Blueing on SS handles and blades

[uhiforgot]

For the past hour I've been toying with the idea of getting a SS Spydie and using blueing as would be used on rifle barrels and pistols to blacken the whole thing, blade and all. A search of the forums here has turned up little more than an honorable mention and somewhat confusing accounts of its use in this situation. Blueing a clip is one thing; blueing the entire knife is another!

I'd like to know if it can be done, and will it work well?

-Jeff

[smcfalls13]

As I understand, it's very difficult to blue a stainless steel, compared to carbon steels. That may be why. It also could be because the blueing has to be applied at high heat(which would ruin the temper).

I'm not sure, one or both of those statements may be inaccurate, but I recall reading both somewhere.

[yablanowitz]

I doubt that cold blue will work on stainless steel (the stuff you can buy to touch up the finish on blued guns). I'm not even sure that the chemicals used in hot blueing will work on stainless, although they may ruin PB washers, and I am fairly sure the temps involved would ruin poly washers, if present. But, hey, it's your knife. At best you'll have a one of a kind Spydie, at worst, you'll have a pretty cool paperweight :D

[Joshua J.]

The only thing I can think of is toilet bowl cleaner. I tried sanitizing an AUS-8 blade with that stuff and it left some dark patches. If you got your timing right you could probably get a blue tinge. Make sure to practice before trying this on your nice knives.

[smcfalls13]

The only thing I can think of is toilet bowl cleaner. I tried sanitizing an AUS-8 blade with that stuff and it left some dark patches. If you got your timing right you could probably get a blue tinge. Make sure to practice before trying this on your nice knives.

ROTFLMAO... :D

That's funny stuff. :cool:

[uhiforgot]

Oooooooooh...

STAINLESS steel, I get it... Hopefully my last moment of "duh" for the day. :o

Ok, so how about anodizing? Expensive: yes. But that's about all I've heard of it. Does it heat and change the tempering of a blade? ....um, basically, any negative side effects besides that of an empty wallet?

-Jeff

[zenheretic]

I know for a fact that cold blue will make a Byrd knife grey steel colored instead of shiny colored. Looks like crap but not shiny....

[ghostrider]

uhiforgot,

Give me some time. Dodge gave me a link to a company that sells bluing for stainless steel. I never followed through on it because my interests changed. However, the info is in the lanyard thread which means I have to go searching for it.

[The Deacon]

Soon after S&W first started introducing stainless steel handguns to their line-up some forty odd years back they developed a process they called "polara bluing". IIRC, it is a form of anodizing, so it would probably work on stainless knife handles as well. FWIW, don't think the temperatures involved in hot bluing would bother the temper of knife steel, as it is done a around 180ºf, but as has been pointed out, it does not work very well on stainless.

[ghostrider]

Here you go.

This is a link that Dodge gave me for the bluing for stainless steel:
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/black.htm#stainless

I believe he used it to blue one of the clips for a Delica. Here's the post. (post #99):
http://spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?p=160358#post160358

[uhiforgot]

I like this.... I like it a lot! I'm gonna get some when I get back from camping. Thank you so much for the link!!!!!

I'll be sure to post pictures of the aftermath!

-Jeff

[ghostrider]

Please do, and also let us know how well it holds up over time/use.

BTW: your welcome. :)

[Cameron23]

You could always coat it with DuraCoat...I'm thinking file some jimping around the edges of the handle and then apply whatever color you what.

Just don't coat it camo and lose it in the grass like this guys AR-15. :D

http://www.montanareds.com/FFLStuff/FFL/pictures/Duracoat/RRAEOP/P1010018.jpg

C :spyder: