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- Thread starter Ron77
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Square_peg
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Congratulations. Now your axe has some patina.
But the black spots are under the area where the rust used to be. It is not like the whole axe head is color in black
Hickory n steel
Gold Member
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Patina is found under rust , so yes patina is exactly what that is.👍
OK...I have soaked my axe in boiling hot vinegar a while ago, how will it take for the patina to set in on the rest of the axe?
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Since you are working with a head that can't be removed from the handle, I wouldn't just soak the head - vinegar might discolor the handle as well.
You are looking for a uniform color on your axe head? When people talk about using vinegar and axe heads they are usually using it to remove rust and junk.
Doing this will leave it a grey color that probably won't look how you want. Sounds like you are trying to force a patina or go for a more aged/uniform look.
Your axe head will rust after soaking unless you oil it or something.
Do those Gerbers have a coating of some sort on them?
Since you have already started it seems... Here is something to try:
1. Strip all the coating off of the head and dry it.
2. Get a piece of cord or string and run it through that hole in the handle (so you can hang it up).
3. Take some Dijon (thick) mustard put a tsp. in something the size of a mayonnaise jar lid.
4. Add a little white vinegar to it and mix to a light paste.
5. Cut a new sponge into strips.
6. Dab your sponge into the vinegar mix and apply a light/even/uniform coat to the head.
7. Hang it up to dry - use a hair dryer even
8. Do this several times.
9. Rinse and repeat.
This will start rust on the head which will become forced patina.
When you are satisfied, scrub it in the sink/with a hose, let it dry, and oil it. WD-40 works or whatever you have.
It stinks, takes a long time, and all steels act a little different.
It's a gerber. I have an old one and it doesn't have any patina and has been put to bed wet, left outside, and it doesn't look much different that when I got it - mine has some coating on it.
From my experience it isn't from just soaking once and letting it sit. I think it has something to do with the drying process more than the amount of time it sits in the vinegar or the amount of vinegar so maybe it's the number of times it's applied.
This process "stinks". Oh, and maybe use mustard without seeds lol.
A picture would be fun.
*Remember to refrigerate after opening.
You are looking for a uniform color on your axe head? When people talk about using vinegar and axe heads they are usually using it to remove rust and junk.
Doing this will leave it a grey color that probably won't look how you want. Sounds like you are trying to force a patina or go for a more aged/uniform look.
Your axe head will rust after soaking unless you oil it or something.
Do those Gerbers have a coating of some sort on them?
Since you have already started it seems... Here is something to try:
1. Strip all the coating off of the head and dry it.
2. Get a piece of cord or string and run it through that hole in the handle (so you can hang it up).
3. Take some Dijon (thick) mustard put a tsp. in something the size of a mayonnaise jar lid.
4. Add a little white vinegar to it and mix to a light paste.
5. Cut a new sponge into strips.
6. Dab your sponge into the vinegar mix and apply a light/even/uniform coat to the head.
7. Hang it up to dry - use a hair dryer even
8. Do this several times.
9. Rinse and repeat.
This will start rust on the head which will become forced patina.
When you are satisfied, scrub it in the sink/with a hose, let it dry, and oil it. WD-40 works or whatever you have.
It stinks, takes a long time, and all steels act a little different.
It's a gerber. I have an old one and it doesn't have any patina and has been put to bed wet, left outside, and it doesn't look much different that when I got it - mine has some coating on it.
From my experience it isn't from just soaking once and letting it sit. I think it has something to do with the drying process more than the amount of time it sits in the vinegar or the amount of vinegar so maybe it's the number of times it's applied.
This process "stinks". Oh, and maybe use mustard without seeds lol.
A picture would be fun.
*Remember to refrigerate after opening.
Since you are working with a head that can't be removed from the handle, I wouldn't just soak the head - vinegar might discolor the handle as well.
You are looking for a uniform color on your axe head? When people talk about using vinegar and axe heads they are usually using it to remove rust and junk.
Doing this will leave it a grey color that probably won't look how you want. Sounds like you are trying to force a patina or go for a more aged/uniform look.
Your axe head will rust after soaking unless you oil it or something.
Do those Gerbers have a coating of some sort on them?
Since you have already started it seems... Here is something to try:
1. Strip all the coating off of the head and dry it.
2. Get a piece of cord or string and run it through that hole in the handle (so you can hang it up).
3. Take some Dijon (thick) mustard put a tsp. in something the size of a mayonnaise jar lid.
4. Add a little white vinegar to it and mix to a light paste.
5. Cut a new sponge into strips.
6. Dab your sponge into the vinegar mix and apply a light/even/uniform coat to the head.
7. Hang it up to dry - use a hair dryer even
8. Do this several times.
9. Rinse and repeat.
This will start rust on the head which will become forced patina.
When you are satisfied, scrub it in the sink/with a hose, let it dry, and oil it. WD-40 works or whatever you have.
It stinks, takes a long time, and all steels act a little different.
It's a gerber. I have an old one and it doesn't have any patina and has been put to bed wet, left outside, and it doesn't look much different that when I got it - mine has some coating on it.
From my experience it isn't from just soaking once and letting it sit. I think it has something to do with the drying process more than the amount of time it sits in the vinegar or the amount of vinegar so maybe it's the number of times it's applied.
This process "stinks". Oh, and maybe use mustard without seeds lol.
A picture would be fun.
*Remember to refrigerate after opening.
The coating is dropping off from the axe while being soaked. And rust has also formed on the areas which has rust previously.
Hickory n steel
Gold Member
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2016
- Messages
- 20,265
Not sure a Gerber / fiskars axe is a good candidate for a vinegar soak , but I'm curious to see how it's gonna look so post some pictures 👍
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- Aug 21, 2013
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I am also curious about what it will do to the handle. Is just the head sitting in vinegar?
Took out the axe from the vinegar few hrs ago. I dried it with hair dryer and hand towels. Rinse with water, dry it again and apply some wd 40 and then wipe it off and went on to oil it with singer oil. It didn't came out how I expected it. Coz I went with the hot vinegar method, thought that it's gonna be like black, completely black
