Black LM Mini-Tool?

[665ae]

Anyone have a black Mini-Tool?  Can I see a pic?

[J-sews]

Here's a quick one:

[J-sews]

Another, with a stainless finish alongside for comparison:

[Benner]

I really like the look of black tools but I am always put off with the idea of the black wearing away.  Anyone got a decent picture of a black one that has been EDC'd for a while?

[J-sews]

I really like the look of black tools but I am always put off with the idea of the black wearing away.  Anyone got a decent picture of a black one that has been EDC'd for a while?

I'm deeply offended! What makes you think I don't EDC the Mini-Tool and use it hard every day? 

[Benner]

I really like the look of black tools but I am always put off with the idea of the black wearing away.  Anyone got a decent picture of a black one that has been EDC'd for a while?

I'm deeply offended! What makes you think I don't EDC the Mini-Tool and use it hard every day? 

The box!!! 

[Benner]

Unless you use that as your sheath??

[J-sews]

Hehe, nope it doesn't see the light of day very often.

I agree with you entirely by the way; black tools tend to look old and shabby in a hurry. 

[Benner]

Hehe, nope it doesn't see the light of day very often.

I agree with you entirely by the way; black tools tend to look old and shabby in a hurry. 

That's why I would not get one.  I would be afraid to use it, which is the whole point of getting one(if it is to be carried and not part of a collection anyway.)

Are any brands better than others at holding their "blackness"?

[Anthony]

My black SOG hasn't worn off in any spots to the metal underneath, but it's gotten a nice patina I guess you'd call it..diffrent shades of black

[joebw]

Hi,

For the collector types around, you can find black oxide Minis with either TOOL or USA on the plier head.  No collection is complete w/o both .

Best - Joe

[J-sews]

Hi,

For the collector types around, you can find black oxide Minis with either TOOL or USA on the plier head.  No collection is complete w/o both .

Best - Joe

So says the guy who's got both! 

Are any brands better than others at holding their "blackness"?

I must confess, I haven't used the black tools hard enough to know which is best. All of my "users" are stainless steel finish. 

[joebw]

Some thoughts on black finishes.

Black oxide finishes are a form of rust.  In the process of rusting (oxidizing), the surface layer of iron in the steel is coverted to this fluffy oxide which sits on top of the steel surface.  It has very lttle bond strength to the steel which is why it scratches fairly easily.

Some people have used diffusion coatings of Titanium Nitride or Boron Nitride in combination with some other elements to give them a black color.  The process of diffusing these nitrides into the steel results in them being imbedded to some small depth in the steel rather than sitting on top of the steel like the black oxide.  This gives the "finish" far greater scratch and abrasion resistance than the black oxide.  Looking at the 20th Anniversary Wave, I believe that is what was used on both versions of that.

Lastly, the TiN or BN itself is significantly harder than the black oxide.  This gives the marketing people a chance to push the concept of the "diamond-like coating" that we can expect to see on the Skeletool CX.

The military uses black oxide to prevent daytime or nightime glare.  The Nitride coating have a tendency to be shiny and reflect a fair amount of light.

Hope this is of interest - Joe

[Grant Lamontagne]

Very much of interest....

Do you have any suggestions on where to find more detailed information about this, or should we hound you to elaborate?

Def

[J-sews]

Yes, thanks for the info Joe!

Question : how are they able to get stainless steel to oxidize enough to give it a full black finish? 


By the way, while trying to come up with a way to touch up scratches in the black oxide finish, I tried using some Birchwood Casey Super Blue. (scroll down) It is supposed to work on high nickel alloys, but unfortunately didn't work at all on stainless steel. I wonder what does?

[665ae]

A bit off topic here... but thanks for the pictures (wait... that WAS the topic!)

Ok, now you guys can get back to your off topic discussions...

[joebw]

For more on Black Oxide, including on stainless steel, have a look at these two websites:

www.clevelandblackoxide.com

www.swdinc.com

Note the comments on "Cold black oxide".

For  info on Titanium Nitride, look at

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_nitride

[J-sews]

A bit off topic here... but thanks for the pictures (wait... that WAS the topic!)

Ok, now you guys can get back to your off topic discussions...

If somebody would check in more than once every three days, maybe the rest of us wouldn't stray off so far....  

[665ae]

You guys had taken this thread in a different direction and I forgot that I was the one that started it

The Black Oxide stuff is interesting