What's the purpose of the coating?

B

BladeLugger

Joined
May 17, 2006
Messages
87
Got my Battle Rat in and immediately had to start chopping things down (already dead of course)....

So I noticed that it was fairly easy to scrape away the black coating. All that really matters to me is how good the edge kept (which was great btw), but it just makes me wonder what the purpose is if it can come off so easily?
 
I have found it to be quite durable compared to many other coatings. AFAIK, the main purpose is corrosion resistance. Even if there ends up being bare spots at the tip and the sweetspot, the rest of the blade remains maintenance free. Bare SR101 will rust, although not as bad as most other carbon steels. I would prefer having some coating stripped off through use to having to carefully maintain the entire blade.

Another reason for the coating is to keep prices down-it takes a lot more time and effort to make a Satin finished blade, and they cost a lot more as a result.
 
Hi BL,

The coating is there for corrosion resistance. Since SR101 is a high carbon steel it tends to collect rust spots if not cared for.

Through use, the malleability of the coating becomes an advantage. This allows the coating to smooth out instead of flaking off like many harder coatings. Once it smooths out, it takes quite a bit of use for the coating to wear down and expose the steel.

Hope this answers your questions. CongRATs on getting a Battle Rat! :D
 
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