Forcing a patina (gone wrong?)

W

West Šenkovec

Joined
Jan 19, 2013
Messages
48
Hi!
I cleaned up this axe with sandpaper and taped the edge off to force a patina on the rest.

ibb.co

IMG-20211129-225346 hosted at ImgBB

Image IMG-20211129-225346 hosted in ImgBB
ibb.co ibb.co

I used mustard and I prepped the surface with alcohol. I let it sit maybe half an hour. When I checked it it had an orange tint so I cleaned it off.
Is this semi-stainless or what's the problem?
As you can se, instead of getting darker it developed surface rust.
 
I can clean it up, that's not a concern.
I want to know why it's happening so I know for the future or how to do it right.
 
crbnSteeladdict said:
IMG-20211129-225346.jpg
Click to expand...
yeah can't see that one either.....

Screenshot_20211129-204913_Samsung Internet.jpg
 
West Šenkovec said:
The link works for me. Maybe they were maintaining the site.
Click to expand...
I can only see the pic posted here by crbnsteeladdict. regardless...is the black patches from the patina attempt or was it rust already there before trying to force a patina? trying to understand what I'm lookin at? thank you
 
jbmonkey said:
I can only see the pic posted here by crbnsteeladdict. regardless...is the black patches from the patina attempt or was it rust already there before trying to force a patina? trying to understand what I'm lookin at? thank you
Click to expand...

The black patches are patina or from forging. I have no idea. It was there when I got it and I would have take off a lot of metal to get it smooth. It's not worth it.

As you can see, the edge region is clean while the rear of the head has an orange tint. That's rust from the mustard. I taped the front part off so there's a line.

The steel didn't get darker from the mustard, it developed fine surface rust.
 
Could be that there is too much water in your mustard. I believe what actually creates the patina is the vinegar, and if the mustard has too much water it oxidizes and creates red iron oxide instead.

I would use citric acid or vinegar to clean off the iron oxide and then try the vinegar only to force a patina.
 
darsk20 said:
Could be that there is too much water in your mustard. I believe what actually creates the patina is the vinegar, and if the mustard has too much water it oxidizes and creates red iron oxide instead.

I would use citric acid or vinegar to clean off the iron oxide and then try the vinegar only to force a patina.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I'll try it.
It wasn't classic mustard that has a constancy like ketchup. It's some a bit more fancy and chunky so maybe that's it.

I heard people use hot sauce too because it has vinegar.
 
please post pics when done curious how it turns out. thank you
 
I tried 9% alcohol vinegar on a small spot after sanding one side and the result was very similar so I'm giving up.
I have some rust removing solution that will eat up the surface rust and I'll sand it a bit to get a satin finish and I'll leave it like that.
Silicone spray is cheap. I'll spray it from time to time to prevent rust.
 
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