What about Electroplating?

[armilite]

When I first joined this forum I saw a thread about electroplating, or at least I thought it was electroplating.
In the thread someone was using I think Titanium and an electric current. The blade turned a beautiful light blue. I also think a blue soda can was used in some manner.

I did a search for this process and came up empty handed. Am I jogging anybodies memory?

Anyone have any Idea how you may go about doing this to a knife blade. Also I don't want the handle to turn color to. The knife I plan on buying I don't believe I can disassemble.

Thanks for viewing my thread,
armilite

 

[Bill DeShivs]

That's not electroplating, it's a surface treatment called anodizing.
Bill

 

[65535]

Two ways to anodize titanium, electric and heat. I have done some heat on my M16-13T folder. For the electric anodizing you have titanium in a bath of pepsi (electrolyte) and you hook up a variable dc source to the piece and to a sacrificial anode (cathode?) and 0-100 vdc produces different colors. Here is my flame (heat) anodized m16

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Heat coloring is not anodizing. Anodizing requires the use of current, anode, and cathode.
Bill

 

[knarfeng]

Titanium is anodized. The color comes from interference patterns developed by the reflection and refraction of light. See here for details:
http://mrtitanium.com/interference.html

Bill is correct. The term "anodizing" requires an electric current and an "Annode". 65535 does have a point, though. You can get the same effect with the application of heat to the titanium. You develop an oxide layer on the titanium that causes interference patterns that show as color.

But I believe your basic question was "can I color the blade of my knife?"

Steel can be oxidized but not anodized. It is possible to coat a blade with a Titanium oxide coating like Kershaw does to the Rainbow Chive, but it requires a vacuum chamber. Not your average DIY project.

The only coloration processes for steel that might fall into the DIY category would be Paint, Black Oxide, Cold blueing.

 

[Grove]

You might check out http://robarguns.com ... they do some interesting things with coatings. I don't know if they do knives, but if they do firearms, I don't see why not. They have a electrolosis nickel that is kind of a satin grey color and they can blacken stainles steel chemically as well as some other types of coatings.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

I do electroless nickel on aluminum, steel, and base metals. I also do other plating work.
Any nickel plating finish is reliant on the surface texture of the metal being plated. If the metal is satin or sandblasted the plating will be dull. If the metal is shiny, the plating will be shiny.
Bill
www.billdeshivs.com

 

[65535]

I'm pretty sure that heating titanium does produce an TiO coating

"wikipedia" "This metal forms a passive and protective oxide coating (leading to increased corrosion-resistance) when exposed to elevated temperatures in air, but at room temperatures it resists tarnishing"

Not the best source, but everything I know of titanium refractory anodization, leads me to believe that the oxidation of steel and titanium as well as other similar metals is caused by an oxide layer acting as a prism as light hits the titanium the reflected light is tinted.

But about the knife, you can't anodize steel and heat coloring it will ruin the temper and heat treat.

http://www.richterprecision.com/decorative_PVD_coating.htm does the PVD coatings, as well as other coatings on metals.