Satin or Matte blade on custom camping / survival knife?

J

JLStorm

Joined
May 28, 2009
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Ive recently placed an order for a custom hand forged CPM S30v knife with some additinoal tempering options, etc, etc. I initially chose a matte finish, because it is what I am used too, but now I am second guessing myself.

The matte finish doesnt seem to serve a purpose for me, as I have no problems with reflecting light, if anything, reflecting light may be a good thing, but the satin finish isnt a mirror finish, so it might not matter either way.

Anyway, I had heard that a satin finish may resist rust better than matte, as it is less porous due to the lack of bead blasting. I really dont care as far as looks, but if I cant get more functionality out of one, Id prefer to go that route.

Can anyone help me out?
 
A satin or sanded finish will be prone to rush/spotting as well, though pretty easily cleaned/re-sanded. Not sure how you feel about polished finishes however it probably offers better rust protection and as mention a good reflective finish can really help you out of a jam in an actual survival situation.
 
Kevin Jones said:
A satin or sanded finish will be prone to rush/spotting as well, though pretty easily cleaned/re-sanded. Not sure how you feel about polished finishes however it probably offers better rust protection and as mention a good reflective finish can really help you out of a jam in an actual survival situation.
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I never thought about it actually. Is the up keep any easier / harder? The knife maker Im using doesnt offer it as one of his finishes, but I could ask about it.
 
Not at all if you have a buffer. You can pickup a non-commercial grade buffer/grinder for about $49-$59. Really handy to have in the garage/home shop for many applications.

Perhaps Joe Paranee will comment. I believe he puts his mirror polished blades through some rigorous use. Unfortunately, I don't get the opportunity to really test hunter/survival knives under hard use like I used to.
 
Kevin Jones said:
This thread contains some good information on blade finishes/coatings.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=644350

A blade coating such as Duracoat may be another option, though I'm not sure how much these coatings have been tested for long term use under harsh conditions.
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Thanks for the link. It sounds like polished is great, but too keep it polished you will over time alter the grind of the knife. I dont see matte even mentioned in the thread. If I will alter the knife over time in any way by buffing out a mirror finish, thats not what I want, but maybe satin is a good middle ground.

This knife is a big investment and I am one of those guys when it comes to guns and knives, that once I have one that works well for me, I dont look for anything else and have no desire to replace what Ive got. I am upgrading to a knife that will last at least my lifetime, so while I dont mind if it looks worn or beat up after a while, I want to keep it as close to funtionally perfect as when it was new (including the angles and grind).

That said, the mirror finish now makes me a little nervous due to the wear of buffing.

What do you think?
 
JLStorm said:
Thanks for the link. It sounds like polished is great, but too keep it polished you will over time alter the grind of the knife. I dont see matte even mentioned in the thread. If I will alter the knife over time in any way by buffing out a mirror finish, thats not what I want, but maybe satin is a good middle ground.

This knife is a big investment and I am one of those guys when it comes to guns and knives, that once I have one that works well for me, I dont look for anything else and have no desire to replace what Ive got. I am upgrading to a knife that will last at least my lifetime, so while I dont mind if it looks worn or beat up after a while, I want to keep it as close to funtionally perfect as when it was new (including the angles and grind).

That said, the mirror finish now makes me a little nervous due to the wear of buffing.

What do you think?
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Well whether you are buffing a polished blade or hand sanding a satin finished blade you are removing steel thus affecting your grinds etc.. Probably less so buffing than sanding.
You are right in that if you are going to be routinely using your knife for camp/hunting chores I wouldn't expect your blade to remain pristine for any period of time. The most you can probably hope for is to avoid rust and spotting which would be best served by either a high polished or coated blade.
 
Be extremely careful when using a buffer. It is unquestionably the most dangerous tool in the shop, with a predisposition for grabbing the blade being buffed and throwing it back at you. I, for one, avoid using the damn things as much as possible. Just a head's-up!
 
Kevin Jones said:
Well whether you are buffing a polished blade or hand sanding a satin finished blade you are removing steel thus affecting your grinds etc.. Probably less so buffing than sanding.
You are right in that if you are going to be routinely using your knife for camp/hunting chores I wouldn't expect your blade to remain pristine for any period of time. The most you can probably hope for is to avoid rust and spotting which would be best served by either a high polished or coated blade.
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I checked into Duracoat, which seems to work really well on guns, but for some reason on knives the word is that moisture has eventually seeps under the coating quite often. If I cant do a mirror polish, is the satin finish better than the matte, or they equal?
 
Matthew Gregory said:
Be extremely careful when using a buffer. It is unquestionably the most dangerous tool in the shop, with a predisposition for grabbing the blade being buffed and throwing it back at you. I, for one, avoid using the damn things as much as possible. Just a head's-up!
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thanks...Im pretty good with guns and knives...but I'll admit Im accident prone in general.. Id prefer not having to buff or sand..but I guess eventually either needs to be done? If I went with a matte finish is there any up keep with that? I dont exactly have a bead blaster on hand lol.
 
JLStorm said:
thanks...Im pretty good with guns and knives...but I'll admit Im accident prone in general.. Id prefer not having to buff or sand..but I guess eventually either needs to be done? If I went with a matte finish is there any up keep with that? I dont exactly have a bead blaster on hand lol.
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I'd avoid matte, frankly. A hand-rubbed satin finish is certainly easier to restore as a do-it-yourself project - 1) no power tools required and 2) the sand paper doesn't cost a fortune, and 3) you are unlikely to kill yourself, or worse, ruin the knife. :)

But whatever you do, don't even THINK about having someone other than the maker restore the finish or it's a blindfold at dawn for you! :eek:

Just kidding. :)

Roger
 
I HATE sandblasted blades.:thumbdn:
Ideally polished, my second choice is hand sanded, then machine finished.
 
A beadblast finish on any knife is easy for the producer to apply, and the new finish looks consistent. There are sandblast medias that are more durable than others.

Once a sandblast finish gets a minor mar in it, it's visible for life. Unless you have the exact media and a sandblast cabinet you can't easily refinish. This may not be a concern.

A hand-rubbed finish (is this what you are referring to as satin?), is harder to produce, and even harder to make the blade look consistent. (This is one of the keen aspects of a good maker's work.) It is possible with the proper papers and techniques to refinish the blade to satisfaction at home.

I cringe at sandblast finishes, depending upon the application, although they are a fixture of our world.

A highly polished finish is good for the reasons stated, and is relatively easy for a maker to apply, although it's a dangerous task. if you are polishing blade bevels and wish to keep the crisp edges, that's a skill set that is VERY enviable, too.

Hard to refinish unless you have a buffer and the skills. (I have a buffer. I am first to agree on the skills being paramount. Like anyone else, I've thrown pieces to disrepair with this potent machine.)

Coop
 
I can't add much you guys said it all

I use mirror polished blades and they will in a carbon steel blade resist rust the most of any polish

A mirror polish blade doubles as a great signal mirror in a true survival situation

A buffer and a sharp knife are nasty business becareful

I buff my blades but it is something I hold my breath while I am doing

Coatings are great but eventually wear off they do there job and worth looking into

I have been useing a blued blade WSK for setting up stands and when the blue wears I cold blue it . It looks rough but it does not rust If ya stay on it

Bead Blasted or matte are the worst for rust
 
I must be one of the few who never worry about refinishing a knife , I just use it. Let the marks fall where they may. :)
 
John T Wylie Jr said:
I must be one of the few who never worry about refinishing a knife , I just use it. Let the marks fall where they may. :)
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I'm with you John and I believe the original poster (post #6) is as well in that a user knife doesn't necessarily need to have a flawless blade finish but it does need to resist rust. So a high polish blade seems to fit the application very well.

If the high polish blade gets to the point where it's just too marked up and the owner doesn't want to take a chance with a buffer then it can be sanded to a satin finish. Now granted it's not going to look like Jerry Fisk finished the blade but it doesn't need to. With a little practice, most knife owners can probably lay down a 400-600 grit satin finish that's not too ugly.
 
I had a Craig Camerer field grade knife that was bead blasted and then etched with FeCl. You might want to ask him how that has worked on his knives.
 
I was told by Joe Kious when I asked about this subject that:

1. A buffer is very dangerous...be very careful
2. Buffing will remove very little metal and it take it a long time to even remove a little.
3. Scratches on a mirror finish can rarely be removed with a buffer. It takes successive grits of sandpaper and elbow grease. Then you can polish with a buffer because it removes so little metal.
4. And finally he said buffers are dangerous...be careful.

Pul
 
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