Question:
I used to hate bead-blast and felt it was just a cop-out for companies
who didn't want to take the time to properly polish their blades.
Bead blast rusts MUCH MUCH more easily and scratches more easily.
All those things are still true, but I've come to like one particular
property of bead-blast blades. They hold lubricant/rust protector
rather well.
If I coat a bead-blasted blade with BreakFree or RemOil it STAYS there
for a LONG time which prevents rust longer than a satin blade where
the oil doesn't stick and will actually rust faster sometimes.
I still PREFER polished blades and REALLY prefer coated blades (but
only if it's a borderline rust-resistant steel. I can't see putting a
coating on a blade like AUS-6 that doesn't rust easily.)
I'm not saying, by any means, that I love bead-blast, but they aren't
nearly as nasty as I once thought and do have some advantages.
Just a thought. I don't hate bead-blast as much as I used to. Of
coarse I came to this opinion from bead-blast Microtechs which are
rather well done. But I still think I'd like to see companies like
CRKT or Gerber offer polished blades as an option.
P.S. Isn't it odd that different manufacturers have such different
bead-blast finishes? Some are smooth, neat, and well-done; nearly
satin, while others are rather coarse and messy.
Answer:
-I have a Gerber Gator that I bought ~10 years ago (I'm thinking at least
that long) and the finish on it is perfect. I'm pretty impressed!
-How totally ironic, you beat me to the post only because I was running a bit
late for work. My wife owns a Gator Gerber that she bought about 1.5 years
ago, a light bead-blast finish, and it's showing some minor (I mean minor)
rust-speckling, from having been stored in a leaky car-trunk. Would CLR
help this with this without damaging the blade? I'll be doing the cleaning,
I respect the fact that the handle is rubber and what-not.
On the same note, I just bought the same blade, ST, and ordered *bandits for
both of them. My wife is nicking herself badly trying to one-thumb the
silly things open. *Smiles*. Hell of a tactical knife if this works tho,
purses are wide-mouthed.
