Get A Deep Even Black Patina On 1095 Carbon Steel

Rick said:
Thanks!

Another note: I was telling my wife about this post, and she asked me which apple cider vinegar I used. I said "What? We have more than one kind?" to which she replied "Yep. The Heinz is the good stuff...."
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Word. :-)

Thanks for the additional picture and information.

~ P.
 
While attempting to fine tune the blackening process, I was looking at a nicely darkened vinegar-soaked blade, thinking "if it would only stay this black and even when it dries" and it (finally) occurred to me that the goal is to neutralize the acidic oxidization process while it's still wet. So, I turned on the cold tap to a trickle and let the water wash away the vinegar: Bingo! No need to wipe off the blade in a hit or miss attempt to avoid streaking - the cold water rinse does the trick beautifully. Just dry the knife thoroughly when you're done (I used a hair dryer), oil it up and you're good to go.

GEC26Sleeveboardblackened.jpg
 
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Looks great Rick :thumbup: I need to give it a go one of these days.

Nathan
 
Thank you for the explanation, Rick. Maybe I gonna try it out (with an Opinel or something like that).


Kind regards
Andi
 
Interesting, I tried this with a Case knife in CV, and a Boker Air Force Survival in SK-5 and didn't have much luck. I'll have to give the water trick a shot.
 
Be sure to clean the steel very thoroughly before you start treating it with the hot vinegar. Lighter fluid does a great job.

Also, assure that the vinegar is very hot; at least simmering and steaming. And be patient. Sometimes it takes a while for the steel to darken evenly. At first, it may just become unevenly stained and blotchy, but if you keep at it, it will turn an even inky black.
 
Very cool Rick. It makes sense thats the last step when you cold blue :)

Acetone seems to be the best degreaser I have found.
 
Rick,
thanks for linking me to this thread. For mysterious reasons, I had missed it.
I will give it a try on some cheaper knife, before I try it on my upcoming GEC. Your #72 and #26 look awesome, and I'm really looking forward to see what I can achieve.
As a sidenote...have you tried balsamic vinegar? or white wine vinegar? cause it seems to be more acidic and somehow cleaner (not the balsamic).
Thank you again :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
quattromori said:
Rick,
thanks for linking me to this thread. For mysterious reasons, I had missed it.
I will give it a try on some cheaper knife, before I try it on my upcoming GEC. Your #72 and #26 look awesome, and I'm really looking forward to see what I can achieve.
As a sidenote...have you tried balsamic vinegar? or white wine vinegar? cause it seems to be more acidic and somehow cleaner (not the balsamic).
Thank you again :)

Fausto
:cool:
Click to expand...

White vinegar will work Fausto. Here is an excerpt from a post I ran some time ago regarding a harness jack that I have. Note the coloring/patina of the blade after ...... well, read the excerpt and look at the picture.

On Saturday, 22 January 2011 I went to a ranch roughly 25-miles South of town to help butcher pigs. The rancher provided breakfast and lunch. For lunch the main course was of course pork -- pork chops, pork roast, pulled pork. I like a little white vinegar sprinkled over my pork and since I only had this Harness Jack with me, I used it to cut the vinegared pork. This is what the knife looked like the next day -- a heavy, even, patina from the white vinegar and I'm sure from some pig skinning/blood.

gecnfharnessjackburntst.jpg


I can't comment on balsamic vinegar. I've never tried it and haven't seen the results of anyone else using it.
 
Ed, thanks for your answer. Nice patina you got there on your HJ :)
I just want to be sure about something. To my knowledge, there's difference between white vinegar and (white) wine vinegar. The first one is almost non existent here, while the second one is very common. I have no idea of how common they are in the US...so that's why I'm asking.

Fausto
:cool:
 
I just went and looked at a bottle in our refridgerator. It is "Distilled White Vinegar". That is what worked on the pictured knife. I'm afraid I can't make a comment as to "White Wine Vinegar".
 
Ed,
thanks for your answer. I was guessing it would be that way. Either way, I'm tempted to try the wine vinegar patina... :rolleyes:

Fausto
:cool:
 
Fausto, I have tried balsamic and white (not wine) vinegar, but cider seems to produce the darkest and most uniform oxidation for me, though it's possible that I achieved better results due to improved technique rather than the specific type of vinegar. Variables in temperature, treatment duration and steel finish/cleanliness make it difficult to know for sure, but I'm two for two on achieving an almost gun-blued look with cider vinegar. As Ed sez, it never hurts to experiment.
 
Rick,
thanks for the feedback. I asked because apple cider vinegar is pretty uncommon here.
And yes, I'm surely looking forward to experiment :rolleyes:

Fausto
:cool:
 
I have had good results with soaking a whole knife in warmish Coca Cola. Get a dark gray patina. Smells good too. What I do is soak for about 10 minutes initially, buff off loose patina with fine steel wool, soak again. As the acid gets neutralised with time, longer and longer soaks are required. Change Coke after about 5 soaks or so. Coke is cheaper than cider vinegar where I am.
 
are those wharncliffe backlocks available anywhere? couldn't find any with wooden handles in the places I know.
 
Gotta try this on my CV Sodbuster JR. That black blade with yellow handles would look pretty good I think.
 
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