Fabulous Patina - By Accident!

[HoosierQ]

I have a Fiskars Camp Ax. It's been hanging in my storage room, no climate control for about a year. Prior to that it was in the trunk of my car. The whole time it was in the nylon sheath that is lined with some sort of fiber as far as I can tell.

Pulled it out and one one side only, there was an absolutely black patina. There were some crusty, almost moist little blisters on there...not a single speck of red rust...none. I scraped off the gunk with a drywall sander that I use to convex and that coal black patina hung on. It looks great. I'll get a pic.

So what I'm doing now is using mustard to get the other side black. Obviously it won't look the same but I cannot imagine what did this. Is there something in drywall that would impart a patina?

 

[AxisFan]

Only if it was Chinese drywall that was imported into south Florida a few years back.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Apparently sulfur (compounds thereof) in cheaply-manufactured drywall is corrosive to metal, which could explain oxidation of blade steel:

From Wiki ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drywall#High_sulfur_drywall_illness_and_corrosion_issues ):
(bolded emphasis added)

"A substantial amount of defective drywall was imported into the United States from China and incorporated into tens of thousands of homes during rebuilding in 2006 and 2007 following Hurricane Katrina and in other places. Complaints included foul odor, health effects, and corrosion of metal within the structure. This is caused by the emission of sulfurous gases. The same drywall was sold in Asia without problems resulting, but U.S. homes are built much more tightly than homes in China, with less ventilation.

Volatile sulfur compounds, including hydrogen sulfide, have been detected as emissions from the imported drywall and may be linked to health problems. These compounds are emitted from many different types of drywall, and at least one investigation has pointed to high levels being emitted from drywalls manufactured in the United States.[18]

Coal-fired power stations include devices called "scrubbers" to remove sulfur from their exhaust emissions. The sulfur is absorbed by powdered limestone in a process called flue-gas desulfurization (FGD), which produces a number of new substances. One is called "FGD gypsum". This is commonly used in drywall construction in the United States and elsewhere.[19][20]

A number of lawsuits are underway in many jurisdictions, but many of the sheets of drywall are simply marked, "Made in China", thus making identification of the manufacturer difficult. An investigation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, CPSC, was underway in 2009.[21] In November 2009, the CPSC reported a "strong association" between Chinese drywall and corrosion of pipes and wires reported by thousands of homeowners in the United States."

And from the FTC (Federal Trade Commission, at this site --> http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0124-tests-defective-drywall ):

"The Federal Interagency Task Force has performed significant testing of drywall and homes, and found a strong association between the problem drywall, the hydrogen sulfide levels in homes with that drywall, and corrosion in those homes."

And the Consumer Product Safety Commission details where issues with problem drywall have been reported (in 43 states), here:
http://www.cpsc.gov/Safety-Educatio...pics/Where-has-problem-drywall-been-reported/

"To date, the CPSC has received about 3,952 reports from residents in 43 States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico who believe their health symptoms or the corrosion of certain metal components in their homes are related to the presence of drywall produced in China."

David

 

[Sadden]

Ive seen hydrogen sulfide turn a guys keys black.

 

[HoosierQ]

Got picks. This was shiny, almost chrome-ish looking. It's one of the older ones, nearly 20 years old. The newer ones have a different surface finish. This is really on there. What you see is left after a light sanding to get the crusty stuff off and give the edge a light convexing. If I could do this to carbon steel knives, I would seriously go into the patina business. Jet black...no rust.

 

[pertinux]

Got picks. This was shiny, almost chrome-ish looking.

Very cool! Thanks for the thread, and the pictures. :thumbup:

~ P.