Does or has anyone ever used Electroless Nickel on there knives? I read a lot about it when I was into guns. It's supposed to be ware and corrosion resistant, and self lubricating. It also has a nice satin-medium gray color. I thought it would be great to try on a folder to help keep it smooth.

If memory serves me, electroless nickel is used as a plating on steel rather than as a base material.

I'm sorry, that's what I ment, as a coating once the blade is complete and before final assembly.

Application requires pretty specialized equipment, and in a one-off situation, I expect it would be prohibitively expensive.

Used it once or twice on guns for customers. If done right it has pretty good wear resistance on guns. I don't think it would work too well on knives. They say its flexable, and it is in a guns world. But I don't think its flexable enough for a knife. I'm finding out that alot of the things that were cutting edge in gunsmithing just aren't up to knife making standards. If you are still interested in plating your blade I can give you the name of a couple of shops that do good work.
Steve
Double S Custom (http://doublescustom.tripod.com)

I knew there was something else and it just came to me. Nickel plating does not do well once the continuity of the surface is broken, it will start to flake almost as soon as this happens. So you will end up with flaking soon after sharpening.
Steve
Double S Custom (http://doublescustom.tripod.com)

Well, thanks for that good info...Oh and thanks for blowing my dream, my vision...just kidding, I'm not fully awake yet.

But really, thanks for that info, I would feel pretty stupid going through all of that and it start flaking off. Because My plan was to have the blade completely done except being sharpend and send it off then sharpen it which shurly would brake then continuity.

Thanks again

Actually I am running some experiments on composit cable using a nickel plating on one(middle)billet and forging it into the billet.
The plating coats the cable strands before forging and kinda floats between the grains while being squeezed(twisted), and melts between the segments of the pattern.
Once forged into the billet it does not give any solid silver color, but rather a boundry between the grains of that billet, and the surrounding billets(the welds between)as well.
I'm still playing with the electrolises to maximize the results.

Plating a single blade with it, I wouldn't. :(

Hi folks
Not sure if this is relevant but Hydrogen embrittlement does occur with some plating make sure it is an issue with this

From the other side of the pond


Regards
Alan
Still crazy after all these years.

Hi,
The process that I believe your refering to is an auto-catalytic coating, containing particles of PTFE, as I unnerstand, it does not do too well in the flexibility stakes (certainly not to ABS test standards ;) ), as Steve says, but with the High quality coatings by the top company(s) the continuity problem after sharpening shouldn't be a problem.

The hydrogen embrittlement is also not a applicable in this type of coating.


Kind regards


P.S. As a by product it would make a folder action smoooooth!

Colin, from Alan's side of the pond too.

Some years ago when I was gunsmithing for a local shop, I bought a set up for nickle plating from Brownell. I would nickle parts in a container they sold (looked a lot like a blender). I had plated an old Schrade 4" hunter and it came out looking great! I looked at that same knife last night after years of use. As earlier indicated the plating broke when the knife was sharpened, but I never had any moisture get up underneath the bond. Over the years the knife did develope some pit bubbles and in pricking them there was rust under it. I simply buffed it out and the knife to this day is still 99% coated and very functional. I don't think Brownell sells that set up any more, (at least I didn't see it in their catalogue)-Hope this helps--Dan