'Blade' magazine suggests mustard for your blades

ddean

ddean

Joined
Mar 26, 2002
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Pictures of the result look great.
-Almost- a damascus look in the photos.

'Blade' Sept 2003
page 112-114
by Wayne Goddard

Pat mustard onto the cleaned blade.
Make the application irregular and thinnish.
Let it work 4-8 hours.
Rinse off mustard and shine up with 00000 steel wool
(or 0000 if not the finer grade)
Reapply and shine up 2-3 more times to overlay the patterns.
Last time apply a sealing layer after drying and shining.
Use wax or oil for sealing the patina.

He uses an initial irregular rubbing with 400 grit paper
to give the knife a used look.

Since one of the major ingredients in mustard is vinegar,
I think the mustard is just an easy way to control the
vinegar application to the steel.
Mustard also contains salt, which may contribute to the effect.
 
PDRM0369.JPG


Picture of a mustard patina done by Raymond Richard, one of our own makers here on BFC. Looks beautiful if done right.
 
This has come up several times in the "shop talk" forum here.

I think that your suppositions are correct, and I note that it was mentioned that the cheapest "American" yellow mustard was recommended.

Seems easier that rigging some set-up to immerse the whole blade in vinegar. Less wasteful of foodstuffs too.

Haven't tried it yet though...I can't seem to rember it when the nasty cheap yellow mustard is on sale.
 
plus it has tomatoes - a proven tarnisher...


I wanted to do the mustard finish on the passaround moose knife, but didn't get around to it.

Hmmm.....I think I've got an idea...:D
 
The ingredients in some of the MRE entree packets etch my blades presto pronto. Makes me wonder what it's doing to my innards.:eek:

Sarge
 
Originally posted by donutsrule
Can you use a squeeze bottle of mustard to write your own runes on a blade?:cool:
Click to expand...

I would imagine so. I've squeezed mustard out of the bottle to create different patterns on my khukuris, but I got better results by just globbing it onto the blade and letting it sit for a while.
--Josh
 
I don't know about this whole thread! Won't the blades taste funny after such a treatment??
 
Dear Aardvark,

When was the last time you ate a Khukuri, in a literal or even figurative sense? :eek:

Personally I stop when the teeth hit the horn or wood handles.....
 
I think I have to try this. I need to find a crappy blade to test on before I subject my 16.5 AK to the "hot dog special".
 
Last night I treated a 20" Kobra on one side.
Started with the Birgorkha mirror finish,
cleaned the blade with Softscrub,
rinsed & dried,
dabbed on mustard by patting my finger down the blade
and back up a couple of times.
[mustard varied from very thin to very thick,
next treatment I'll get a picture]
Left it overnight (about 12 hours).
Water & Softscub to clean off the dried mustard.

Very nice. (picture soon, before I overlay with another etch)

I may also try the Evaporust on it to get -all- the active rust off first,
before repeating the mustard.

I was surprised to see that the thickest areas of mustard had no etching
(rusting really)
while the thinnest areas were very well etched.
Opposite what I expected.

Again, very nice.

And, going back to a long ago threaad, very 'tactical.'
 
For specific designs, I can see applying a smooth layer about 1/8" thick,
then scribing or brushing thru the mustard to create the pattern.
Must remember that the thinner, the more etch.
 
I wonder what ketchup would do
Pat mustard onto

Wonder how sourkraut would work. It is acidic and would be easy to shape for writing or designs...or am I just hungry for hotdogs? :rolleyes:
 
good update Ddean. I'd love to see pics when you get the chance. I'm excited to try this out.

I wonder how durable the finish is. (not that it is hard to re-do)
 
Originally posted by Bruz
I wonder what ketchup would do
Pat mustard onto

Wonder how sourkraut would work. It is acidic and would be easy to shape for writing or designs...or am I just hungry for hotdogs? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
It certainly answers the question of what I'm to do with all these bbq/picnic leftovers from July 4th.;)
 
Originally posted by ddean
...I was surprised to see that the thickest areas of mustard had no etching (rusting really)while the thinnest areas were very well etched. Opposite what I expected.

...Must remember that the thinner, the more etch.
Click to expand...

Actually, that was my first thought upon reading Goddard's article.

The reason it works by dabbing and not by just squeezing it on, is that in order to rust/tarnish, it needs to oxidize - which means it needs exposure to oxygen to react.

Think of it this way: Goddard's finish came because he made little "peaks" by dabbing the mustard on. This left highly irregular loops. Several times overlaid - a nice, almost damascus-like finish.

Now, if you were to coat the entire surface and "draw" a design with a thin wire, then you would get something similar to that design.

However, I think you would want the randomness effect, as the above method will look amateurish rather than aged.

my 0.02
 
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