First Carbon Steel Knife: Any Tips? (Patina)

Spoutz

Spoutz

Joined
Sep 19, 2010
Messages
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I just won my first carbon steel knife from a give away on here and have no idea how to care for it. Thanks again Mike! It is a Boker Congress with Green Jigged Bone and Carbon Steel blades. I love it but have no idea how to take care of it!

I dont want to avoid patina, but do not want to force it at all. I want a good, honest patina. So what do I need to do to take care of it and have it develop a good, healthy, honest patina over time, and what do I need to avoid cutting to avoid forcing a patina? Thanks Guys!!
 
Let it happen. Use your blade to dice up an apple, but then wipe the blade down after. Don't stress too much about getting it absolutely clean. The blade will start to blue just from opening with your fingers. A natural patina always looks more genuine than a forced one.
 
Use the search term "patina" here in the "Maintenance" forum (as well as in "Traditional") and you'll find out more than you ever wanted to know on both creating, forcing, avoiding or developing patina.

Congrats on your new acquisition.

See if this link works for you...
 
Like Corey said, just let it happen. Forcing a patina would be covering your blade with mustard or setting it in a dish of vinegar to sit overnight. If you're just cutting whatever needs cutting with your knife in the course of a day, that's as natural as it's going to get. Some things will have an effect and some won't but that's part of the fun with it as you see what develops.


-- Nate
 
The biggest thing is to just use and carry it often. When you cut some food item, be sure to wipe the blades dry soon after (this includes beef jerky - ask me how I know). If you're going to not be carrying it for a while, be sure to clean it up and wipe the blades with a little oil. Remember, guys used carbon steel folders for several centuries of hard manual labor and no air conditioning -- they're not delicate. Just don't be OCD about keeping the shiny or oiling it every 10 minutes and you'll be fine. The patina is protection - effectively, it's the carbon steel protecting itself, let it happen. Remember the springs are probably carbon steel too, give them a little wipe with oil too. I usually put what many would consider too much oil on the joints -- canonically, one drop will do, but I usually use two or three - this flushes the joint a bit, gets out along the springs, and gives me some excess to wipe around everywhere with my rag. Oh, and don't oil it every dang night -- once a week is fine it you're using it every day.
 
use it to make a sandwhich , cut some onion , spread some mustard , slice up some tomato or pickles. That should give it a nice unforced patina.
 
Generally a forced patina is one that is made by un natural means, in a specific pattern, or a uniform pattern (as in soaking it in vinegar, or dipping dots of mustard on it). An unforced patina happens as during the course of your day, you cut an apple, or anything else acidic. Even if you clean and oil that shiny new blade every night, you will still get a patina, you just stall the progression.
 
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