Removing the black coating from a blade

XSanguin8 · Mar 17, 2009

Hi all,

I saw a thread a while back where a few users had removed the black coating on their Becker BK9, BK7, and BK2 blades.
I was looking around for a good general purpose camp fixed blade, and those look like they fit the bill for me design wise, and price wise.

My question is why was the coating removed? Does this improve performance, i.e. reduce drag, or was this for aesthetic reasons?I liked how it looked, and would consider doing it to the ones I buy as well, but wondering how and why it was done.

Any of you who have done it, please provide any info you feel would be helpful.

Thanks!

jca21 · Mar 17, 2009

removing the coating to my knowledge is supposed to improve slicing performance. dont quote me on it though just remembering what i heard.

it just looks better without the coating imo. and eventually with enough use it'll wear off anyways.

i like to remove the coating off my 1095 blades and give them a nice patina.

just personal preference though.

if you are considering doing it do the beckers heres a tip.

remove the handle scales then soak the knife in a baking tin full of paint stripper. the stronger the stuff the easier on you. after that give the knife a nice bath in warm water with some dish soap.

then dry the knife and you can begin sanding to remove the rest of the coating. once thats complete you can either give it a mirror polish using some polishing compound and a cloth wheel or you can give it a patina.

you can fill a baking tin with vinegar and let the blade sit in it for a while, i tend to check on mine every hour or so just to see progress. the same effect can be achieved with mustard i believe.

after the patina has gone on i give it a quick rinse in warm water and make sure the blade is nice and dry.

cheers.

JC

PB Wilson · Mar 17, 2009

On my Ontario RAT-3 I removed the scales, scraped away a good deal of the coating with a metal scraper and then applied paint stripper. I did a second coat of stripper and went through different grits of sandpaper until I got a nice satin look. Easy enough to do.

Ravaillac · Mar 17, 2009

XSanguin8 said:
My question is why was the coating removed? Does this improve performance, i.e. reduce drag, or was this for aesthetic reasons?I liked how it looked, and would consider doing it to the ones I buy as well, but wondering how and why it was done.

Mostly aesthetic reasons. Some prefer polished finish. The coating gets "ugly" when it starts wearing unevenly, too "tactical" looking...

Performance effect are small. Coating does help preventing rust.

There are different types of coating.
Some use paint removers, industrial degreasers...

trentu · Mar 17, 2009

Remember that these blades were intended to be coated as they were made. That means the finish will not be as nice once you get the coating off. Sand paper or a sand blaster are all I have found to get it off. The coatings are usually a powder or epoxy bake finish.

skammer · Mar 17, 2009

If you care how your blade looks then remove it. IF you use it as a tool and nothing more then leave it on as it was put there for more than tactical reasons, like water proofing.
The drag reduced is so minor it aint worth the trouble, sharp is sharp aerodynamic windtunnel testing of your blade is overkill.

Skam

Shotgun · Mar 17, 2009

I agree that it's more aesthetics than anything. Although, I use my bush blades in the kitchen and no matter how many people tell me it's safe, I just can't bring myself to use a coated blade on food. So, my knives are naked. Beware though, it does take a little more care to keep them from rusting. I keep a thin coating of mineral oil on all my blades. Mineral oil is IMO the best because it won't go rancid like olive oil and is non toxic like wd-40 or some kind of gun lube.

udtjim · Mar 17, 2009

I buy knives that I like so when I get them, I leave them as is. However what ever pleases you.

kgd · Mar 17, 2009

Shotgun said:
I agree that it's more aesthetics than anything. Although, I use my bush blades in the kitchen and no matter how many people tell me it's safe, I just can't bring myself to use a coated blade on food. So, my knives are naked. Beware though, it does take a little more care to keep them from rusting. I keep a thin coating of mineral oil on all my blades. Mineral oil is IMO the best because it won't go rancid like olive oil and is non toxic like wd-40 or some kind of gun lube.

Hey I understand you buddy. But I had to smile. As a toxicologist by training, I still stick all kinds of things in my gullet that I shouldn't

cssims · Mar 17, 2009

I had probably posted in at least one of those threads. I had seen someone else remove the coating on their BK7 or BK10. I just think it looks a lot better than blacktical.

kdstrick · Mar 17, 2009

I recently stripped this Busse NMSFNO. It has a primer underneath that I think looks better than the original black coating.