stonewashing finish requirements

daizee

daizee

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Dec 30, 2009
Messages
11,115
HI All,

I'm thinking about buying or building a stonewasher as I've had a finish request. My Lyman tumbler is too small for blades, but HF has a big one pretty cheap. The alternative is to do a home-built thing using a spare motor I've got.

I'll probably use ceramic media with some kind of detergent.

What's really the finish requirement for this finish to work? Do I really have to sand to 400 before stonewashing? I had hoped this would save work rather than add another step. Is that a faulty premise?

Any examples of various pre-finishes w/ particular media would be most welcome.

Thanks!

-Daizee
 
daizee said:
What's really the finish requirement for this finish to work? Do I really have to sand to 400 before stonewashing?
Click to expand...

Depends how long you tumble it. After 6 or 7 days, all the 60-grit scratches kinda blend together. :D

I don't really know... I've only done a few blades in a piece of PVC pipe in the dryer... not really the best way to go about it. I do know that you don't want to use detergent with a lot of citric acid in it :grumpy:

I'm interested to hear some thoughts from people who actually know what they're talking about.
 
Heh.
I'd like to avoid the dryer method for some reason.
I'm ok with hand-sanding to 180 to get everything nice and flat and even, but I'd prefer not to step up past that if stonewashing is on the schedule.

Noted: citric soap == bad.

james terrio said:
Depends how long you tumble it. After 6 or 7 days, all the 60-grit scratches kinda blend together. :D

I don't really know... I've only done a few blades in a piece of PVC pipe in the dryer... not really the best way to go about it. I do know that you don't want to use detergent with a lot of citric acid in it :grumpy:

I'm interested to hear some thoughts from people who actually know what they're talking about.
Click to expand...
 
Gatorade bottle harbor freight ceramic media wd-40 and shake it about 20 mins give pretty good results forme
 
I have a friend that is a small commercial ammunition reloader. He uses an electric cement mixer to tumble large quantities of brass shell casings.
Just putting that out there if anyone has large lots to tumble.
 
I use the harbor freight tumbler with ceramic media from McMaster Carr. A little tumbling soap, water, and silicon carbide grit mixed in. I am also trying the use of diferent liquids added with the water.

Every blade has been different but I would say that you should have the blade sanded to atleast 220. I have had good results with 220 on the flats and a trizact A45 finish on the bevels. You will see the grind marks at 120 and they don't look good because some scratches get washed out and others stand proud. The finer grit you go, the better tumbled finish you get.

You get different finishes depending on how much liquid is in the tumbler, how many blades you have tumbled in it and many other factors. It will take some experimenting on your part to figure out what works best for you but that is part of the fun. I never seem to get the same looking finish but it is always pretty nice looking.

You will also want to acid etch the blade to darken it a bit, allowing the tumbled finish to pop.

It will take a few cycles of this to achieve what you are after. Tumble, etch, tumble...
 
james terrio said:
Depends how long you tumble it. After 6 or 7 days, all the 60-grit scratches kinda blend together. :D

I don't really know... I've only done a few blades in a piece of PVC pipe in the dryer... not really the best way to go about it. I do know that you don't want to use detergent with a lot of citric acid in it :grumpy:

I'm interested to hear some thoughts from people who actually know what they're talking about.
Click to expand...

I wasn't allowed to use the dryer:( I just shook it for a good hour and a half.
 
jobasha11 said:
I wasn't allowed to use the dryer:( I just shook it for a good hour and a half.
Click to expand...

Think of the workout you got.

Shake%2Bweight%2Brealization_e9475e_1437941.gif
 
Er... Yeah, the last time I used the dryer, the container broke open and spilled all of the river rock, wd40 and gunk... Obviously the wife was NOT happy.

Shaken by hand from then on. Still get good results. Only problem that I haven't yet figured out is how to get into deep plunges.

Ferric chloride after 400 grit will yield good results as far as prep goes.

A question if I may?

Is the ceramic media from HF super hard on sharpened edges? The river rock beats em up pretty good. I tried glueing the plastic sleeve from a length of wire on the edge of the last knife I did. It worked but I'd be happier with media that got good results, yet didn't micro-chip the edge all to hell. :cool:
 
Strigamort said:
Er... Yeah, the last time I used the dryer, the container broke open and spilled all of the river rock, wd40 and gunk... Obviously the wife was NOT happy.

Shaken by hand from then on. Still get good results. Only problem that I haven't yet figured out is how to get into deep plunges.

Ferric chloride after 400 grit will yield good results as far as prep goes.

A question if I may?

Is the ceramic media from HF super hard on sharpened edges? The river rock beats em up pretty good. I tried glueing the plastic sleeve from a length of wire on the edge of the last knife I did. It worked but I'd be happier with media that got good results, yet didn't micro-chip the edge all to hell. :cool:
Click to expand...

You will definitely have to re sharpen the edge. Ceramic is pretty much the hardness of a rock. Plus the sharpened edge just looks good against the darker finish.
 
jobasha11 said:
I wasn't allowed to use the dryer:(.
Click to expand...
maybe you need to take a trip to the local coin op laundry :D. could you imagine the looks you would get if you stuck a big container full of knives in a dryer and let it run. i think i would wrap it up in some sheets in case the container comes apart.
 
I've had good luck using a two gallon paint bucket and ceramic media. Tossing it in the back of a truck for a few trips around town. Or using it in the dryer packed with several old blankets (when the wife isn't home). I found the larger container give the media more room to work if you want a more aggressive finish.
 
I use a really big vibratory tumbler, but I have seen a home-brew device somewhere.

It was a large PVC pipe. Capped at both ends but had a threadrod running through the middle from end to end. The whole deal was cradled in two notched 2x4's and turned by a relatively slow motor. Like the kind we use for assembling and evenly coating a fly rod...

I tried googling but my google-fu is lacking today.

-Eric
 
This is my process. I grind with blaze 60 grit, trizact 160, trizact 100, trizact 45, then medium scotchbrite belt. I soak in boiling vinegar or a quick acid etch then into the tumbler for 10-20 minutes for more texture or around an hour for a fine stone washed texture. I use the 20 lb harbor freight tumbler with ceramic media from McMaster Carr. This is a few pics of my results. Good luck.







 
night man said:
This is my process. I grind with blaze 60 grit, trizact 160, trizact 100, trizact 45, then medium scotchbrite belt. I soak in boiling vinegar or a quick acid etch then into the tumbler for 10-20 minutes for more texture or around an hour for a fine stone washed texture. I use the 20 lb harbor freight tumbler with ceramic media from McMaster Carr. This is a few pics of my results. Good luck.







Click to expand...
What media do you use from McMaster Carr? There’s three types and different sizes for each. I’m just wondering because yours looks relatively aggressive and I really like it. I’m also really new so help would be appreciated.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top