Blade patina, yea or nay?

[Zip7]

Well if you want an honest instant patina, just take a brand new 1095 knife and cut up a mango into little pieces. You get tasty fruit snack + nice patina the honest way, and in less than 30 minutes.

2-3 mangoes for Case CV.

 

[willis]

mnblade I'll agree with what you said about the quick patina,I just like all the colors that come with the slow way.

 

[sixgunner455]

Well, I was raised on carbon steel pocket and sheath knives. And my father told me that they are supposed to stain up. He started "zone heat treats" on the blades he makes, and doing a light acid etch to see the line. Leaves them kind of grey. Doesn't do it to all of them now, but when he first started, it was pretty neat to see the demarcation line.

I didn't like my knives to be stained up. I wanted them to look shiny and new, and fought a battle to clean them off. I used erasers, buffers, etc, and finally convinced him to let me have a stainless knife.

Well, I found after using those for some time, that they are good, too, but I missed carbon steel. Stainless even shows its age by scratches and so forth, which is still honest wear, but not as attractive to me. So here I am now, with a carbon steel pocket knife in my pocket, and it has a natural patina. It has cut up fruit, and meat, and bread, and on and on, and even though I just got it a few weeks ago, it is getting quite dark, and the splotchies are evening out.

 

[mnblade]

Well if you want an honest instant patina, just take a brand new 1095 knife and cut up a mango into little pieces. You get tasty fruit snack + nice patina the honest way, and in less than 30 minutes.

Is that an honest patina? I mean, if you're cutting up fruit with the express intention of staining the blade, does it count? Would it count if you're thinking about baseball while doing it, not esoteric matters like if a patina is honest or natural or "earned?"

Actually, all of the user carbon steel knives I currently own (an Old Timer Middleman Jack, and yellow Case Soddie Jr. and a trapper) were patinaed this way, by cutting up fruit. Not with a mustard rub, potato stab or vinegar bath - nope, I just ate some tasty apples.

On one hand you could call this a "natural," or earned patina. But what if I told you I'd washed the blades and wiped 'em down with rubbing alcohol before getting after those apples? And what if I admitted that I intentionally let the blades sit all covered in apple bits and juice for awhile before cleaning and oiling them? And what if I admitted that I would rather have been eating corn chips or beef jerky? Oh, man, will I ever find some way to deal with the shame of it all!?

 

[Bob W]

Is that an honest patina? I mean, if you're cutting up fruit with the express intention of staining the blade, does it count? Would it count if you're thinking about baseball while doing it, not esoteric matters like if a patina is honest or natural or "earned?"

Actually, all of the user carbon steel knives I currently own (an Old Timer Middleman Jack, and yellow Case Soddie Jr. and a trapper) were patinaed this way, by cutting up fruit. Not with a mustard rub, potato stab or vinegar bath - nope, I just ate some tasty apples.

On one hand you could call this a "natural," or earned patina. But what if I told you I'd washed the blades and wiped 'em down with rubbing alcohol before getting after those apples? And what if I admitted that I intentionally let the blades sit all covered in apple bits and juice for awhile before cleaning and oiling them? And what if I admitted that I would rather have been eating corn chips or beef jerky? Oh, man, will I ever find some way to deal with the shame of it all!?

That's an incredible moral dilemma, worthy of a Star Trek episode or Bible parable.

Thanks for the chuckle.

 

[John Schedel]

You guys don't have enough to do!

 

[ElCuchillo]

I've been using my CV Stockman every night with dinner, and it's patina is coming along real well. And yes, it is an honest patina, because I am not using it to patinize it. I am using it so I can eat.


Patinize? Is that a word?

 

[Franciscomv]

I have no rational reason to justify my love for blade patina, it just looks nice. I guess it offers some corrotion protection, but if that were my main concern I'd just switch to stainless blades.

I keep my knives sharp, clean and oiled. But I love to see how the blade begins to darken with use, it makes me enjoy using my knives even more. Last night I did an asado (Argentine combination of grilling meat and male religious ritual) for fifteen people using a new custom knife for everything from chopping veggies for sauces to cutting wood and I was just thrilled to see how it began to change colours, as if it were alive.

So, in a nutshell, my main reason to find blade patina "desirable" is that it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy when I look at my knives.

 

[jacknife]

I like a patina on carbon blades and I don't care how it gets there.
I usually get the vinegar out right away as I like a nice even finish
from the start, after that it doesn't matter as nature takes its course.

I've a carbon kitchen knife that I deliberately left to patina naturally.
It looks horrible :barf: spots and blotches everywhere even now after a couple of years daily use.

 

[Thomason]

I had started to post in this thread a couple of times. Once I even had three paragraphs typed up and ready to go and then decided not to post it. Then here comes Jackknife and says everything I was thinking in just a few words.

I like a patina on carbon blades and I don't care how it gets there.

 

[KnifeHead]

I had started to post in this thread a couple of times. Once I even had three paragraphs typed up and ready to go and then decided not to post it. Then here comes Jackknife and says everything I was thinking in just a few words.

Yea, me three.

I am guilty of "Forced Patina" (acid etch on Blues avatar). I don't think I can stop. It's a really difficult habit to break, and I am in the process of doing more. I think I need help.

 

[jay9398]

The best part of putting a patina on a blade artificially is being caught by your wife. To her credit, when she catches me apply apple vinegar to knife blades, she just turns around and goes back in the other room.

 

[smitty0331]

I would have to say yea.

 

[willis]

Now y'all have gotten me wondering if mine is an induced instead of acquired patina if i purposely choose the type of apple based as much on its acidity as taste,or if I'm cheating if I spread juice from the apple every where on the blade to even out the patinaI reckon i'll go eat a orange and try to decide!This is the kind of argument(or philosophical disagreement if you will) a fellow can engage in without posting links to sources,pissing others off,being a history major with a minor in historical minutia,or come out sounding like a 5 year old talking about sex with Hugh Hefner because what you are trying to say don't come out in you post. As has happened to me the few times I have tried to express my views in some other forums and my typing finger can't keep up with my thoughts and I ended up sounding like another person after I read my post.Anyway thanks to the guy that started this thread and all who gave thier input on this highly controversial and important topic.:thumbup:

 

[sixgunner455]

Being that I just got a new CV knife in the mail today, this is a very important thing to ponder, as I play with/examine my new toy/implement -- do I continue as I have, and just let things develop as they normally do on these things? Do I attempt to keep it shiny and new looking? Or do I experiment with a potato, heat up some vinegar, or get even more creative?

Wise men consider such things, as their new knives sit on a table in front of them, awaiting duty.

 

[jacknife]

Whatever you do you end up with a 'real' patina in the end.

I see a little vinegar to start with as 'preparing the canvas'

Once the undercoats on its all good. :thumbup:

 

[stevekt]

I never do any thing to the blade other than Clean, Oil, and Sharpen.

What ever patina it does get is with time and use.

I agree. Regular maintenance will protect a blade better than any purposely induced staining. The knife will stain over time no matter how well it is taken care of, no sense rushing what will happen eventually.

 

[Thomason]

Potato induced patina on Ray Kirk knife in progress.

 

[stockman242]

Potato induced patina on Ray Kirk knife in progress.

Great:thumbup: you have to show us the blade once it's done.

Peter

 

[Blues]

Potato induced patina on Ray Kirk knife in progress.

Looks like that interesting tuber, knifus potatocus, known to pop up in widely divergent locales. Knife must be an Eye Brand.

(With apologies to my good friend Ray Kirk. )