Randall Blade Finish

S

sepcat

Joined
Mar 13, 2002
Messages
69
Can anybody tell me why Randall 'military' knives have such a bright and polished finish? It would seem to me that they would be very reflective and noticeable.

Has anybody in the military who's carried a Randall ever been concernced about the fact that their blade makes a wonderfull signalling mirror? Do servicemen with Randalls do anything to dull the finish like bead blasting or blueing?

I have not served in the military and I imagine that a black blade or dull blade would be a good idea when you are trying to conceal yourself.

Cheers.
 
Shhhhhhhhhhhhh, don't tell anyone now cause it'll let the "cat outa the bag"....

Most military knives are never used in the clandestine business of sneaking up behind some unsuspecting bad guy and slitting his poor old throat! Actually, a garotte works far better....keeps 'em from making noises...

I carried a model 18 Randall in Vietnam.....daily carry now mind you....of course, whilst sheathed, there's no worry about reflectivity...duhhhh

For most activities involving the need for a knife, I reached into my jungle fatigues and pulled out an old trapper-style QueenSteel pocketknife....:eek:

I've seen some Randalls that have been "blackened", blued or somehow coated with something to darken the blade.....nowadays, with the readily available powder coating,etc....the Randall owner has many options....

But given what I've said above, I doubt that most Randalls are used in such a fashion that being clandestine is an absolute necessity...and when such necessity arises, there are seemingly infinite fashions to disguise and quieten down the glare off a Randall blade.

Frankly, I'm turned off by this notion of "tactical" knives...some like 'em...I don't....I think it's a "boy racer" kind of mentality...

Not to say that certain "black ops" guys might not have need for some of these so-called "tactical" knives but in all candor, I think it's mostly a "romance", "billy bad ass", "wannabe" mentality that sells those evil black knives....

Remember too that knives are definitely not on the short list for the politically correct nowadays....and making them with serrations, talon curves, slits and slots and references to "blood grooves" and all that crap don't do much for the image of us knife nuts.....

Randalls on the other hand....even the models with sawteeth are so damned gorgeous that most folks don't cringe when they see them...that plus the fact that most of Randall's knives are designed for hunting , fishing, skinning....plus some kitchen knives...makes them mainstream....as opposed to such things as the masters of defense, busse, etc....:D :D
 
My Randall 14 was parkerized in the same tank as another 14 which was owned and used by a Marine Force Recon type. His did not look good. It had been with him swimming and the salt pitting showed even after it was parkerized. That was the reason my #14 was parkerized. It had little to do with reflections and much to do with corrosion resistance. Please don't say stainless ...
 
Hi Sepcat, I took some "cold" blueing into the "head", ran hot water over the blade for a few minutes, applied the blueing and had a darn good looking randall. It did help a bit with the rust. I painted the brass hilt with flat black. Good to go. Stateside it all came off no problem, my 30 year old son still has that knife.
Many of my team members thought I was going a bit too far. A three tour friend didn't think so. He said he did have to use his ka bar, it was rusty, dull and it took alot of time and effort to "use" it.[ I can't repeat his story] His new carry knife was a Gerber diving knife and his edge on that blade was what I still strive for today!!!!!!
All the best.;)
 
The subdueing of knife blades has found itself entrenched in "marketing". In my 23 years in the Army, neither I, nor anyone else I knew, cared about the potential shine from a knife blade. We had brushed steel cooking equipment, potential reflection from vehicle windows and mirrors (usually lowered or removed during tactical operations/training), huge heat and noise signatures from operating vehicles, generators, and cooking equipment. There was as much chance of the enemy observing shine from the scratched and paintless eyelets on soldiers boots than from my knife.

I don't deny that there are some operations that have a requirement for the utmost stealth, but these are far more rare than the number of "black" blades being sold to troops. ...and except for the military, I can't think of anywhere else where the shine from an exposed blade would compromise the situation.

Bruce Woodbury
 
Bruce I think you are 100% correct. I see no reason for all the "dark" blades except for sales. I wanted to comment when and if it is necessary, it is really pretty simple to do and then return the knife back again. Good post.;)
 
Thanks for the feedback everybody.. It makes perfect sense, my question is answered..
 
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