I suppose it all depends on the collectability of the knife or how one would use it, let's say for collectability in this case. Take a dirty old knife and maybe add some rust to the carbon steel blade. What is the best cleaning method to keep the patina - I am guessing we'd want to keep the patina, right?
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oh - do you mind sharing?
nah - not interested in that. Thanks. I just like the looks on mine for me, not interested in trickery. I am not a seller.
Evan Wilson
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I found a few links that might be helpful though I don't know much in the way of forcing a patina on a knife,hope these help.
as i under stand it you would be trying to force and control oxidation of the steel.
link one:https://www.theknifehub.com/patina/
link two:https://knifesharpeningexpert.com/patina-on-knives-understanding-the-pros-and-cons/
video link 1:
video link 2:
video link 3:
as i under stand it you would be trying to force and control oxidation of the steel.
link one:https://www.theknifehub.com/patina/
link two:https://knifesharpeningexpert.com/patina-on-knives-understanding-the-pros-and-cons/
video link 1:
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If 'cleaning' means removing red rust while saving the durable black oxide patina, you can do that by scrubbing the blade with baking soda. The baking soda is abrasive enough to scrub most of the softer & loosely-attached red oxide (rust) away, but still not hard enough to remove the durable black oxide ('patina').
You can also alter the existing patina simply by using the blade to cut acidic fruits. I sliced some red grapes with a 'Carbone' Opinel a few years ago, while testing the edge sharpness. With each grape sliced, the patina would change & shift. ( Edited to add: ) I also rubbed the grape halves over the blade to spread the patina around. After doing that and then scrubbing the blade with baking soda, the more loosely attached red rust and some of the black oxide will come off. Baking soda will also neutralize the acidity of the juices still on the blade, which minimizes additional rusting. Clean & dry the blade thoroughly after that. (End edit) The more even gray patina that's left behind will be what rightly belongs there, and it'll be more durable. This is how that Opinel looks in more recent days - the patina has held up very nicely.
You can also alter the existing patina simply by using the blade to cut acidic fruits. I sliced some red grapes with a 'Carbone' Opinel a few years ago, while testing the edge sharpness. With each grape sliced, the patina would change & shift. ( Edited to add: ) I also rubbed the grape halves over the blade to spread the patina around. After doing that and then scrubbing the blade with baking soda, the more loosely attached red rust and some of the black oxide will come off. Baking soda will also neutralize the acidity of the juices still on the blade, which minimizes additional rusting. Clean & dry the blade thoroughly after that. (End edit) The more even gray patina that's left behind will be what rightly belongs there, and it'll be more durable. This is how that Opinel looks in more recent days - the patina has held up very nicely.
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Evan Wilson
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no problem I don't patina knives so I have not looked much into it,sorry they were not much help.
I just ordered a carbon Opinel - fab quality, good value little French knives.If 'cleaning' means removing red rust while saving the durable black oxide patina, you can do that by scrubbing the blade with baking soda. The baking soda is abrasive enough to scrub most of the softer & loosely-attached red oxide (rust) away, but still not hard enough to remove the durable black oxide ('patina').
You can also alter the existing patina simply by using the blade to cut acidic fruits. I sliced some red grapes with a 'Carbone' Opinel a few years ago, while testing the edge sharpness. With each grape sliced, the patina would change & shift. After scrubbing the blade with baking soda, some of the more loosely attached red and black oxide will come off. The more even gray patina that's left behind will be what rightly belongs there, and it'll be more durable. This is how that Opinel looks in more recent days - the patina has held up very nicely.
I had three pinched from work so just replacing it because I remember how useful and tough they are.
Even the stainless Opinels are great and use good quality Swedish Sandvik steel.
I`ll second baking soda - it`s an all round toolkit chemical - good for a multitude of jobs - gentle but effective.
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Just experiment with mustard a little bit.
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Either way. I've usually used a little bit of water with it, when scrubbing. So a paste consistency is the result. And I'll continuously rinse the blade under running water while doing this, applying more of the baking soda as needed. The baking soda will discolor to red/brown/black, so long as there's some oxide still coming off. When the paste starts looking cleaner after scrubbing, that's the cue it has done all it can do. Use an old toothbrush for scrubbing. Wet the bristles of the brush and dip it into a small container of the baking soda, picking it up on the bristles. That's an easy way to do it.
By golly - I have a kit I bought for metal detecting, it is different grades and shapes of eraser type things made for cleaning up stuff you find while swinging. Good call.
eveled
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Ok. Sounds like tgat might be good.
To be clear I meant use the pencil lead not the eraser. I like to use the big wide carpentry pencils. Its like a scraper tgat only removes rust and other crud.
some of these are hard like a like a pencil lead, there is an eraser one and a brass tip and a ceramic (maybe, its white) tipped. Pocketful of little options. Didn't even think about that kit.
I tell you what will get rid of the rust without stripping the patina or harming the handle - a mild acid like a solution of citric acid (with water) , lemon juice or white vinegar; just be sure to rinse and dry thoroughly after use.If 'cleaning' means removing red rust while saving the durable black oxide patina, you can do that by scrubbing the blade with baking soda. The baking soda is abrasive enough to scrub most of the softer & loosely-attached red oxide (rust) away, but still not hard enough to remove the durable black oxide ('patina').
You can also alter the existing patina simply by using the blade to cut acidic fruits. I sliced some red grapes with a 'Carbone' Opinel a few years ago, while testing the edge sharpness. With each grape sliced, the patina would change & shift. ( Edited to add: ) I also rubbed the grape halves over the blade to spread the patina around. After doing that and then scrubbing the blade with baking soda, the more loosely attached red rust and some of the black oxide will come off. Baking soda will also neutralize the acidity of the juices still on the blade, which minimizes additional rusting. Clean & dry the blade thoroughly after that. (End edit) The more even gray patina that's left behind will be what rightly belongs there, and it'll be more durable. This is how that Opinel looks in more recent days - the patina has held up very nicely.
Also if you have scorch marks on a stainless or carbon steel pan you can get rid of them just using cold vinegar - any will do as long as it isn`t a coloured vinegar like red wine vinegar that`ll stain the wood handle on some knives or pans.