Thread: What are you working on?

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I would blacken/blue the tang and the spine but not the blade it self. Then strop it to see how the coloring along the spine lasts.

Just my 2¢
I

I have darkened a few blades to make them look old, but never black. I think Randy’s idea has some serious merit. The nice thing about going with blue or black is that it does not penetrate far so undoing it should be fairly simple, like a good rub with polish and steel wool.

Originally Posted by randydance062449

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I would blacken/blue the tang and the spine but not the blade it self. Then strop it to see how the coloring along the spine lasts.

Just my 2¢
I

I missed the part about coating the entire blade. The style you mention is what I'm familiar with, although the finish on the spine is usually long gone!
I seem to remember seeing some straight razors with coated/plated blades, but I can't remember where I saw it. Or of it was cerakote or duracoat? Trying to find an example.

Some vintage razors had the tang blued and others the tang and top of the spine blued. If the blade was a spike/square point the bluing on the spine sometimes came down the front of the toe also. I don't know what the process used on vintage blades to do the bluing was but I have used cold bluing from gunsmithing suppliers to do the job. It is not as durable as hot bluing the firearms factory uses yet still does the job and is easy to redo if it starts to wear.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Some vintage razors had the tang blued and others the tang and top of the spine blued. If the blade was a spike/square point the bluing on the spine sometimes came down the front of the toe also. I don't know what the process used on vintage blades to do the bluing was but I have used cold bluing from gunsmithing suppliers to do the job. It is not as durable as hot bluing the firearms factory uses yet still does the job and is easy to redo if it starts to wear.

Bob

Bob, I've seen the spine, tang and front end bluing (though I seem to recall it being more black than blue?). I like your and Randy's idea. Not sure when I'll get it done-the 3-week tunnel to spring break will be intense-but hope to get to it soon.

After a thorough, cleaning, do you just mask off the blade faces with tape, wax, or what? And doing some reading, I can't see me trying any kind of exotic chemical hot-bluing. I like what I read about Brownell Ox-Pho Professional Grade Cold Blue: https://www.amazon.com/Brownell-Oxph...%2C189&sr=8-11
I'll have to watch some videos, do some reading, and come back to it after some sanding. More later.

I blued an entire blade, well what was left of it after making a shorty project out of it.



And one I picked up, already blued from factory.


More of a forced patina, than blueing

Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

Bob, I've seen the spine, tang and front end bluing (though I seem to recall it being more black than blue?). I like your and Randy's idea. Not sure when I'll get it done-the 3-week tunnel to spring break will be intense-but hope to get to it soon.

After a thorough, cleaning, do you just mask off the blade faces with tape, wax, or what? And doing some reading, I can't see me trying any kind of exotic chemical hot-bluing. I like what I read about Brownell Ox-Pho Professional Grade Cold Blue: https://www.amazon.com/Brownell-Oxph...%2C189&sr=8-11
I'll have to watch some videos, do some reading, and come back to it after some sanding. More later.

IIRC I masked off what I did not want blued. It may take several coats of cold blue to get a deep dark blue/black hue. I have never used Brownell's cold bluing. I just used a 30 year old part bottle of liquid bluing I had kicking around from my shooting days. No matter what you use prepping the surface is key.

Bob

Any reason a Birchwood Casey blueing or black pen couldn't be used?

I'm trying to get some projects going. Practicing pinning so I can actually get the razors reassembled without fasteners! I usually only get a few minutes of work done at a time before I have to put everything back up, so it is slow going. I have some good scales I need to get blades for.
Whenever my 3yo daughter comes in our bedroom she will point to a tool that is still visible on a shelf or something and say, "I want to touch it!" I let her hold my peening hammer and my Rigid drill the other day and she got a kick out of that.

Have a set of scales where one shrank and the other didn't !

Originally Posted by outback

I blued an entire blade, well what was left of it after making a shorty project out of it.



And one I picked up, already blued from factory.


More of a forced patina, than blueing

Dad made me a Case fan growing up. When I was little, if you asked me who made good knives I would have said Case, Boker, and Henckels. I've got a Temperite blade I'm going to try and make scales for, that are similar to the original rotted ones. Whoever made those Temperite scales needs to do a recall.

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.....and be sure to use an old strop/fabric/etc for testing in case some of that bluing comes off.