Is it possible to put a Patina on S30V?

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I've done lots of research, some say it's impossible, some say it's possible just because not all stainless steel is truly stainless. It will corrode eventually.

Well, I've tried Mustard, Lime Juice, Lemon Juice, Vinegar all in vain.
Nothing seems to work.

Is this something that only Carbon steel can do in a normal setting or would keeping my knife coated in mustard for a week eventually produce some sort of result?
Or do I need something stronger?

Or maybe, it just isn't doable.
Any opinions?

This is for a Sage 1, btw.
 
This is not exactly a patina, it's more of an acid etch I guess.

This is my Sage2 in S30v with an acid stonewash, done by So-Lo

antiquesage3.jpg


antiquesage4.jpg
 
5.56 said:
This is not exactly a patina, it's more of an acid etch I guess.

This is my Sage2 in S30v with an acid stonewash, done by So-Lo

antiquesage3.jpg


antiquesage4.jpg
Click to expand...

Are you aware to what sort of acid did the etching and if it's possible to mask the blade in any way to control a design?

I'd like to educate myself on this matter and possibly do some experimenting.

After a bit of looking, the chemical appears to be Ferric Chloride. Anyone adept on the safety precautions needed with this? What about materials it will avoid? I could possibly dab Vaseline around a bit to make a cloudy effect on the blade, which could be interesting.
 
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After a bit more research, it appears as though a half and half solution of this Ferric Chloride and water over a period of ten to fifteen minutes will achieve the level of darkness you acquired on your Sage 2.

Safety precautions include possibly working outdoors or in a well ventilated area and with a facemask and gloves. I've worked with lye before, if this is at all similar, it shouldn't be too hard to deal with.

Also if this only effects the steel, I should be able to mask it easily with either something oily, masking or packing tape or possibly even peanut butter. It looks like I can pick up a can of this at my local Radioshack. I'll buy some and run it sometime midweek and post pictures.

(all of this talking to myself is basically so people who search for this in the future, find what I know rather than nothing... which is sort of what I found)
 
I'm sure if you PM So-Lo, he might be able to give you some pointers.

He does excellent work at a great price too, if you don't want to mess with it yourself.
 
True, however, it gets really expensive when you start destroying $150 knives. :D
 
My only concern is the strength. I'm thinking I'll start slow and watch it closely at a 1 parts acid, 4 parts water solution. I don't want much relief as I'm doing it only for the color and not the actual etching ability.
 
It's not a big deal , I've done it dozens of times.
If you etch it lightly first , then add cold blue on top of the etch, you can get near black. Let it stand for five minutes , wash off with windex w/ vinegar to kill the acid , rinse with water , dry then lightly buff with steel wool you can get a finish that looks parkerized or work hardened. I've done it on many pocket clips , takes a bit of practice to get a solid looking finish - not splotchy - . Use cotton balls for wider / smoother application.
FC isnt a big deal , just be careful and use common sense , I've worked with it in my kitchen sink. Make sure you have a means to nuetralize the acid, vinegar , baking soda , etc..

Tostig
 
Tostig said:
It's not a big deal , I've done it dozens of times.
If you etch it lightly first , then add cold blue on top of the etch, you can get near black. Let it stand for five minutes , wash off with windex w/ vinegar to kill the acid , rinse with water , dry then lightly buff with steel wool you can get a finish that looks parkerized or work hardened. I've done it on many pocket clips , takes a bit of practice to get a solid looking finish - not splotchy - . Use cotton balls for wider / smoother application.
FC isnt a big deal , just be careful and use common sense , I've worked with it in my kitchen sink. Make sure you have a means to nuetralize the acid, vinegar , baking soda , etc..

Tostig
Click to expand...

Hm, you mind informing me about this "cold blue" you're talking about? What's it about?
 
I would etch with ferric chloride in a 3 to 1 dillution. 3 parts distilled water to one part ferric.

You can do an etch with finger nail polish to mask the areas you don't want etched. Red works good just because it is so visible when you apply it to make sure it is what you want. The nail polish can be removed with acetone to finish.
 
try some pcb etchant solution from radio shack.i've seen this used on the edge of a composite blade kershaw (D2) with very nice results.look in the kershaw forum for a thread about etch,that's where i read about it.
 
This is 3 minutes in pure ferric chloride followed by 15 minutes of stonewashing

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