110/112 Owners: Polished or Tarnished Bolsters?

TAH

TAH

Joined
Jul 3, 2001
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Curious, which do you prefer? I like'em tarnished. The darker, the better! For those who like tarnish, here's an interesting way to achieve quick, even results:


1) Wipe down the brass to remove any dust, dirt or debris.

2) Locate a bucket with a tight lid. Tie a piece of fishing line around the brass piece. Attach the other end of the fishing line to the inside of the bucket's lid with a piece of duct tape.

3) Fill the bucket 1/4 full with ammonia.

4) Lower the lid onto the bucket, paying attention that the brass piece does not come in contact with the ammonia. If the brass piece is going to reach the ammonia, cut a section off the fishing line.

5) Close the lid of the bucket tightly and allow the brass to remain inside the bucket for 30 minutes. During this time, the ammonia fumes will darken the surface of the brass.

6) Remove the bucket's lid carefully and check the brass. If the desired darkened, weathered color is achieved, remove the piece. If not, continue to allow the brass to remain suspended above the ammonia for 30-minute increments.

7) Remove the brass piece from the bucket's lid once the desired color is reached.
 
sweat in my pocket seems to do the same thing! I don't know if that's good or bad. :)

I like the tarnished look better, after only a year mine is starting to turn real nice.
 
Patina for me,not to cast aspersions on anyone elses knives but for me a patina is something that occurs naturally with age and use.I never wore "acid washed" or "stone washed" or bleached Levi's 501's or Wrangler 13MWZ blue jeans,and my MA-1 jacket had not had the leather "distressed".Though I did just use a bath of industrial strength H2O2 and salt to make a Green River Buffalo Skinner I handled with slabs of walnut from the batch Ethan Becker handled the first BK&T knives with(thanks again Ethan)look as if had been left on the praire after skinning a buffler and laid there for a hundred years.It was for a friend to display with his antique flintlock so I figured a shiny blade would look ridiculous in that setting.
 
I'm for polished. This is always sitting on my desk with 3" soft cotton gun patches. I seem to have the Mothers jar open the moment the knife comes out of the mailbox. I do it sitting at my desk watching TV. It's relaxing.

IMG_1863Mothers.jpg
 
I'm with you DeSotaSky, if they weren't supposed to be shiny, why the heck are there so many products out there that do it so well? Don't get me wrong, I use my knives, and they do get tarnished from time to time, but at the end of the day, if I can make it look new again, that's my idea of a good day.

Scott Olson

(by the way, that mothers mag 7 aluminum polish works great doesn't it...piss on brasso, this stuff is the bomb. And it works on a strop to add a polished edge as well)
 
I prefer the polished look, but this thread reminds me that I need to go clean 'em up again!
Cheers, Ed
edh3007
 
My father was a boatman. I learned at a very early age brass was supposed to shine. I had a ships clock in my room when I was young. It was my job to wind it and make sure it shined. 8 Bells, three times a day with all the intermittent bells for good measure. It was a love hate thing back then.

It has stuck with me. I still love brass and my candle lantern, svea 123 stove, 102, and my new 110 are all brass. And they all shine. Perhaps it's a connection to my dad. But I like Brass and because of him, I like it polished and shiny.
 
Good comments and reasoning by all. There is something about the warm, rich look of dark tarnished brass that appeals to me. I guess that's the nice thing about brass, you have two choices.
 
I usually like polished, just gleaming gets me going. But ive got a 2 dot 112 that has a very nice patina and its beautiful. I guess im for both, depending on the knife :o
 
I polished brass insignia with Brasso until I discovered Sta-Brite plated insignia (worth every penny!) - my knives age gracefully! I do wipe them down as I don't want fingerprints forming in the patina. OH
 
I dislike fingerprint marks in the brass, but I only polish the bolsters if the knife has been sitting a while and had a thick uneven tarnishing or green verdigris, my EDC buck 110 doesn't get too tarnished since it's used daily and the constant handling keeps it somewhat shiny.
 
I prefer polished. I polish mine when I first get a knife unless it is new and doesn't need polishing. I work in the autobody painting industry so I use an automotive polish with a microfiber towel. Whenever I notice a bit of tarnish forming I polish it back to a mirror shine before putting in away.
 
well darn it I likes my work knives well worn including the dark brass ....
but fer my ones in the display I likes em shinny !
now some gets that wonderfull gold looking sheen to em ....
that long as it is even and no spots I leave alone with jest a whipe wit a old blue jean patch ...
 
I like to keep everything clean and polished on my knives as much as possible. User knives get enough unavoidable dings and scratches to give them a "used" look as it is. No need to add to that with tarnish and patina that can easily be cleaned. Honestly, the whole patina thing has no appeal to me. It just makes the knife look dirty and unappealing in my opinion. Not the type of thing I want to cut up an apple with or use on any food for that matter.......
 
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I can only think of one knife I own that I wouldn't put a shine to the bolsters or take scratches out of the blade.
That is the Buck 110 that I carried for about 25 years in residential contruction before I retired it.

Everything else gets prettied up when I get a chance. :)
 
JSutter said:
In general I like patina on the blade and a polish on the bolster. :)
Click to expand...

to JSutter.....Uhh....what's a "Radio Jack"? (in your byline) and would I like to have one in my pocket also? :confused:
I couldn't find a relevant answer with Google.....
 
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