what is a satin finish?

D

drano

Joined
Jul 17, 2005
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i've never really payed attention before and and never really got around to asking...

what is a satin finish? and why do i find it used interchangably between BEAD BLASTED and STONEWASHED?
 
satin = fine sandpaper finish
Bead blast= same as it sounds just like stonewash.

Why do people mix them up, I dont know. The most common thing I see is satin called high polish. :mad:
 
so satin, bead blast and stonewash are actually 3 different finishes ?


its really fustrating cuz i really like the stonewashed finish and its hard to do any research with all this inconsistancy.

for a long time i passed up the Cuda EDC until i noticed that it had a stonewashed finish, but the descriptions always say "satin finish"
 
well the more you learn the less you know...

change of strategy!

anybody have any recomendations on some knives with stonewashed finishes ?
 
drano said:
well the more you learn the less you know...

change of strategy!

anybody have any recomendations on some knives with stonewashed finishes ?
Click to expand...

Chris Reeve Sebenza
 
drano said:
so satin, bead blast and stonewash are actually 3 different finishes ?


its really fustrating cuz i really like the stonewashed finish and its hard to do any research with all this inconsistancy.

for a long time i passed up the Cuda EDC until i noticed that it had a stonewashed finish, but the descriptions always say "satin finish"
Click to expand...

I thought stonewash was when you pulled the knife down a gravel road behind your pickup!
 
drano said:
very funny... here im talkin about my $25 cuda and you suggest i blow my months rent on wha? :grumpy: :p
Click to expand...

sorry but I couldn't resist. but I like design of cuda EDC not less then Sebenza.
 
Well, that's the problem, you don't see stonewashed finish on many production knives. In fact, other than the already-mentioned Sebenza and an oddball REKAT Carnivore I have, I can't think of another model that comes from the factory with a stonewashed blade.

As for the three finishes...
  • Satin: As mentioned, it's finished with an abrasive, leaving microscopic scratches in the steel, which might be linear (all in the same direction) or random; the same as a polished finish, only the process is stopped at medium-grit abrasives, whereas a mirror polish repeats with increasingly finer abrasives until the micro-scratches are invisible to the eye. A satin finish is a low-glare silver-color finish with a bit of shine to it; a good finish for a working knife, since small abrasions from use don't show.

  • Bead-Blasted: Often seen in mass-market tactical knives. The steel is blasted by abrasive particles under high pressure; particles may be tiny steel balls, or coarse sand, or glass or ceramic beads, hence the name. Leaves a very dull, non-reflective grey finish, although applying a bit of oil can bring up a low sheen. However, the rough finish tends to encourage corrosion or staining even in so-called "stainless" steels; again, oil or other protective finish can help. Another minus: the finish is rough, and if left on the tang of a blade, can make for a rough feel when opening and closing the blade, although the use of teflon washers can help.

  • Stonewashed: The steel is tumbled in a container filled with larger balls, made of steel, ceramic, or as the name suggests, stone. Leaves a mottled gray "peened" appearance, with a medium sheen; many people find the texture of the finish naturalistic and appealing. Unlike satin or blasted finishes, which can be done on an assembly line fairly quickly, I believe stonewashing takes some time, which may be why it's not common in mass-produced knives. One advantage: the "peening" tends to close the pores in the steel, which can enhance corrosion resistance.
 
drano said:
anybody have any recomendations on some knives with stonewashed finishes ?
Click to expand...

The Doug Ritter Benchmade Griptilian has a stone washed finish. A great knife and it's in my pocket right now!
 
There is a couple different "satin" finishes. There's the machine satin, which is most often vertical grind marks. Then there's hand satin (or hand rubbed), which is usually lengthwise. Sometimes you'll see a knife with machine satin bevels and handrubbed flats (very sexy IMO). Handrubbed blades are more common on custom, handmade knives, although you'll ocassionally see handrubbed (but done by a machine) on production knives. My Microtech Scarab has machine satin bevels and contrasting handrubbed flats.

Benchmade uses a stonewashed finish on a few of their knives, most notably the Griptilain series. Most of their knives have what they called a "tumbled" finish, which is basically a satin finish that is also very lightly stonewashed. I rather like the tumbled finish, as it has both the sexy appeal of a satin blade, plus a bit of "pre-scratching" to hide scratches from use.

As lukaszki said, Microtech uses stonewashing for quite a bit of their blades.
 
Funny you mention Benchmade's "tumbled" finish... now that I think of it, my TSEK 805 has a finish that looks like a cross between satin and stonewashed. Always wondered about that one...
 
Stonewashed doesn't apply to knives, but it does for jeans. That's where the term originated in the late 1970s. It's how you get the faded worn look on a new pair of jeans. The jeans are washed with stones. Don't think they really do that with knives. No need to use soap and water to fade (?) the steel. I think the term has just been borrowed to make the cheap bead blast finish seem cooler than it really is.
 
"I think the term has just been borrowed to make the cheap bead blast finish seem cooler than it really is."

I disagree, a "stone washed" blade finish is not the same as "bead-blasted" blade finish.
I don't know how they do it, but they are different.

Allen.
 
the blades/parts are tumbled in a large tumbler with ceramic abrasive media. Not sure what the size of the media they use in the tumbler is, but that's how it's done.
 
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