Back Spring clolor ??

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XBMX
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Back Spring clolor ??

Post by XBMX »

Every so often I've run into dark Back Springs on older German Springers. More common to be bright polished "chrome" like but once in a while dark grey near black like pictured. The color is consistent all over no pits or spots. My take is that it was just never polished during the build. Opinions ???
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: Back Spring clolor ??

Post by Bill DeShivs »

The backsprings were always polished. The carbon steel turns dark from oxidation.
Whether they were polished or not, steel is not black until it oxidizes.
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler
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djones
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Re: Back Spring clolor ??

Post by djones »

Is it possible that a previous owner used gun blue on it? Looks good, i think.
XBMX
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Re: Back Spring clolor ??

Post by XBMX »

I think Bill's take on it makes the most cense because it was very dirty when I purchased it. I'm in agreement with djones, it adds a uniqueness to the overall look. Just needs a loving owner.
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Re: Back Spring clolor ??

Post by Bill DeShivs »

It was probably carried in someone's sweaty pocket. Most of the springers are discolored like that.
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jerryk25
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Re: Back Spring clolor ??

Post by jerryk25 »

I have a book on collecting Japanese Samuri Swords (Katanas, Yari's , ,Tanto's etc. )
Black rust good. . .red rust bad. . . (under the handle unseen oxidation.)
Katana collectors absolutely will not repolish black steel.

watch a youTube video of gun blueing. . .you rust it, then boil it, then card it then blue it, then copper it.
You keep doing it over and over until you get the correct even color. . . Artificial black rust, with a hint of blue from copper.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LzuBLhGiqM

I have a Gold Plated 9'' Kriss Edge Co. kit knife , , , it sits wrapped in a zip lock bag. . .it's waxed, I never touch it.
The button and the backspring are stainless steel. . .But since I bought it new in 1988 (I think) . . .
the button and backspring have turned beautiful polished black almost chrome gloss black.

I had read once about pirate treasure gold under seawater. Iron chest fittings disintegrate faster next to gold .. . .
because of the electrolysis between the metals of different ion characteristics (reactive transition metals and not)

Both of these knives are in the same spring loaded clamshell box re-lined for knives , originally made for a ladies wristwatch.
The knives were both bought withing 2 years, and boxed together since the late 80's.
The walnut scaled plain model 120 stainless button stayed silver, but the gold Edition patina is obviously black.
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button_man
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Re: Back Spring clolor ??

Post by button_man »

.
jerryk25 wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 3:11 amI had read once about pirate treasure gold under seawater. Iron chest fittings disintegrate faster next to gold .. . .
because of the electrolysis between the metals of different ion characteristics (reactive transition metals and not)
jerry ~ Wouldn't a potential electrolysis depend on the purity of the gold? I'm not sure how pure the Spanish ingots were, but I believe they tried to make them as pure as their technology allowed. However, they could not approach today's .9999 and .99999 levels; and thus if their ingots were somewhere around .95 to .98 then during centuries underwater, those few percentage points of copper etc. could have a very gradual and cumulative effect on the nearby iron fittings. And coins, jewelry, etc. could be even less pure, and have an even greater effect.

The gold industry is finally getting around to addressing the threat posed by Blackbeard and other scoundrels,
by planning to trace gold products through blockchain technology: https://www.kitco.com/news/2022-08-05/G ... atoni.html

"In March, the World Gold Council announced that it would collaborate with distributed-ledger companies aXedras and Peer Ledger
to develop The Gold Bar Integrity Programme (GBI). The program will register gold transactions on a blockchain, allowing gold to be
tracked and traced. The GBI is currently in development.
"
.
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jerryk25
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Re: Back Spring clolor ??

Post by jerryk25 »

at button_man

What you say is probably true. . . it would make sense from a chemistry standpoint.
MY gold / pirate electrolysis statement was a vague memory was something I read in junk filler paper when My Sister bought me a Silver Real (pronounced Ree-AL ) "pieces of Eight" REPLICA made from silver bars recovered from the Atocha Shipwreck.
It is not something I studied up on, or profess any knowledge of.

(Blockchain = a list of intellectual property for the purpose of retaining profit percentage rights upon resale of documented item.
applicable to artists paintings and scuptures, or mostly anything that a middleman can resale and deny the original owner profit due.)

As far as the blockchain registry goes, It's mostly Gold Bar. . .not ALL gold.
I thought that was in response to all those little inch long ingots of Gold sold on the internet
that were really from overseas, and were lead with gold foil, sealed in a plastic case with an authentication seal.
My brother worked in a Jewelers shop in the 90's, and polished gold and silver wedding bands and the like.
He said they melted old jewelry all the time and recast it. And recycled grindings and casting sprue.
He remembers separating red gold from yellow gold and green gold, when he was grinding. (swapping dust filters.)
He always referred to white gold as Rhodium, I guess that particular jewelers had a localized policy for what they sold.


I don't see how blockchain could keep an identity train of each gold item. . .
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: Back Spring clolor ??

Post by Bill DeShivs »

Jerry- all the modern Italian buttons are carbon steel. Some change colors, and some don't.
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Latama, Mauro Mario, LePre, Colonial, Kabar, Flylock, Schrade Cut Co., Presto, Press Button, Hubertus, Grafrath, Kuno Ritter knives, Puma, Burrell Cutlery.
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jerryk25
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Re: Back Spring clolor ??

Post by jerryk25 »

Point taken. . .
I just presumed because I've got some stilettos, that I abuse, and they are not rusting.
METALGOD
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Re: Back Spring clolor ??

Post by METALGOD »

the color is just result of it being a user knife , someone carried and used it regularly , it is basicly rust. i have few older italian stiletto knives that have that same color backspring which were polished when i got them but now look like your backspring , its just from human hands touching it is why it turned dark. you ever watch some guys put gloves on to handle a old pocket knife so the acid from human hands dont mess it up and cause it to rust .
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