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Stone Washed vs Satin Finishes
- Thread starter Ares1307
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2006
- Messages
- 6,159
I dont know what you mean by bead-blasted satin knives...
A satin finish is achieved with a belt. This is what you find on most Spydercos for example. In custom knives you get a belt finish, or a hand-rubbed finish, which makes it smoother, more refined. This is good for preventing rust.
A stonewashed finish is very smooth and hardy. The knife is first belt finished and then tumbled in media to get the stonewashed finish. So in effect it gets finished twice. The stonewashing gives it a very smooth finish that is resistant to scratching.
Bead-blasting is a very rough finish (unless its ceramic bead-blasting which is a lot smoother). Bead-blasted knives are prone to rust. If you are trying to decide between bead-blasted and stonewashed, the latter is by far the better option.
Essentially, the smoother the finish the better. A smooth finish doesnt allow rust to gain a purchase and it also has the benefit of being a drag-free surface, for more efficient cutting. But really its about preventing rust from taking hold.
A satin finish is achieved with a belt. This is what you find on most Spydercos for example. In custom knives you get a belt finish, or a hand-rubbed finish, which makes it smoother, more refined. This is good for preventing rust.
A stonewashed finish is very smooth and hardy. The knife is first belt finished and then tumbled in media to get the stonewashed finish. So in effect it gets finished twice. The stonewashing gives it a very smooth finish that is resistant to scratching.
Bead-blasting is a very rough finish (unless its ceramic bead-blasting which is a lot smoother). Bead-blasted knives are prone to rust. If you are trying to decide between bead-blasted and stonewashed, the latter is by far the better option.
Essentially, the smoother the finish the better. A smooth finish doesnt allow rust to gain a purchase and it also has the benefit of being a drag-free surface, for more efficient cutting. But really its about preventing rust from taking hold.
The latest version of the 0350KW is actually stone washed even though the description still says bead blast satin. I have both the first run of these and one out of the latest run and the stone washed looks much better in my opinion. Thanks for turning me on to the 0350SW too. Had not known BladeHQ had these made up. 
An important detail to point out is that steel in it's natural state has a porous surface.
It has to be polished or tumbled to smooth the surface finish out. Which will help to prevent corrosion.
Bead blasting doesn't help to prevent corrosion resistance at all, as it opens up the porous nature of the steel.
It has to be polished or tumbled to smooth the surface finish out. Which will help to prevent corrosion.
Bead blasting doesn't help to prevent corrosion resistance at all, as it opens up the porous nature of the steel.