Patina Procedure

[DMG]

Cold bluing.

 

[DaleS]

I just use my knives, wipe them clean, then a little Guinea grease from behind my ear.

 

[JBoone]

Natural for me. I generally use, rinse and dry.
Sometimes just wipe clean and skip the rinse.
If I find actual rust spots will get wiped down with some oil.

 

[David Mary]

I voted "natural with some extra help" but I have not yet brought myself to give the patina on my carbon steel chef knife (the only knife I use in the kitchen) the extra help yet. So far it's 90% onions. But RokJok made some neat marks with mustard dabs on a Q-tip that I'm tempted to duplicate.

I just don't cut enough raw meat (I eat almost exclusively ground beef for efficiency and utility purposes) so I am always jealous of you guys with the crazy blue and purple patinas on your knives.

 

[JTR357]

I have a Boker trapper in 1095 that I used as my exclusive steak knife for years. It has developed a nice patina from that. I prefer a natural patina over a forced one. I'll see if I can dig up a pic.

 

[Unicorn161]

I guess for most it would be natural with a little help from cutting citrus fruits. The acid in those accelerates the process.

I did do one of the uglier plain dark gray forced patinas with plain vinegar. I dipped it in vinegar for a short time then rinsed and washed it. It's just something for a tiny bit of protection that is more durable than bluing, and just gets reinforced over time.