A good coating is usually an effective barrier between favourite blade and also the wilderness. But what type?Posted by Hackett Bigum on May 17th, 2021 The visual appeal of knives are often associated with polished steel and glimmering surfaces. Some - mostly outdoor - knives, however have black or even a form of dark grey blades which contradicts the overall picture about cutlery. These blades incorporate some form of coating on them. Why coat a knife blade? A coating might have several purposes on the knife blade. The first is the most obvious: to avoid corrosion. Many millennia have passed with constant fight rust. Stainless could be a solution, but for some in the 21st century, 440C just doesn't work. A well made coating can decrease maintenance time on a carbon steel knife, that might be convenient inside the field. Second, a coating eliminates shiny surfaces, which can be an utter necessity with a mission. Sand or bead blasting serves a similar purpose, but some prefer black surfaces. Third, a coating is effective in reducing drag within a cut. This is just not true for all those coatings, and I haven't found any positive feedback in spite of PTFE coatings. But the phenomenon is theoretically there. Fourth, PVD and CVD coatings boost the scratch resistance of the blade. This is purely an aesthetical aspect, but knifes have reached least partly about aesthetics anyway. Fifth, a coating can be pretty. Again, this might be considered a mall ninja thing, but I bet that there are hardcore users who still like their blades black, and for that look from it. Why NOT coat a knife blade? The main problem of most blade coatings is always that ultimately they are available off. While some much like the beat up look of a coated knife, the scarred coating is recognized as even worse than bare steel by many. And once partially gone, the coating will mostly fail its purpose: the blade will rust, drag, glean and appearance generally pummelled. Even when intact, the coating may develop a wire edge”, which reduces cutting ability also it can make the sharpening tougher. Of course, the characteristics of a coating can differ greatly based on its type. A DLC coating cannot be in comparison with powder coating, yet they appear quite identical, so it will be advisable to examine each type separately. Ye olde gun blue Gun blue could be the oldest steel coating besides rust, and it is still in use today. Its name originates from the blueish black colored gun barrels got after under-going a surface treatment, which left a thin, dense magnetite (a kind of iron oxide) layer on their own surface. Actual gun blueing involves dangerous chemicals, but there are a number of treatments that leave similar (but not as tough) finish while being safe to make use of. Cold bluing by way of example earned its popularity if you are a somewhat safe, quite simple and cheap process. Similar solutions could be purchased at gun shops for commercial use. Keep in mind however, the are intended for small touchups, so cold bluing an entirely knife blade using them is not recommended. Paint, powder along with other polymers I put these underneath the same title, because, function as name DuraCoat, Gunkote, Teflon, Powder coating, or whatever, all of them are a sort of polymer coating. Apart in the cheap dollar store knives, polymer coatings are considered to be surprisingly durable and go just with prolonged or extreme use. DuraCoat, GunKote and CeraKote are the three most popular paint-like coatings for knife blades - yes, they may be paint, however, not your usual DIY shop types. If applied properly, they will not peel from the lemon, regardless in the punishment they get, but they may be relatively simple to scratch. DuraCoat and GunKote are available in kits, while CeraKote could possibly be applied only by trained personnel. Esee knife blades have black polymer coating to them. They're not told are removed easily Powder coating is like.. yeah, much like it can be. You give the blade for your local shop, specify large and acquire it back using a nice thick plastic coating onto it. Not one of the most sophisticated technology, nevertheless it works, and it might be done anywhere. PTFE (a.k.a Teflon) can also be applied to some blades. The main reason with this is always that a PTFE coating really should reduce drag during a cut. Experience is, however, that the non-stick effect is barely sensible, whenever. Looks just like the biggest benefit from polymer coatings is they might be applied relatively easily, even perhaps in the home. They also appear in thousands of colors, helping to make a desert-camo blade absolutely possible. The downside with this type of coating is the fact that it wears off very easily, whatever all the marketing say. PVD and CVD coatings PVD and CVD stand for physical and chemical vapor deposition. Although these two technologies are slightly different, their use are similar: to deposit a hardcore, ceramic-like layer onto a metal surface. This ceramic-like layer consists from the combination of various nitrides and carbides (like Titanium carbide, Titanium nitride, Tungsten carbide and the like). This layer is chemically bonded for the metal surface and is harder than any tool steel can ever be. In short: it's strong. PVD/CVD coating was originally utilised by that is a for coating cutting tools, plastic molds, sliding machine parts etc, but it was only a matter of time before knife industry discovered the technology. These type of coatings are very hard that they can certainly make the blade scratch resistant. They are also chemically inert, so they protect against rust. Too bad they can not be used on carbon steels - the temperature of the process would ruin the temper of an carbon steel blade. That's why this state of the art coating demands state from the art steel. Another addition to the bling factor is the coatings appear in various colors from black to golden. I always wonder when will I view a bright purple Spydercos produced and marketed in mass. DLC Another acronym, another high-end technology. Click Here stands for diamond-like carbon coating which is actually a PVD/CVD process (no less than mostly). A DLC coating is pitch black, but that's not why it really is sought for: it is undoubtedly the most difficult coating that might be put on a surface. It is so hard that after metal is cut using a DLC coated knife, the blade are certain to get marked - from the metal that has been spread for the DLC coating! A DLC coated Spyderco Military Anyway, DLC is additionally low friction, so it can be supposed to increase the risk for cut easier. The greatest disadvantage is your money: the value of a knife can also be doubled by using it. Summary I didn't mention one from the purpose of blade coatings: it is marketing. It is a sad practice that a majority of knife making companies base their sales on hype and marketing instead of quality. Knife coatings became a victim of the system and after this they're loathed by most professionals. A knife coating however is equipped with its purpose: it could significantly reduce maintenance time with a carbon blade, eliminate any glare and increase the aesthetics of the blade. If chosen right, it can significantly add on the value of an knife and increase the risk for difference from your rusting wall hanger plus an everyday utility knife.Like it? Share it! More by this author
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