Having Fun With Buck's 5160

pjsjr

pjsjr

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I received this 118 in 5160 last week. Posted photos in the most recent Sunday Picture Show, so you can see what it looked like before the fun began.

A little background...I have several knives in carbon steel and they have a patina on them. They look rather uninspiring. While surfing the web I ran across some pictures of a carbon steel blade that someone had done and it looked like colored case hardened, I liked it. I think member Darkera(not sure if spelled right) has done this also. The directions were simple enough I decided to try it.

Here's what you do...clean the blade, I used acetone. Put globs of mustard, mayo, ketchup and BBQ sauce...yes, I'm not kidding! The article had brand names but I couldn't find it again, so used what I had. Leave on for 30-60 minutes, wash and clean and re-apply. I did four separate applications and alternated the spacing and globs. Preston

Here's the result...



 
Nice job Preston. A scotch brite pad is a good eraser if you don't like the effect or want to try something different.

I was torn between a 5160 and a CPM-154 blade for my 560 "mule". I decided I would force a patina on the 5160. I didn't want anything fancy though. My plan was to cover the whole blade in mustard for an even charcoal finish. I decided a small snack size zip lock bag, a squirt of French's and an hour or so in the bag.
Well... the hour turned into almost 2 days. Yeah, I was distracted with something else and forgot about it. I pulled it out, cleaned it up and noticed some pitting happening. Not just pitting though... Tell me what you see here:



The blur is somewhat intentional to show what I can best describe as a bruise.


Here's the nice crisp photo.


I don't know what to make of this. Yes... I shouldn't have left it in the mustard for that long, I know. What do our metallurgy philosophers think about this.
 
Looking good! I like how it developed its own unique design
 
Definitely! There's pitting, not simple oxidation.

These photos are after a good washing and a 2k grit sanding. Those are holes in the metal.
The "bruise" has pitting at the blade side of the circle, but the surface is unmarked other than the patina.
 
That mustard should have toxic signage...at the least awarning label:D Preston
 
Mustard components can seperate on storage, like catsup. If you didn't stir it up before use, you might have found a pocket of a good oxidizer.
 
Is it more likely that my mustard has issues than the metal has issues?
 
brownshoe said:
Mustard components can seperate on storage, like catsup. If you didn't stir it up before use, you might have found a pocket of a good oxidizer.
Click to expand...

Seriously, I was jokingly going to say that to Mt_Pokt, thought better of it and didn't! Preston
 
I tried all sorts of stuff including mustard, catsup, apples and potatoes. I used Apple Cider Vinegar for the most part. It took more effort than I though it would to patina 5160. That's not a bad thing. In the end, I went for a a more even grayish look.

 
MT_Pokt said:
Definitely! There's pitting, not simple oxidation.

These photos are after a good washing and a 2k grit sanding. Those are holes in the metal.
The "bruise" has pitting at the blade side of the circle, but the surface is unmarked other than the patina.
Click to expand...
isnt that kinda going against the whole idea of a forced a patina....a layer of protection to maybe slow down rust and pitting?

i get why folks like forced patina, but ive found it to be a poor protection for rust myself in use. i prefer it to happen over time and use on its own myself. course i prefer steel to stay shiny and look like steel so i go the other direction on trying to prevent patina and rust corrosion etc.
 
It is interesting the differences that various condiments make on patination. They each bring out different colors, as can be seen in the OP's knife. I have tried them all, at one time or another. I have never tried this mixing technique, though. Looks great.
 
I'm still trying to find the article that stated the brands used. I think it would be interesting to see if that would make a difference. The carbon steel used would most likely have an effect too. Preston
 
I'm not an expert on this but potatoes might inhibit patina. I have an old wooden tackle box that has written inside to put lures in water potatoes were boiled in to protect the lures from rust.

Leaving it too long was the problem. I did the same thing removing rust. I put my grandfathers wood plane in vinegar and forgot about it before I left town for a few days. The vinegar desolved the female adjuster threads and made the male threads razor sharp.
 
pjsjr said:
I received this 118 in 5160 last week. Posted photos in the most recent Sunday Picture Show, so you can see what it looked like before the fun began.

A little background...I have several knives in carbon steel and they have a patina on them. They look rather uninspiring. While surfing the web I ran across some pictures of a carbon steel blade that someone had done and it looked like colored case hardened, I liked it. I think member Darkera(not sure if spelled right) has done this also. The directions were simple enough I decided to try it.

Here's what you do...clean the blade, I used acetone. Put globs of mustard, mayo, ketchup and BBQ sauce...yes, I'm not kidding! The article had brand names but I couldn't find it again, so used what I had. Leave on for 30-60 minutes, wash and clean and re-apply. I did four separate applications and alternated the spacing and globs. Preston

Here's the result...



Click to expand...
This is awesome! Well done!
 
Copper & Clad said:
This is awesome! Well done!
Click to expand...

Thank you, for the compliment and for the 118 in 5160. The fit and finish is excellent!

Being that the handle is Cocobolo, I thought that the guard and pommel would be brass. Not so, it's nickle-silver and works so well, I like it better...great looking knife. Preston
 
I need t post pictures of my 119 5160. I've been using it and really like it. I haven't played with the 105 yet.
 
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