Recommendation? zirconium

Joseph Bandeko

Joseph Bandeko

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Dec 9, 2021
Messages
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Hello all. I will be making a hidden tang chef’s knife soon and was thinking about trying zirconium for the guard, I would want to do a mirror polish and heat it to get a black finish. so I wondering if y’all know where I could get a piece of zirc small enough to do two or three guards (all I can seem to find are big pieces that are $$$)
or if you have any suggestions for some metal that would give me that shiny black look (I thought about using steel and do a cold blued finish but feel like that might wear off to easily)

Regards Joseph.
 
Im not familiar with how zirc works but you could try to do a black mirror finish on steel like Kyle Royer does, he has some videos on youtube describing it but it is fairly intense
 
Skiller1nc said:
Im not familiar with how zirc works but you could try to do a black mirror finish on steel like Kyle Royer does, he has some videos on youtube describing it but it is fairly intense
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I've thought about that but don't really want to mess with that right now.


Daniel Carraher said:
What’s your definition of small?
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about 3/8" x 1" x 3/4" for one guard, and enough to do two or three.
 
Best bet would be round stock. 1” x 5.75” is available or you can buy 1.5” round stock by the inch. A couple inches would be plenty. Check amxinc website
 
I think if I try it I’ll get the 1.5” round and forge it down to help prevent waste (if I do I’ll let you guys know how it turns out, it will probably be a couple months before I’m done though)
I remember seeing this video on forging it so I’m not to worried about that part.

thank you for your help.

Regards Joseph.
 
Alpha Knife Supply said:
We forge zirconium every week. Forge oversize the machine/grind to size. The forge scale and oxide is challenging to remove.

Chuck
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Thanks for the tip! Do you guys happen to have little cutoffs/waste about the size mentioned before, that I could buy from you?

Regards Joseph.
 
We used to sell zirconium bars for guards but they did not sell so we stopped stocking them. All we sell now is sheet.

One tip for finishing is to heat color multiple times. Finish to a 1,000 grit or higher. Heat the piece and let it cool, then buff and heat color again. Repeat this process multiple times to get a hard shiny finish that is almost scratch proof.

Chuck
 
Alpha Knife Supply said:
We used to sell zirconium bars for guards but they did not sell so we stopped stocking them. All we sell now is sheet.

One tip for finishing is to heat color multiple times. Finish to a 1,000 grit or higher. Heat the piece and let it cool, then buff and heat color again. Repeat this process multiple times to get a hard shiny finish that is almost scratch proof.

Chuck
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OK thank you so much for the tips/tricks It is much appreciated!
(Side not, you guys are my favorite steel suppliers)

Regards Joseph.
 
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