Initially, I strip the blade down with the spray, find heavy duty cleaning gloves, and then remove the coating with coarse steel wool until I have to take a break from the burn. Using steel wool to remove the coating gives a more well-rounded look for the steel:
Next, I boil or microwave apple cider vinegar and pour it into a glass vase big enough for the blade to be fully submerged.
Leave the blade in the hot vinegar for approx 30mins in the beginning, then every 10 minutes for a few hours, run the blade under cool water and place it back inside the vinegar. When the vinegar begins to cool off, remove blade and reheat.
Hang the blade to dry, gently wipe down with a cloth and remove the loose, very black top layer of patina, then repeat this process once or twice more.
After repeating this process, instead of hanging it to dry, lightly take your finger and make brushstrokes on both sides of the blade and blow cool air to quickly but gently make it dry.
Do these steps however number of times you like to get the blade to your liking. Use softer steel wool to blend ridges and to remove orange rust.
Modify to your liking and have fun with it.
