Hi all. I'm new to knife making and have had tons of questions, but have thus far been able to find the answers using the search function. I couldn't find the answer to this one ... I've made a few knives and would like to do some with colored/coated finish. For starters, I'd like to do a black blade. I have friends that do Cerakote, but would like to avoid that type of expense if possible. What are the options for making a carbon steel blade black? Thanks in advance for any guidance you can provide.
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Best way to color a blade black?
- Thread starter Frottage
- Start date
- Joined
- May 12, 2012
- Messages
- 846
Try looking up a powder coating place near you. That stuff is tough! Another option would be to find a gunsmith and have him parkerize the blade. Some people seem to have good luck with a hot vinegar patina but I really haven't.
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2012
- Messages
- 741
Here's my process:
Step 1-Put a mixture of 1 part water and 1 part vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a near boil. While the water is heating scrub the knife (or knives) with dish soap and wipe dry with a paper towel.
Step 2- Put the knife in the pot, with the point in the bottom corner and the edge facing up, for five minutes.
Step 3- Take the knife out of the pot (using tongs or pliers, of course) and scrub with dish soap.
Step 4- Scrub the knife with 0000 steel wool.
Step 5- Clean the knife off with dish soap (again) and put it back in the pot the same way.
Repeat until it is the correct shade of gray.
This is what 4 or 5 repititions looks like (you can get it much darker)
Hope this helps! :thumbup:
Step 1-Put a mixture of 1 part water and 1 part vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a near boil. While the water is heating scrub the knife (or knives) with dish soap and wipe dry with a paper towel.
Step 2- Put the knife in the pot, with the point in the bottom corner and the edge facing up, for five minutes.
Step 3- Take the knife out of the pot (using tongs or pliers, of course) and scrub with dish soap.
Step 4- Scrub the knife with 0000 steel wool.
Step 5- Clean the knife off with dish soap (again) and put it back in the pot the same way.
Repeat until it is the correct shade of gray.
This is what 4 or 5 repititions looks like (you can get it much darker)
Hope this helps! :thumbup:
- Joined
- May 19, 2009
- Messages
- 300
Parkerizing is a great finish for durability and when oiled is great for corrosion resistance. You can do it cheaply, you just have to find all the parts/ingredients.
I've done KG Gunkote on guns but haven't done it on knives yet. It's really not that expensive. It'll be $25 for an air brush, $10 for a can of Gunkote, and $10 for a can of air if you don't have a compressor. $45 will get you enough to do probably at least 20 knives.
I've done KG Gunkote on guns but haven't done it on knives yet. It's really not that expensive. It'll be $25 for an air brush, $10 for a can of Gunkote, and $10 for a can of air if you don't have a compressor. $45 will get you enough to do probably at least 20 knives.
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2006
- Messages
- 6,193
Ferric Chloride (FeCl3) gives D2 a good, deep gray