Thoughts on Stripping 10" SR101 Blade , Is it worth the effort ?

Azula Gun Holsters

Azula Gun Holsters

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Have a D Guard Battle Mistress and do not care for the hammered silver finish. How difficult would it be to maintain the SR101 stripped ? would it be worth the effort or would the corrosion be more trouble than it's worth ? what are the options to maintain the SR101 ? or would you just leave it alone ?

Would bead blast it if stripped. Found some info from 2007 but wondered what the currents thoughts are.

Had planned to move it along but it's actually quite comfortable in the hand and the D guard could really protect the hand when doing some heavy chopping in tight places.

Thanks
 
If you needed it out in the field it would be prone to red rust unless you developed a patina, even then there would be corrosion.

In storage or at home, if you coated it with renwax it would be fine. Mineral oil may work temporarily, depending on your environment.

I do not think the rust would break the blade but it would develop on the surface quite quickly.

I would rate it as less corrosion-prone than 5160 or cast iron...but more so than 1095, 01, A2.
 
I asked the same question a while ago as to whether the performance and look of a stripped blade would outweigh the loss of corrosion resistance.
My opinion is that as incredible the edge retention and toughness of SR101 is, you are better served by leaving the coating on.
 
no different than maintaining 52100, 5160. It requires you to keep a layer of some wax or oil on it. The knife will patina quickly. and that looks cool
 
Not worth it IMO. I've done it. Just makes it harder to maintain...

Stripped INFI on the other hand.... totally worth it.

Just my 2 cents. :D

.
 
Stripped the coating off my Rat Mastiff a long time ago and have been happy with it ever since.

Same with every SR101 blade I have either taken the coating off of or got it already satin.

So much better without that paint.
 
I stripped my Double Talon Mistress and did a forced patina on it.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1412638-Mustard-on-the-Double-Talon
Haven't been getting any rust, it's just turning a darker shade of gray. That being said, it seems that when the lights go out in the shop, the grinder gremlin likes to dance on SR101 when nobody is looking. It took me a couple hours of sanding to get their tracks off of my blade.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1407917-Gettin-rid-of-the-squiggles
 
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clampdaddy said:
I stripped my Double Talon Mistress and did a forced patina on it. Haven't been getting any rust, it's just turning a darker shade of gray. That being said, it seems that when the lights go out in the shop, the grinder gremlin likes to dance on SR101 when nobody is looking. It took me a couple hours of sanding to get their tracks off of my blade.
Click to expand...

Thanks. How do you do a forced patina ?
 
Azula Gun Holsters said:
Thanks. How do you do a forced patina ?
Click to expand...
I just tossed it in a pan and kept wiping it down with a paper towel that was soaked in vinegar until I got the color I wanted. Then I squirted some mustard on it to give it a tiger stripe look. I went back and added links to some of the posts I made while I was messing around with it.
 
I forgot about this one. Honestly, that is one nice looking blade in the manner that you did it. Really changes the looks of a blade when the coating is off. To be honest I have always preferred raw steel. We had to have coated or blackened blades for tactical reasons in the military. If I recall properly we used to get them all blasted pretty well and even though it would be raw steel there was very little glint so it was deemed acceptable. I went ahead and blued all my blades, even the folders. I really like the looks of that.

clampdaddy said:
I stripped my Double Talon Mistress and did a forced patina on it.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1412638-Mustard-on-the-Double-Talon
Haven't been getting any rust, it's just turning a darker shade of gray. That being said, it seems that when the lights go out in the shop, the grinder gremlin likes to dance on SR101 when nobody is looking. It took me a couple hours of sanding to get their tracks off of my blade.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1407917-Gettin-rid-of-the-squiggles
Click to expand...
 
Hammered silver is new & fairly rare, perhaps offer to trade it to someone who would appreciate using one of the toughest coatings available along with moss green. Keep in mind that left to its own devices, stripped sr101 tends to wind up looking similar to hammered silver anyway. ;)
 
The whole thing about SR-101 being prone to rusting has been overblown here out of proportion by some individuals more concerned with resale value of the knives rather than what they can and cannot do.

Yes, it will rust if left wet/dirty and unattended, but if you keep the blade clean after using, get a patina on (forced with acidic substances, bleach; natural by cutting fruit, vegetables, meat), you really won't have to worry too much about it.
 
elof_alv said:
The whole thing about SR-101 being prone to rusting has been overblown here out of proportion by some individuals more concerned with resale value of the knives rather than what they can and cannot do.

Yes, it will rust if left wet/dirty and unattended, but if you keep the blade clean after using, get a patina on (forced with acidic substances, bleach; natural by cutting fruit, vegetables, meat), you really won't have to worry too much about it.
Click to expand...

Exactly. It's no more difficult to maintain than any carbon steel.

However, OP, if you do bead blast it like you said you intended to in your first post, that's a whole different story.

Don't do that. Bead blasted carbon steel rusts like crazy. All the little holes made by the beads trap moisture and it causes rust. It would look like sh!t in no time. Even bead blasted stainless rusts.

If you strip it, just wash it with dish soap after use and throw any oil on it you have handy. Easy peasy. It ain't rocket science, and this is supposed to be FUN!
 
I've had zero issues with my RMD LE or on my DTBM where I stripped the flats on my way to thinning the primary. I don't even bother oiling them anymore at home since our indoor humidity is typically low.

It will stain quickly, but that routinely gets stripped off again with use. If you're going to be in a very wet environment for a long time or leave it out in the rain, you'll get some rust for sure, but even then it should just be in the surface and easy to clean up again.
 
Since the Hammered Silver was not a choice when ordering the blade, perhaps someone would do a 1-For-1 (or even pay you a small convenience fee) swap with you on the Exchange, and you could strip a black/muddy/sage blade.

It seems a shame to strip a "limited" finish blade.
 
Absolutely ZERO issues here.

I maintain with a good protectant and haven't ever noticed any spots or otherwise of rust.

Elof tells you the truth!
elof_alv said:
The whole thing about SR-101 being prone to rusting has been overblown here out of proportion by some individuals more concerned with resale value of the knives rather than what they can and cannot do.

Yes, it will rust if left wet/dirty and unattended, but if you keep the blade clean after using, get a patina on (forced with acidic substances, bleach; natural by cutting fruit, vegetables, meat), you really won't have to worry too much about it.
Click to expand...


Regards,
Dicko.
 
AntDog said:
Exactly. It's no more difficult to maintain than any carbon steel.

However, OP, if you do bead blast it like you said you intended to in your first post, that's a whole different story.

Don't do that. Bead blasted carbon steel rusts like crazy. All the little holes made by the beads trap moisture and it causes rust. It would look like sh!t in no time. Even bead blasted stainless rusts.

If you strip it, just wash it with dish soap after use and throw any oil on it you have handy. Easy peasy. It ain't rocket science, and this is supposed to be FUN!
Click to expand...

Good to know, thank you
 
As far as forced patina goes, I had good results using coffee. My 52100 Millie turned out really nice.
Of course, it would take a lot of coffee for these Busse's.
 
I agree that Blasted Steel is more likely to rust, happened to my 1095 BK2 few times.
The good thing though, if you have a Blaster handy, that if it does ever rust, you just blast
It again lol
 
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