D2 patina question

tuffthumbz

tuffthumbz

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I tried to put a forced patina on my 201 D2....not much happend.
Im not an expert on steels but i know 1095 works great for patina, so i decided to play around with my beat up BM activator, and no results.....some colors appeared but its very faint. Anything im doing wrong? or can it not be done with D2?
thanks
-geoff
 
D2 has a pretty high chromium content at 12% for a carbon steel. Really, it's on the verge of being considered stainless, which usually has chromium content of 14% and up.

I think it'd be very hard to get a patina going on D2, IMO.
 
I've done it, takes a while though. I soaked it in pure vinegar for about 3-4 hours. It doesn't take nearly as dark of one as compared to less chrome steels/alloys, D2 only takes a deep gray.
 
interesting..i used musterd and it was on there almost 13 hours. ill try the vinigar.
thanks
 
As has been pointed out, D2 is on the edge of the "stainless" category.

I have several Queen pocket knives in D2. They spot, but don't really form a patina.
 
2 suggestions: Warm it slightly 1st, and seal it in tupperware or something similar. The chemical reaction can smell terrible, and strong.
Here are pics of a satin d2 grip I patina'ed. The etching was practically invisible before the patina process.
attachment.php
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Besides the cool factor.... does the patina really has a protective action preventing rust? I mean, can I neglect a bit the blade care if it has a patina?
 
a 1 to 3 or 1 to 4 ferric chloride and water works in under a minute but you have to be careful and neutralize it with baking soda. Ferric Chloride is a motherboard echant that you can usually pick up at RadioShack. Keep a light coat of mineral oil on it after and no real issues. As mentioned D2 is borderline Stainless 12% chromium (non-stainless) versus 13% chromium (stainless). The vinegar or fecl etch won't make it more prone to rust its almost there on its own. It does help on straight carbon steel with no chrome.
The ferric chloride will come out a hair darker than samhain73's blade there. Whichever you do make sure you degrease it first! One blade I did in D2 still has my thumbprint etched on it!
 
ikiddp9 said:
Besides the cool factor.... does the patina really has a protective action preventing rust? I mean, can I neglect a bit the blade care if it has a patina?
Click to expand...

Sort of... I had a 1095 Queen that had a patina, which I didn't take care of as much as my other blades. Eventually still formed rust spots from moisture in the air. Then again, that's 1095, D2 is semi-stainless and should be relatively ok.
 
I used mustard on my Outcast without a problem. Left it on over night. I put it on heavy in some areas and light in others to create a pattern.
 
I put a patina on my D2 Para buy leaving it in vinegar for over 8 hours. It still is very light BUT it has been doing its job fine and I haven't had any rust problems since I put the patina on.

P1070318.jpg

P1070202.jpg
 
Vicarious Reality, with polished D2 if you take care of it your grand kids might see it start to take on a patina:p
 
Hot-foot it down to your local 'organic' gardening supply and pick up a spray bottle of 20% vinegar (the stuff in the supermarket is 5%). Took 20 minutes to patina a CS Trail Hawk.
 
cramsey3006 said:
D2 has a pretty high chromium content at 12% for a carbon steel.
Click to expand...
It's the amount of free chromium that defines steel stain resistance. D2 has about 1.5-1-8% Carbon. Percentages are quite a bit misleading, molar mass(or atom count) tells better story.

So, in the end it all depends how much chromium is left free, not tied up in carbides. And it's not gonna be 10.5% free chromium, as in 12%Cr-1.5%C.
It's per atom, and there's fewer atoms of Cr in D2, because Cr is heavier than C. Plus, singe atom of Carbon bonds with multiple atoms of other elements to form carbide, how many depends on carbide type and specific element.
D2 steel composition in molar mass.
 
The best way to force a patina is not to immerse the blade in vinegar. Yes, it will work, but oxidation (what a patina is) will occur much faster with the presence of oxygen.

I suggest you soak a paper towel in vinegar and lightly wrap it around the blade. If you wrap it flatly enough you won't get funny streaks/designs, unless that is what you are going for.

As for D2 getting a patina I have no comment as I've never used that steel. But I used the above method with 1095 and got results in 15 minutes.
 
Sodium hydroxide gel drain cleaner will get it done. No matter the knife, when I open a jug and get some on the blades, it immediately attacks the metal of my stainless knives and will rust them in hours. D2 would be child's play.

Muriatic acid does nicely on good stainless, and will discolor your blades in short order. This is sold in the pool maintenance area of many vendors.

Another would be Trisodium Phosphate, sold as "TSP" in the paint department of home improvement stores. It is sold to clean and etch paint to prepare for new paint. It also works wonders on cleaning driveways, etc.

And no, beginning the corrosion process by etching into the surface of metal blade, discoloring the metal by staining it with acids, or allowing a light coating of rust will not protect the blade. How could it? Think about it; you are simply corroding the metal, speeding up the oxidizing process.

The resultant coloration or micro pitting is not a protective barrier of any sort, although many here stand behind the fact that the initial corrosion they start by eating into the metal with their favorite acids somehow forms a blocking defense to further corrosion.

You have added nothing, nor left anything behind (except damage to the surface of metal) when you etch with acids or alkalies. The resultant discoloration simply makes the resultant damage from regular everyday use harder to detect.

http://www.corrosionist.com/definition_of_corrosion.htm

I think the knives look better when they have a patina myself, but I prefer the knives earn them. The only thing I don't like about stainless is the fact that the blades never get to the straw colored, blue colored, or even grays that tell the story of years of use. My 20 - 30 year old carbon CASE knives sure do. They seem to have more character someway, more soul. Even my oldest stainless knives that have suffered years of job site use just don't have that same feel for me. I use my stainless knives more simply because of corrosion resistance, but really prefer to use my old carbon blades.

My stainless knives are just tools, even the ones I have had for years. My old carbon knives are more like old friends, and I love it when I get a chance to carry them.

Robert
 
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The Queen knives I have in polished D2 have a kind or orange peel look, these get spots on them, blood or onion seems to stain them somewhat.

The brushed finish blades don't seem to darken or spot much at all, odd.
 
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