Question about surface finish on a blade ?

CRAIG1952

CRAIG1952

Well-Known Member
I am making a couple of Bowie knifes for my Daughter & Son-in-Law who are both in Law Enforcement. My Daughter is in S.W.A.T. . My Son-in-Law is on the Tactical side on another Department.
What I would like is a non shiny surface. I was wondering what surface you would suggest. A Bluing, Grit Blast or a Dura Coat finish. Any suggestion would be appreciated !
I am making these knife's out of 1095 and they are for Christmas.
 
Last edited:
I would suggest for 1095 to either blue it or dura coat the blade sand blasting 1095 only causes it to be more prone to rusting.
 
I'd say first of all I think you need to capitalize Christmas, swat is secondary:biggrin:

seriously, how bout a satin finish say with a cork or scotch belt??

good luck, keep pressing Christmas is coming soon :)
 
You could stick them in a jar of white vinegar overnight, rince them off, and clean with Windex. They will have a flat gray finish that they can touch up easily.

Doug
 
Battle Creek Knives said:
I'd say first of all I think you need to capitalize Christmas, swat is secondary:biggrin:

seriously, how bout a satin finish say with a cork or scotch belt??

good luck, keep pressing Christmas is coming soon :)
Click to expand...

wish I would have seen that mistake when I did the edit:shush: Thankfully, no one from my Church makes knifes:biggrin:
Thanks for catching that, Rob !
 
Doug Lester said:
You could stick them in a jar of white vinegar overnight, rince them off, and clean with Windex. They will have a flat gray finish that they can touch up easily.

Doug
Click to expand...

Doug, I have been doing some research since posting this afternoon. I have found several ways to put a Patina, some say stick the blade in a potato, use mustard, ketchup:what!:Never thought about doing this with these items. I alway seem to want to go the hard way and spend money !! I'll give your suggestion a try as I have lot of white vinegar:happy:
 
Sticking the blade in a jar of vinegar will be more likely to give you an even patina. Mustard, ketchup,
etc. are ways of applying vinegar in patterns for different effects (heat treat relish is just rumored sadism).

You can also play with things like applying a mustard pattern, then applying cold blue over the partly
dried mustard, wash everything off and repeat until you get what you like. Or soak a paper towel
in vinegar, wrap the blade in the (crumpled or smooth) towel and let sit for a while, etc.

It all depends on what you want, though I suspect your current plan is best with a plain, even
patina.

For the most durable blue you could try a hydrogen peroxide rust blue. I haven't done that
yet, but all it takes is hydrogen peroxide, a microwave, de-ionized (or distilled?) water
boiling in a pot that fits the blades, and a bit of old blue jeans. And time.
 
If you use cold blue on a blade, it won't take well at all. If you sand blast if first, then follow the cold blue instructions, it will turn it a black matte finish. Good rust protection and it lasts quite a while.
 
You could blast them with 80 grit AO and then coat with Duracoat clear. Makes a rust proof matt grey finish.
 
Thanks for all the replies! I got a lot of great suggestion. I'll have to mill it over in my mind, I'll make sure I post the pictures after completion.
 
If you are going for a more "Black Tactical" look, Id reccomend a light bead blast then Gun Coat, or blueing. Others have more experiance than I, but I really like the matt guncoat finish.

God Bless
Mike
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top