copper coloration?

[JediKnight86]

I have a UK Penknife and the thumbridges and iside of the backspacer have turned a copper color...why? :confused:

[The Deacon]

Most, if not all, Golden made Spydercos show that coloration right out of the box. Some of the Seki built models exhibit it as well. It occurs in the spots you named, inside the thumb hole, and sometimes on in the choil as well. Seems to be an artifact of the laser cutting process. It is not rust, or anything else harmful.

[JD Spydo]

I have just noticed the "copper color" effect is apparent in the Jimping on the back of my Yojimbo. I have also noticed it on a couple of new Spyderco fixed blade models as well i.e. the Temperance and Ronin :spyder:

[VultureParade]

I've also had it appear on clip screws.

Two out of the three Para's I've had have shown this discoloration on the clip screws.

It doesn't seem to harm the knife in any way.

-Bryan

[Axlis]

Yeah, a couple of my spydies have it inside the hole, both Goldenand Seki made.

[hrdwrguy]

I think that all of my S30v Spydercos have that copper like color on the blade in non-polished areas. I think that it must be some patina from manufacturing that lingers in parts of the blade that don't get polished, perhaps from a cleaning bath or laser cutting like Deacon mentioned. On my Para it was very dark on the lock tang but with use it has been polished off the areas that the lock touches. On my Lil'Temp, which gets more shelf time, it is still there. Does any one have a non S30v knife with this?
On a side note the screws have some sort of multipart paint job (iirc they are plated or oxidized before getting paint) and that is what you see as the paint wears off.
Mike

[Vincent]

Like other havs said its normal, Not the best looking thing but its what it is.

[JD Spydo]

Hey "Hardwareguy" you raise an interesting point. You touched on polishing. I have noticed and I don't know how many of you have but S30V doesn't seem to polish as well as VG-10 or ATS-55 or many other steels as far as that goes. Another thing and it probably doesn't apply to what we are discussing is copper itself. Copper is used as an alloying agent for quite a few steel alloys.

But I agree this aberation we are seeing is something unusual in the manufacturing process. Come to think of it I have never seen that in any other brand of manufactured knife other than Spyderco. I do wonder why S30V doesn't polish to a high luster like other steels do. Most of the knives for instance that Benchmade makes with S30V they usually coat the blade black. I wonder why? :confused: :spyder: