Stonewashing question

Anarchy84

Anarchy84

Joined
Jul 3, 2016
Messages
782
Greetings!

I have a spare Sebenza pocket clip that I'm going to DIY stonewash. I'm wondering if I should sand the finish down to remove the bead blasting first, or if I can just stonewash it as is.

Anyone have experience with this?

Thanks!
 
Never done it but I think you would want to remove the bead blast first. To me the scratches from the stone wash are finer in nature. Guess you could just try it as is and see what happens and if its not the effect you want then sand and rewash.
 
Driften said:
Never done it but I think you would want to remove the bead blast first. To me the scratches from the stone wash are finer in nature. Guess you could just try it as is and see what happens and if its not the effect you want then sand and rewash.
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Good point. I can always try it and redo it if the results aren't great.
 
Rick Hinderer calls that a "working finish". They bead blast the blade and then stone wash it for a matte version of a stone wash. Not sure how that would turn out on titanium, but here's how it looks on the CPM S35VN of the FieldTac 5.5:

27288945655_c52884bdeb_b.jpg


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Wavicle said:
Rick Hinderer calls that a "working finish". They bead blast the blade and then stone wash it for a matte version of a stone wash. Not sure how that would turn out on titanium, but here's how it looks on the CPM S35VN of the FieldTac 5.5
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The Sebenza handles in the linked thread above turned out a little too grey for my purpose. Trying to stone wash a Sevenza clip to match the Ti-lock's finish. I think if I sand the gray off the clip and then stonewash it it'll be closer than the stonewashed bead blast.
 
I'd tumble it over the blast job. Been there done that. Don't sand away material unless you don't like the result. You can also. Sand. Oxidize and then tumble for a darker or bronze bronze finish depending on time.
 
Good point. Thanks. I'll give it a shot with the finish on first and sand afterward if I'm not happy with it. Nothing to lose but time.
 
I went ahead and stonewashed it with the finish on first. Didn't like the results - too much gray left in the finish. Sanded the clip down with a 320 grit sand sponge and then stonewashed it again. Insanely happy and impressed with the results. Matches the finish almost perfectly. Check it out.

DIY stonewashed Sebenza clip on a Ti-Lock:



 
Nicely done! Looks so much better with a Sebbie clip, I imagine it's better in hand than the original.
 
Nice job! Looks great.

Jimbo the stock clip is non existent in the grip and no doubt more comfy with zero hot spots. I have tried both. But some prefer a standard clip for looks and clipping action.
 
How did you stonewash it? Do you have an abrasive media tumbler or did you use the gatorade bottle in the dryer trick?
 
Jimbo75 said:
Nicely done! Looks so much better with a Sebbie clip, I imagine it's better in hand than the original.
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The original clip wasn't too bad in hand, but a four-finger grip was kind of uncomfortable due to the way my pinky rested on the top of the clip. Not a hot spot, per se, but annoying with large hands. I find the new clip much more comfortable for a four finger grip. All other grips the difference is negligible.

I really disliked the operation of the original clip, though. Having to pinch and align the clip with my pocket was inconvenient. I could have gotten used to it, but the Sebenza clip is just so damn good. Not a fan of the look of the Hawk clip, either. This fits the knife much better IMO.
 
Ianmorrow21 said:
How did you stonewash it? Do you have an abrasive media tumbler or did you use the gatorade bottle in the dryer trick?
Click to expand...

It was actually shockingly easy. I bought some polished River Pebbles from Home Depot ($4.50) and used an empty peanut butter jar. I picked out 10 small, smooth, white rocks, put them in the jar with the clip, sprayed some WD-40 in there, wrapped it in a towel and secured it with some duct tape, then put it in the dryer on 'No Heat' for ten minutes. That's it.

If you're looking to match the Ti-Lock finish I highly recommend sanding down the clip before stone washing. My 320 grit sand sponge worked perfectly, took off very little material and left it very smooth.

Here are the pebbles I used:

 
Thanks for the info! Have you ever tried this with steel or aluminum parts?

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
 
Anarchy84 said:
I went ahead and stonewashed it with the finish on first. Didn't like the results - too much gray left in the finish. Sanded the clip down with a 320 grit sand sponge and then stonewashed it again. Insanely happy and impressed with the results. Matches the finish almost perfectly. Check it out.
Click to expand...

Good job it looks great!
 
Ianmorrow21 said:
Thanks for the info! Have you ever tried this with steel or aluminum parts?

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I have not, but I believe it would work just as well. It seems like a pretty gentle process when you use a few small smooth stones in a small container. Larger or more jagged stoned in a larger container would probably produce much rougher results. At least that is my assumption.
 
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