Repairing Scratches in DLC?

S

Santa's Edge

Joined
Feb 22, 2017
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Hi Guys,

I recently upgraded to a KME sharpening system and it works great, but while sharpening my blackwashed Boker Kwaiken with a 140 grit diamond stone, it slipped off the edge and scratched the blade. I'm pretty down about this because as far as I know, there is only one thing capable of scratching DLC (diamond), and that's what scratched mine :( So do any of you have an idea on how to fix/hide the scratches? I've heard people scrubbing the scratch with acetone or oil, but that only works when there is metal residue that scratched off onto the DLC. My situation involves a scratch in the coating itself, so sadly that wouldn't work. I was wondering if there's any black paint/ink that I can put in the scratches and then wipe off the excess? Would that work? I appreciate any feedback you'all have to offer.

Thanks,
Max
 
not that I know of. there are guys here like razers edge, that will take off your coating and re Cerakote it. so it basically has to be re done. not sure on cost, but if you want to sell it without scratchs, it may be a good investment depending on the value of the knaf. you can go with less costly options like stonewash or black acid stonewash etc, or even a re grind where they just put the side on the grinder and remove a layer leaving a nice clean surface with whatever grit they use scratch pattern going down. but it will also need to be re sharpened afterwards also. you can see all the possibilities here
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1243155-Mods-Regrinds-Cerakote-and-Sharpening
looks like dlc has been added or will be added as an option soon from him

some tips to reduce the problem in the future...

1st wear the stones in first by sharping some $3 knives. this will reduce the amount of material that will get onto your good knives.

then get some windex and spray off the metal shavings every once in a while before wiping it with a towel, this will help so you don't scratch it while wiping it off.

another tip is to cover the blade with tape, packing tape should work fine.

to reduce the risk of the stones falling off the blade use a cork or cap from a plastic bottle and cut a hole in it and push the end of the rod into it. this will be your bump stop to stop it from moving past. don't use too much force and it shouldn't move too much.
 
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Take the scratched blade and remove the DLC coating; it doesn’t really do anything positive for you and adds friction . . . (contrary to the high tech vids; theoretically two machine parts face to face with lube between is another story).

That way you can enjoy cutting with your nice knife, won’t be bummed by having to look at a “flaw” in the finish and we can all get back to the serious knife business at hand here.
:p:):):)

Next, or first if you prefer . . .

Buy a pristine DLC knife and put it in the safe. When you want to admire a cool DLC coated blade take it out and enjoy; then put it back quick before something happens to it.

As far as camouflaging the scratch you could experiment with various dilutions of black lacquer paint (get Gloss Black and mix from that) , thinning it and adding flattening additive (to give a matt/flat look as in "flat black"), it is basically just clear mineral dust, until you arrive at a look that pleases you. You will have to coat the whole blade every time to make it look right with maybe a few extra applications right on the scratch to fill it in.

Of course it will come off in a good cardboard cutting session.

I like the way DLC looks. I don’t think it has a PRACTICAL place on a knife blade so for me it is just for safe queens.

Oh and as far as not scratching by anything other than diamond the seriously good/thick DLC came right off this Pendleton hunter quick like a bunny when this was taken to a white bench grinder stone.



Aaaaaaahhhhhh
Much thinner, much lighter, no draggy scratched up DLC in the way.


Aaaaaaahhhhhh
Pretty, BA, knife to look at and fondle and enjoy (when I want to cut something I use the one with no DLC).


Life is good.
 
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Yeah there is no repairing dlc. Like others said its gonna need to be redone or recoated in something. Just remember though that softer materials can scratch harder ones as many factors including velocity, angle and sharpness of the item doing the scratching. If diamond was the only thing that could scratch dlc then no dlc coated blade should ever get a scratch as most people arent cutting diamonds.
 
Cerakote is durable, but you're going to see scratches with even moderate use.

IMO, it's the perfect time to use the blade and not worry about wear and tear.
 
As I was reading this I thought the topic and situation sounded awfully familiar... then I saw OP's username. ;)
 
Is the Boker Kwaiken actually DLC?

I think it's likely another coating as none of the websites selling black Kwaikens mention DLC and that's usually a selling point.
 
You could try coloring in the scratches with a black sharpie, it's not ideal but would hide it more.
 
Microtech and Protech use a dlc process that's unbeatable. All other coatings are sub par. I stay away from painted or coated blades unless it's done right. I have a Protech tr3 that flew into a friend of mine's knife, and it grabbed part of his knife and took it with it. With some CLP and time, any appearance of scratching was removed.
 
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