the walls painted?!?! You don't like our exclusive gypsum finish?":D

I mean, come on... Take a little pride in your work, eh?
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Exclusive Gypsum Finish?
Don't let anybody hear that, it might be the next home trend :-)



Off to Home Despot....
 
Blues Bender said:
If you like the look, that's all that matters! I just think that people should know what they're buying...and makers should be informative about what they're selling.

As a construction manager, it irks me to see what is essentially an unfinished product. That's like telling my client "You wanted the walls painted?!?! You don't like our exclusive gypsum finish?":D

I mean, come on... Take a little pride in your work, eh?
Click to expand...

Disagree strongly. I like seeing weld lines and heat treat marks. You can buff away a lot sins with the wheel.

And for construction the same, well done wood doesn't need paint and I've even seen varnished plywood that looked amazing.

It all goes to context.
 
To be fair, Medford's Vulcan finish is not an unfinished product as much as a deliberate custom patina. Meford's "Vulcan" patina's seem to be very thoughtfully done and as someone who appreciates a cleverly done forced patina, I can see why there would be a demand for it. One would only have to look up "forced patina" on google or bladeforums to see that there are definitely some beautiful examples of forced patina on all kinds of blades. In my opinion, it's not a new "marketing gimmick" but rather a time tested and effective surface treatment to fend off more corrosive oxides. That doesn't mean that newer methods aren't more effective, it's just another personal choice. For better or for worse, we should all be able to appreciate those.
 
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It's like the blade equivalent of sushi.

"Hey let's open a restaurant where you don't have to cook the fish and can charge posers exorbitant prices for tiny bits of food".
 
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