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Coloring Damascus Steel

I have a damascus steel knife blade that I purchased from Finland. I was told the blade was treated with some kind of salt to produce different colors on the different steels. Some steels are red, others gold and still others blue. Does anyone have any idea how I can reproduce these colors on my damascus blades? Bake on epoxies won't give the desired look. I need something that oxidizes the metal as bluing salts do on guns.

Thomas Shane Ramey
Custom Knife Sales - Lanexa, Virginia, USA
2005

Perhaps try Nitre Blue. Its a type of blueing salt that gets some pretty nice colors on steel. Many knife makers are using it today because of the wide range of colors it gets. The downside to it is you have to use it at some pretty high temps...which changes the temper on many steels reducing the edge holding qualities. personally I would only use it on art type knives that will see very little usage.

Jason Aube
- Flint, Michigan
2005

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