BLAK-TI vs. Tennifer coating

Springer · #1

Question for Sal. After receiving two Police models with the BLAK-TI finish from the KnifeCenter today(one to carry, one for the collection), I was wondering if you have considered using the Tennifer finish used by Glock for increased hardness/durability? Thanks for your quick response to my previous post!

#2

Hi Springer. I'm not familiar with the Tennifer coating. Can you direct me to an information souce?

On the other hand, Guns rarely encounter the constant abrasion that a knife blade deals with. We tried various gun blues that didn[t work well on knife blades.

The Police models that you got, are they old ones that we did, or aftermarket coatings?

sal

Ed Gordon · #3

Sal, I ordered an all Black coated Dragonfly from the Knifecenter and they advertised it as the last done by Spyderco. I should have it tomorrow...Ed.

jrollins · #4

I like black blades... I don't know why, I just do. So far I have a Benchmade auto mini-Stryker and my more greyish Chris Reeve. I think Benchmade makes most of there knives with their BT2 coating. Why doesn't Spyderco? And what exactly is the Black-Ti coating that those few Spydercos have? I guess I'll have to order a black Dragonfly. Seems to me a black coated blade would be great for the G-10 and FRN knives, is there a reason it's only done to SS models?

#5

Hi Ed. Not wantin' to call anyone on the carpet, but....we never blackened any Dragonflies. Must be aftermarket.

Hi Jrollins. Spyderco was the first company to blacken blades (& handles) back in the mid 80's. We've tried many coatings, but in our opinions they will all come off in time and use.

Knives deal with abrasion as a function of cutting.

sal

Ed Gordon · #6

I reread the advertisement and the Knifecenter did not actually say that the coating were done by Spyderco. It was an assumption on my part. Even still I received it today and it is interesting (in the same kind of way the Stealth fighters look interesting) solid black. Not spectacular, but another "different" look to a great little knife...Ed.

bengaiser · #7

More questions. Spyderco never made black Dragonflies, but did they make black Workers? Knifecenter also has those in stock and they look just like the Dragonfly.

Does anyone have a complete list of black coated Spyderco knives and when they were made?

shootist16 · #8

I am very familiar with Glocks. It has been my duty weapon for a number of years and I have received extensive training in its use.

According to Glock, tennifer finish is very hard. Almost as hard as diamond. It is supposed to be very durable. I can attest first hand that it is very tough. I am not sure how it would work on knives.

Dennis Bible

Springer · #9

Ed, you are right about the KnifeCenter's ad, it didn't actually say, but they led you to assume as they did me by saying they were an old run. They were still worth the price. Dennis, although I'm not in law enforcement, my experiences with Glocks are similiar. With Glock cornering the law enforcement market, Sal could sell alot of Police and Military models as companion pieces. I may be totally off base on this whole idea, but Glock does other heat treatments before the final tenifer finish, so why couldn't it be done to a knife blade. It may not hold up forever,but it would last longer than most other applied finishes.

thorin hammer · #10

Heat treating the blade might ruin the temper of the steel, but I don't know for sure.

Ehh, supposed to be Thorin... : )

bdh_1 · #11

Tennifer isn't the black coating that you see on the Glock slide. Tennifer is a colorless metal treatment process that surface hardens the slide. The black that you see is just an oxide coating to give the non-reflective finish.

sgtmike88 · #12

Tenifer treatment is colorless. It is an acid type treatment that cannot be used in the US, due to EPA Laws and Regs. Tenifer actually penetrates the metal down to 3 microns, and makes the metal extremely hard. (The Glock slide is actually a medium hard steel with the battlehard tenifer armored exterior.) Tenifer treatment would make a knife blade far too brittle, IMHO.

Mike - F/A Instructor & Glock Armorer

Springer · #13

Thanks Mike, guess it wasn't such a good idea. I was in the process of contacting a friend who is a Glock armorer also.

#14

It has been a number of years since Spyderco blackened knives. We tried at least half dozen different types of coatings. We did make a few "workers" 10 years ago.

The blackening process can cause problems with the heat treat of the blade as well as the springs. That's why we're cautious about coatings. We also believe that they all come off in time and use. Customers complain about the coatings coming off and want them recoated. That's difficult and expensive.

sal

dirk_diggler · #15

SgtMike is correct.

Glock barrels and slides are made from quality steel which has been treated with a special "Tenifer" process. This colorless carbo-nitrate formula enriches the steel with oxygen, sealing its pores. Tenifer makes the steel extremely hard (as hard as industrial diamond on the Rockwell scale) and corrosion resistant. The steel will not scratch or rust, period! In fact, the slide is so hard you can use it to sharpen your knives.

The barrel is treated both inside and out. Because of this, Glock barrels do not show the normal wear associated with untreated barrels by other manufacturers. Glock, Inc., has one barrel which has fired one million rounds and still works; another has fired 300,000 rounds and still shoots better than 1½" groups!

Glock also parkerizes the slide and barrel to give them a matte black color. While the parkerizing might wear off showing "bare" steel beneath, the Tenifer is still there. In fact, it penetrates the steel to a depth of three microns. Even a Glock which has lost all of its matte black finish is still scratch- and rust-proof.

fannin · #16

The black coatings are striking nonetheless. I have a black Endura that people love. It's sort of my on special occasions knife. As far as aftermarket coatings maybe Robar could do it. There known to coat almost any firearm. I think the use of Ti seems to be the way to go for color. Has Spyderco ever made an all Ti folder?