My coffee spill taught me to ALWAYS degrease before bluing.

Clean metal is KEY for a perfect finish.

4 comments

4 Comments

Yeah, that 'clean metal is key' point hits home. But how do you know when it's truly degreased? I mean, on something like a knife handle, fingerprints can mess it up. Do you use a specific cleaner or just whatever's on hand? My last project had a weird rainbow effect, and I'm wondering if it was from not getting all the oil off.

wyattramirez2d ago

That rainbow might be from heat, not oil at all!

jesse_lopez1418h ago

Oh man, I totally get what you're saying! I used to blame heat for those rainbows too. But after seeing @aaronroberts talk about his knife handle, I realized oil is the real culprit. Now I always degrease with acetone like he does, and my finishes come out way better. You really have to get every bit of oil off, or the rainbow shows up every time.

aaronroberts1d ago

Back in 2019, I thought a quick wipe was enough before bluing. Then I ruined a knife handle with fingerprint rainbows, and that changed my mind for good. Now I use acetone and nitrile gloves, and the finish comes out perfect every time.