Stonewashed Finish

L

Laredian

Joined
May 27, 2013
Messages
199
Hello,

up until now I mostly did hand rubbed satin finishes on my blades. I wanted to try a stonewashed finish on a couple of blades that were meant to be heavier users.

I would like to achieve a fine stonewash finish. How do you do them? Etch and then tumble? What medium do you use if you want to get a fine stonewash?

Also did you build your tumbler yourself?

Best regards
 
When I did mine I tumbled (just a container with pebbles and some used brake fluid) for awhile and then etch and then tumbled once more.
 
I use a brass ammo tumbler with rounded river rocks from Hobby lobby or Walmart, sometimes I find them at dollar tree. Also Harbor freight has the triangular tumbling media but it seemed to gouge the blade too much??
If I want a finer looking stone wash I tumble with just a little wd40 on the rocks and let it go for 2-6 hours depending on what effect.
If you want a more drastic look Etch in ferric for a while then spray with wd40 and then tumble for 2 hours or so.
The ammo brass tumbler takes longer. I have used the dryer with rocks in a plastic jug also.
 
So you can basically get a decent stonewash by filling a piece of pvc pipe up with some small river rocks and then shaking it like a bartender? I can already see myself shaking up a nice knife-cocktail, lol.

In all seriousnes, I would be very interested in what your tumblers look like exactly. (Sidenote: I don't really have access to walmart, harbor freight, since I am from Europe). I was thinking about trying to make a DIY Tumbler, because I would like a setup where I can also tumble larger blades.

I would imagine you get different results when your chamber that holds your medium rotates as opposed to vibrating?

Also I wouldn't even know where to get that triangular ceramic tumbling medium where I'm from. But as you described it, it probably would not bring the results I am looking for at this moment.
 
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Using the correct media makes a big difference in the quality of the finish. We buy our media from C&M Topline:
https://cmtopline.com

You are correct, tumbling vs vibrating produces different finishes. The problem with using media that is not made for tumbling is the results are not consistent. Using rocks can result in uneven deep scratches and overly rounded edges rather than an even finish.

We usually contact them via e-mail and they have been responsive and helpful.

Chuck
 
Thank you for the link, the machines look very good. They are above my pricerange unfortunately.

Does anybody by any chance know a company that sells similar tumbling media in europe? Unfortunately ordering from the US can become quite expensive for me.

Alpha Knife Supply Alpha Knife Supply : thank you for sharing your knowledge. Can you elaborate what the differences are between rotating and vibrating in your experience?

I panned to take the blades to a 500grit satin after hardening, then etch the blades and then tumble. Is 500grit overkill for this process? Or should I even sand to 800grit like i usually do?
 
Chuck, do you tumble or vibrate? Wait. That sounded like a bit of a
Alpha Knife Supply said:
Using the correct media makes a big difference in the quality of the finish. We buy our media from C&M Topline:
https://cmtopline.com

You are correct, tumbling vs vibrating produces different finishes. The problem with using media that is not made for tumbling is the results are not consistent. Using rocks can result in uneven deep scratches and overly rounded edges rather than an even finish.

We usually contact them via e-mail and they have been responsive and helpful.

Chuck
Click to expand...
personal question didn't it? :eek::D
 
We have multiple tumbling and vibrating machines. The material being processed and the desired finish determines the media used. For example, heat treated steel requires different media than brass fittings. Stone wash uses different media than polishing.

After testing different media, you get a feel for what works (and what not to use). I would start by e-mailing C&M and get their opinion. Then you can research media vendors in your area. If you have a machine shop in your area you can ask them where they buy their media.

Chuck
 
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