Patina on coper liners?

S

spydutch

Joined
Jul 4, 2005
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978
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but the other day I noticed some dark spots on the inside liners of my Chestnut Peanut.
Tried to polish it away, but a dark spot remains when you hold it at the light.
Just curious if you have the same and if I have to take special care with those liners and my sweaty hands.
Thanx very much in advance ;)
 
It's not copper it's brass. And yes, it patinas (so does copper, of course). I don't really worry about the inside of the liners since I can't see inside. Verdigris (when it turns green) is an issue because it's ugly and it stinks. You can polish it out.
 
Brass will tarnish and carbon steel will darken (the patina !). It's part of your life with your knife and in my opinion ageing adds value to the knife. Your knife serves you well so give it some love and control the patina (so it doesn't evolve to rust) and the brass (so it doesn't develop the hated (and poisonous) "vert-de-gris"). There are many decades old knives of this type around that still serve to the best. Keep it dry and clean, clean it thoroughly from time to time, and enjoy your knife. The older it will get, the better.
 
Occasionally brass will develop a dark spot that wont polish out easily. Can be unsightly on a brass bolster, but isn't anything to worry about. Not sure what it is. Steel does the same thing sometimes.
 
Brass IS copper, for the most part. Copper is the largest part of the alloy (~2/3), with most of the remainder being zinc. The 'green' tarnish that's often seen on brass is due to the copper, which is green when oxidized.

I wouldn't worry about occasional dark spots on brass. It is just 'tarnish' (surface oxidation), and won't harm anything. If you do want to clean it up, some metal polish on a piece of paper towel or thin fabric, wrapped around the edge of a popsicle stick, credit card or other similar device can be used to polish the inside of liners, on most traditional knives. Doing the same with some high-grit wet/dry sandpaper (1000+ grit) can clean up more stubborn stains, or remove dings/scratches in the brass.


David
 
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