Search

Liner customization question on 908

surhoff88

July 18, 2014 18:34

Hey everyone I have a question I hope you guys can help me with. I think i posted this in the right section. Im new to the forum and did quite a bit of searching old threads and got some ideas but I'd like more information before I commit to this project. Im waiting on my local dealer to get the 908 in, it should be any day now. What I want to do is color the steel liners on the 908 black to look like the 908bk but keep plain stonewashed blade. Similar to the color scheme of the 520 and 523. Not sure about changing the axis bar to black like those three examples but I am sure about liners. Hope u can picture what I'm thinking.

Does anyone know or have experience on the best way to do this? First thought was flat spray paint or enamel but might not be very durable. Chips all over the place! This will be my new edc for a while. Read something about duracoat or something like that. Then I was concerned if I go painting or coating liners and possibly axis bar I'll be changing the thickness of said parts and might not fit together like before. BTW I am one of those anal blade play and blade centering types...really bad!

So anyways can you guys share any insight and ideas how to do this the right way? Im probably over thinking this and making it more complicated than necessary but i figured im not the only one out there who loves his BMs so much. Thanks

Comments

15 comments

bmkjason

July 18, 2014 19:50
Howdy! Welcome to the forum.

I would definitely advise you to avoid coating the liners. Or at the very least, you would need to "mask" or cover the critical areas of the liners before doing so. That would include the pivot and spacer holes, as well as the AXIS slot. These are such tightly toleranced features that even a few tenths of a thousandth of an inch in coating would cause problems in functionality.

Our black liners are chemically treated to create that dark oxide layer on the surface, and it has virtually no dimensional impact.

There are plenty of home parkerization methods that I've heard but never tried. I bet a bunch of people on this forum could elaborate!

Good luck with your project!

Jason
0
surhoff88

July 18, 2014 21:35
Thanks for the input Jason, tight tolerances indeed. Messing up the action and voiding the warranty would definitely ruin my day. The two tone contrast might just grow on me.
0
bmkjason

July 21, 2014 16:16
Not a problem! Functionality always trumps aesthetics in my book!

You can definitely look into parkerization, too! That usually has a pretty minimal effect on component dimensions. Assuming the acid bath isn't too aggressive, of course.
0
jnewell

July 21, 2014 18:20
Parkerizing generally doesn't work on stainless steels, most of which don't have enough carbon for the chemical process to work.

There are a few oxide processes that work with stainless steels, but I've never looked into doing that as a home/hobbyist project. It may be possible to send them out to a shop that will do small projects, but you'd want to watch the cost.
0
bmkjason

July 21, 2014 19:13
Hmm.. I guess I don't know for sure how parkerizing would work with 410 steel. It's definitely considered a stainless.

Usually there's a lot charge associated with most oxide processes, but maybe you can convince somebody to slip it in with another batch of similar material!

Or maybe somebody on the forum would trade some black liners for some satin ones..?

Jason
0
jnewell

July 21, 2014 20:59
As a random opinion, I tend to prefer the satin finish liners. The oxide on the knives with black liners can pick up a lot of wear marks and bright spots from general use, rubs, etc. With the satin liners, you don't see that. Definitely not a big deal either way, but I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to blacken the liners. YMMV, obviously.
0
surhoff88

July 22, 2014 04:31
The more I think about it and the different ways it could be done given my limited skill set, I would have to at least try it out on one of my junk knives first. Even then who knows, but that illustrates an important point, at least for myself. And that is why I own/collect many knives. There are so many different combinations and possibilities to choose from. Everyone has their own personal preference on blade steel, shape, handle shape, size, materials etc and even those change and evolves over time. That's what fuels my desire to buy another knife even if it may not be the most practicalI and I have far many more than I would ever need. No knife is perfect or at least will only be so until you come across that next big find. I always want to tweak just one small thing here or there. Now that I've rambled I'm not exactly sure where I was going with this but to thank you guys for your input. I do like parkerized over paint.
0
lightning

July 23, 2014 00:19
Really?

On the new Stryker they back slid into S/S liners?

Even the 912/913 of the last gen retained the Ti of the original 910. Now that is a disappointment.

Regardless, S/S can be anodized to almost any colour just like Ti can. That would be the best bet to colourizing the liners of a 'modern' Stryker without drastically altering the dimensions of the knife.
0
sre1

July 23, 2014 03:27
[QUOTE]
Originally posted by Lightning:

...Regardless, S/S can be anodized to almost any colour just like Ti can...
[QUOTE]

I was pretty sure that stainless could not be anodized. I know of other types of coatings/chemical processes, but I was unaware that SS could be "anodized". If you have more any info on this, please share it. It would open up a world of possibilities.
___________________________________________
805.5 Club -- Prez
0
loonybin

July 23, 2014 03:58
quote:

Originally posted by sre1:
[QUOTE]
Originally posted by Lightning:

...Regardless, S/S can be anodized to almost any colour just like Ti can...
[QUOTE]

I was pretty sure that stainless could not be anodized. I know of other types of coatings/chemical processes, but I was unaware that SS could be "anodized". If you have more any info on this, please share it. It would open up a world of possibilities.

I think the process is similar to aluminum, with sulfuric acid baths and heat, etc. It is definitely not similar to titanium anodizing, which is electrical.
0
bmkjason

July 23, 2014 15:39
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Lightning:
Really?

On the new Stryker they back slid into S/S liners?

Even the 912/913 of the last gen retained the Ti of the original 910. Now that is a disappointment.

QUOTE]

Oh yeah, my friend. You don't really want an AXIS lock with Ti liners. Ti galls like crazy on steel, so your AXIS stud wouldn't slide smoothly. Ti is also weaker than heat treated 410 SS so you'd lose some strength too.

Ti has better spring properties, which is one of the main reasons we use it for Liner locks, and especially Nitrous Assist systems.

Jason
0
fastjan

July 23, 2014 16:41
Great information...thanks!
0
jnewell

July 23, 2014 22:18
Google turns up lots of info on anodizing stainless steel, like this page: http://www.finishing.com/245/20.shtml

Unlike titanium, this does not look like an easy candidate for home/hobby setups (YMMV). If you sent it out to a commercial finisher you might wind up with liners that were more expensive than the rest of the knife.
0
lightning

July 23, 2014 23:56
quote:

Originally posted by BMK Jason:

quote:

Originally posted by Lightning:
Really?

On the new Stryker they back slid into S/S liners?

Even the 912/913 of the last gen retained the Ti of the original 910. Now that is a disappointment.

Oh yeah, my friend. You don't really want an AXIS lock with Ti liners. Ti galls like crazy on steel, so your AXIS stud wouldn't slide smoothly. Ti is also weaker than heat treated 410 SS so you'd lose some strength too.

Ti has better spring properties, which is one of the main reasons we use it for Liner locks, and especially Nitrous Assist systems.

Jason

Interesting, makes sense when I stop to think about it.

Thanks for the insight Jason.
0
bmkjason

July 24, 2014 15:58
Haha no problem!

I'm just here to help.
0