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Thoughts on flamed titanium?
(fedia.io)
I just picked up a couple of "flamed titanium" pocket clips, and I love the look of them. I've always been attracted to the blue-on-black color combo for most things I own, and I love the way the color pops on my Vision FG!
I've noticed, however, that even the slightest touch from my fingers will dull the shine and really mutes the color. It comes right back with a simple wipe on the clip with any dry cloth, but it's a little annoying just how well this finish attracts skin oils.
I was thinking about picking up some flamed ti scales to go with this, but after seeing how quickly the color fades after being touched, I'm not sure how I'd feel about an entire handle with that finish.
It's funny, I was actually just thinking this a few minutes ago; I was wondering if there is some sort of coating I could apply to the clip that might keep the oil from interacting with the anodization. But then I realized that whatever coating I could put on there would almost certainly be just as problematic.
For the pocket clip, it's not a huge deal, I can just wipe it on my shirt and it's bright and beautiful again. But I've definitely gotten turned off on the idea of getting full scales with this finish now lol.
There's this stuff called Renaissance wax. It isn't exactly cheap, but it's used to protect metals in museums and collections. It's about the only thing I've run across that barely changes how metals look in light. Some, it actually makes them look better, and most patinas the change really isn't noticeable unless you have a before/after test, and is minor then.
It might do well on fancy titanium, though I haven't personally tried it for that yet.
Which, like you said, not really worth it for a clip. But if you're really craving the scales, it might be worth trying on the clip to see how it does.
Oh, that's interesting, I hadn't heard of that stuff! That might be good to keep in mind in case I ever pick up something truly crazy, like an AL-Khem. I imagine the wax doesn't last long going in and out of the pocket.
Looking at the price of that wax and some other protective products, I think I'd be better off just buying another set of clips if these patina in a way I don't like. So I'll just learn to deal with it!
Renwax is kind of a niche product for sure, so it ends up staying fairly high priced compared to other products. It is more durable though.
A lot of us old farts that collect and carry antique knives use it on our carry ones for the extra protection against pocket damage. I'm not sure how well it would work on a clip that's banging into things more randomly, but it does last a month or more in pocket. I've got an old case trapper I sometimes carry, and that's about what I get out of an application of the renwax.
But, I keep renwax around anyway, for my more valuable antique knives, so it's no extra expense to use it on a couple of lower value slipjoints every now and then. It's a bigger outlay for just one knife.
It really doesn't get bothered by cloth friction that I've noticed., but who carries just a knife in their pockets nowadays? Certainly not one of the modern folders that would have a fancy clip even if they did. Hell, I don't even carry just one knife lol
Me! My front right pocket is for my knife only. Phone, lighter, flashlight, etc. go in other pockets.
Not necessarily so I don't beat up my knife, although sometimes this is so. But more so my knife doesn't beat up everything else.