Wanting to give my Knives a Fallout 3 look

[ShepardCC]

I want to do all different things to accomplish this. Acid and stone washing is one. However I want to make the screws and standoff in a burnt bronze look. Does anyone know how to accomplish this?

Pictures?

 

[bpeezer]

What material are the standoffs? The easiest case would be if the standoffs were titanium or aluminum, then you could have them anodized. You can actually buy bronze machine screws to replace the ones currently in the knife.

 

[ShepardCC]

I wanted to do it to my Zero Tolerance 0560

 

[bpeezer]

You could have the whole lock side anodized too, I'm not sure about the standoff material for the ZT 0560

 

[eKretz]

If they are steel they can be heat colored bronze also. It will require a controlled heat source like an oven or hot plate (more difficult to get even coloring with a hot plate) though, you won't be able to do it with a torch. Steel oxidizes with elevated temperatures and will begin to turn colors at around 400F. Starts with yellow, then bronze, then brown, blue, purple, black, IIRC. The colors will look a lot nicer if the parts are polished before coloring.

 

[ShepardCC]

If they are steel they can be heat colored bronze also. It will require a controlled heat source like an oven or hot plate (more difficult to get even coloring with a hot plate) though, you won't be able to do it with a torch. Steel oxidizes with elevated temperatures and will begin to turn colors at around 400F. Starts with yellow, then bronze, then brown, blue, purple, black, IIRC. The colors will look a lot nicer if the parts are polished before coloring.

Really? Thank you I may have to try this if the titanium ones I ordered don't fit.

 

[eKretz]

Yep, in fact my Benchmade Gold class Mini-Presidio has hardware colored this way:

 

[ShepardCC]

Nice! I like that a lot

 

[Omega Leather Works]

I did my Contego clip with heat. I wasn't going for any specific color though. I wanted multi color, so I stopped at this.

Took just a minute over the stove.

 

[ShepardCC]

That looks great. How did you do that? Oven? Heat gun? How did you prep the clip?

 

[G. Scott H.]

I hadn't considered giving anything the "Fallout 3" look, but it's a cool idea (one of the best games EVER, imho :thumbup. Post pics when you finish. :thumbup:

Speaking of F3 and knives, I haven't played in a while, but it used to drive me nuts that the kitchen knife appeared full flat ground with a sort of pipe back spine to the naked eye, but somehow took on a saber grind when viewed in sneak mode with the Chinese stealth armor. :grumpy: Oops. Guess my combo of knife and video game nerdiness is showing.

 

[PigmonkeY]

I don't want to sound like "that guy" but it's just a "fallout" look. Fallout's aesthetic has been around for quite a few (and very arguably better) iterations before Fallout 3.

Anyways, anything that's not a cutting edge that is steel you can heat bronze with a blowtorch. as the blade goes i think you'll need some kind of acid bath and stone wash. You can also heat anodize titanium without damaging the integrity of the metal, but it's not as solid looking as doing it electrically.

 

[ShepardCC]

I love Fallout 3. One of the best RPGs ever IMHO. I played it twice. Over 600 hrs. Love it!


What heat temp did you use? How did you prep it? Remove the finish? Sand? Polish?

 

[parbajtor]

I don't know if it works with brass, but you can effectively chemically copper plate steel by putting copper in your Ferric before etching the steel. It should (theoretically) also work with brass.

Edit: Copper plated blade by etching in ferric.

 

[Omega Leather Works]

I don't know if it works with brass, but you can effectively chemically copper plate steel by putting copper in your Ferric before etching the steel. It should (theoretically) also work with brass.

Edit: Copper plated blade by etching in ferric.

Oh now that is cool! What form of copper? Powder or...? Also, where do you get it, what ratio etc...?

I did the Contego clip about two inches from a high flame on the stove. Some people do different things, wrap the item in foil, prep the surface etc... I just cleaned it, and held it there with my multitool pliers. Try to hold it to where the flame (heat) reaches the part evenly (symmetrically, if that makes sense) if you're going for an even color changing finish.

The only downside is that the finish is no more durable than the stock polished finish, and shows wear a bit more.

Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions.

 

[eKretz]

The finish will hold up pretty well if you either clear-coat it or use a crystal clear epoxy and coat it.

 

[ShepardCC]

Well last night I made some scales for my 560 & 561 for the first time!
Here is the work. I think the green will be the fallout version

All done by hand.

 

[G. Scott H.]

Damn, man! That's some fine work. :thumbup:

 

[ShepardCC]

Progress on my fallout version!! I learned how to bronze steel

I bronzed a few screws, the lbs, and I acid washed the clip then I bronzed the clip then I stonewashed the clip. First stonewash I've done.

I love how you can just barely see the logo like in the fallout 3 game.

Next is a new another new scale, I'm going to bronze the standoffs, and I'm sending out the titanium to be anodized a deep dark bronze

Please share your thoughts

 

[Swoop03]

There is a youtube knife maker, tuffthumbs, he does really nice steam punk customs and fallout looks. I was thinking that's where you got the idea? You can send him your knife and he will make it look like it survived a nuclear blast and then was carried by a ferral child for 10 years before being lost then found again only to find its home in a factory as a work knife.

That may have been exaggerated a little but he does do really nice work.

I also really like what you have done to the clip, lbs and screws. It looks very nice. Interesting pattern on the scales too but excellent work on them. Though I always thought that the multi colored materials like that were ugly, like knee high striped socks with shorts on. Just doesn't appeal to me at all.