Recommendation? We knives Bead Blast

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Dadex

Joined
May 1, 2021
Messages
143
Hello everybody,
Few days ago i preordered a knife from WE and today i realised that it has a bead blasted blade. Ive been reading some threads where most people say that this type of finishing makes the blade prone to rust. Some people mentioned that it depends if it is a real bead blast or a sand blast.
Do you know how good or bad this finishing is in general and from We knives in particular?
Thank you
 
I can't speak to WE's bead blasting, as I don't own one.

Bead blasting in general does create a rougher pattern on the blade, full of tiny craters and depressions where rust loves to take a foothold in. That being said, any carbon steel knife should be wiped down after use - bead blasted or not.

You could also look at it the other way, however - a bead blasted finish allows oil to remain on the blade longer in all the tiny depressions, so it may actually help to PREVENT rust once wiped down with lube.
 
shane45-1911 said:
No puedo hablar con la voladura de cuentas de WE, ya que no tengo una.

El granallado en general crea un patrón más áspero en la hoja, lleno de pequeños cráteres y depresiones donde el óxido adora afianzarse. Dicho esto, cualquier cuchillo de acero al carbono debe limpiarse después de su uso, ya sea con granallado o no.

Sin embargo, también podría verlo de otra manera: un acabado granallado permite que el aceite permanezca en la hoja por más tiempo en todas las pequeñas depresiones, por lo que en realidad puede ayudar a EVITAR la oxidación una vez que se limpia con lubricante.
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Didnt know that. I treat my knives carefully and always clean them after use but never used lube on them so i think ill have to get used to it. The rust spots that might appear on the blade can be cleaned or repaired?
 
Dadex said:
The rust spots that might appear on the blade can be cleaned or repaired?
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You could try to remove any rust on a bead blasted finish with a toothbrush and solvent or oil. If you try to use any kind of polish or sanding etc, you will end up polishing the blade and remove the bead blast finish or make it blotchy.
 
OrangeBlueOrangeBlue said:
It's inherent to all bead-blast finishes, but WE usually sticks to very stainless alloys (S35VN and M390). It's more of an issue for something like D2, where it's borderline stainless, so the finish can play a big role in how it works IRL. For high-end stainless, the blade finish is less of a factor.
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Absolutely. I did mention in my first post that this pertains to higher carbon blades, but you bring up a valid point regarding the types of steel that WE uses. :)
 
OrangeBlueOrangeBlue said:
It's inherent to all bead-blast finishes, but WE usually sticks to very stainless alloys (S35VN and M390). It's more of an issue for something like D2, where it's borderline stainless, so the finish can play a big role in how it works IRL. For high-end stainless, the blade finish is less of a factor.
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It’s a cpm 20cv blade
 
Dadex said:
Hello everybody,
Few days ago i preordered a knife from WE and today i realised that it has a bead blasted blade. Ive been reading some threads where most people say that this type of finishing makes the blade prone to rust. Some people mentioned that it depends if it is a real bead blast or a sand blast.
Do you know how good or bad this finishing is in general and from We knives in particular?
Thank you
Click to expand...
Happily, WE only uses modern powder stainless steels on their WE branded knives, and while even a smooth bead blast will increase susceptibility to corrosion, a smooth bead blast on M390/20CV or S35VN isn't going to doom your blade to rusting during a light drizzle. It's not a total non-issue, but on the steels WE uses and with their typically great touch at finishes, it's totally not the issue it can be on other knives made of less corrosion resistant steels and with a crappier/more rough blast
 
Some pretty interesting information here.

20cv is definitely a nice stainless, but I get small rust spots on satin 20cv here along the coast despite not using it with anything wet and regularly applying Tuf Glide. It is nothing close to "never going to rust" level, depending what you do with it and where you live.

Blasting == a rougher surface with more area == worse corrosion resistance. The smoother the surface, the better it will be with corrosion. Yes, a rougher blast like with sand will be worse with corrosion than a smoother one like larger beads.
 
Dadex said:
And if needed, is it a good option to change the blade finishing?
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Just wipe your blade down with a light coat of lubricant once in a while (and after use) and I am almost positive you will have nothing to worry about.

CPM20CV is very stainless, in my experiences.

Yes, the blade could be re-finished/polished to remove the bead blast if you really need to.
 
tokerblue said:
I think you're putting way too much thought into this. It's a tool, not a museum piece. Wipe it down if it's wet and expending that much worry on a steel like 20CV.
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Its a tool but there are tools that last a month and tools that last a life. I prefer the second ones by a far margin.
 
Bead blasted is popular in the military world as its one of the few finishes that doesn't wear off, additionally it doesn't shift in the light, gleam or sparkle in the sun so it won't give off your position
But as a trade off, bead blasted finish is micro damage to the surface of the metal, and steels in this finish have been made to rust if conditions are met, even if it's CPM-S35VN or other

If I'm wrong please correct me
 
Dadex said:
Its a tool but there are tools that last a month and tools that last a life. I prefer the second ones by a far margin.
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Bead blasted 20CV isn't going to break in a month.

I use my knives while hunting to process birds, including sea duck hunts on the ocean. A lot of my gear gets wet and blasted with sand. I also fish a lot and use any knife I have on me to filet. I've never had a problem with my M390 knives being exposed to salt water for several hours.
 
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Just as there are different types of stone wash, there are different types of bead blast. In any case, it increases surface area and that can promote corrosion. In some cases, the shape of the surface might involve nooks and crannies that could work to retain moisture or various residues.

From what I recall, that was part of the problem for the infamous bead blast on Kershaw knives that promoted rust with 13C26 and 8Cr13Mov. Of course, those steels are among the less resistant stainless steels in the first place. Going down to a semi-stainless like D2, I really don't like to see this kind of finish.

As far as I can tell, the WE bead blast is a little finer and they are also using 20CV in most of their knives. That is a very stainless steel. There are only a few better, like S110V or MagnaCut, before going all the way to a rust-proof steel like LC200N or Vanax. I can totally neglect 20CV without a care in the world, even with a bead-blasted finish. Your own situation may be different and a lot depends on your environment.
 
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