Patina tips?

R

Ramil839

Joined
Feb 11, 2012
Messages
273
Hello,I need a little bit of help with how to force a patina on a blade,what looks good and whatnot?I heard vinegar/mustard come out nice
 
Good old yellow mustard is probably the bet bet. Some folks add a little bit of soap to that. Couple of keys.

The blade must be absolutley free of oils...rust preventative, wax, fingerprints etc. Wipe it down with alchohol or acetone or near-to-or-boiling hot water and soap.

Too much is a bad thing. The oxidization action you seek needs air. If you cake the blade with mustard you will not get as good of a result as if you put it on pretty thing. If you just squirt in on in stripes or blobs from the bottle, you will notice that the darkest patina will be at the edge of those stripes and dots, and under the thickest part of the mustard you'll have a nearly clear area. Mix it up and either wipe in on evenly or in some sort of natural pattern like stripes of dab it on with a real sponge.
 
I used ketchup mixed with vinegar,dark and solid looking patina,im going to post pics either later tonight or tomorrow,im waiting for a really dark scythe to come out.Just wondering,why does the blade have to be completely free of everything (i wiped it down with alcohol several times),is it possible for rust to develop beneath the patina or anything similar?
 
oils and waxes form a barrier prevent the patinating material from contacting the steel, just like they keep moisture and oxygen from rusting it. the barrier needs to be removed to allow the patinating agent (mustard, vinegar, etc) to attack the steel. the process is itself a form of controlled 'rusting' tho the goal is not the fluffy damaging red oxide rust, but more protective colored iron compounds from the impurities in the reactive chemical. citrus fruit, especially limes do a good job too. the real patina of age is really an alternate iron oxide compound that forms a shiny blue-black barrier which resists further corrosion
 
I used horseradish on this one.
Spread it on pretty thin, let sit for 30 min...

before...
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during...
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after...
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Used a mix of vinegar/Russian mustard(really bitter & spicy)/ketchup for the CAK and just plain yellow mustard for the others,RTAK had the cheapest coating,it caked and fell off after stripping,Big Brother and BK9 i had to work a little bit to get the coating off.For all my next patina's i will make sure to use the Russian mustard/vinegar mix,i will also make sure to put tape on the edge because after the patina it felt like they got duller.
 
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Hi there,

I used a paper towel and soaked it with vinegar, left it for an hour or so on my 16.5" Villager CAK.

Before:
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After:
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Thanks! :-)
 
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Only forced a patina once, which was recently. After cleaning, I wet a paper towel with white vinegar, folded over the blade, and loosely wrapped with cellophane. Let sit for 30-45 minutes. My paper towels are really textured, so some of that "design" came through. I like it cause you can see several variances of the patina depth.

You will need to touch up your edge when finished. Common patina agents: Vinegar, Mustard, BBQ sauce, Apples, Mango, Lime, even meat. For a more, even color, try letting the blade sit in a cup of vinegar, or stick it into one of the condiments and pull it out, which might give an even coating. The thinner spots can oxidize more, so they will darken faster.

Before
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After
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Here's an earned patina, on my Old Timer 120T. Of all the knives I had growing up, this is the only one that I managed to not lose/have stolen/etc.
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The best patinas are not forced at all. I've learned this the hard way. And for the love of the knife Gods, Q-tips and patinas don't match.

Forced patinas are like a metro-sexual actor vs Clint Eastwood. Just use your blade and it will develop its own character.
 
RDog said:
The best patinas are not forced at all. I've learned this the hard way. And for the love of the knife Gods, Q-tips and patinas don't match.

Forced patinas are like a metro-sexual actor vs Clint Eastwood. Just use your blade and it will develop its own character.
Click to expand...

Ouch.
 
Mustard + sponge or paint brush is what you want for a good patina. The less mustard you can use and still coat it, the better.

nepki said:
Hi there,

I used a paper towel and soaked it with vinegar, left it for an hour or so on my 16.5" Villager CAK.

Before:
IMG_0287.jpg


After:
IMG_0288.jpg


Thanks! :-)
Click to expand...

I love doing that with a really textured paper towel. If you get it to stick to the blade and lie perfectly flat, the pattern of the towel will imprint on the blade.
 
I did this by shoving it inside of a mango last night for 45 minutes and then I hit it with a scotch brite pad and shoved it inside another mango for 35 minutes today:

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I also hit the tension bar with mango since it also appears to be O1 steel, like the blade. It is quick and easy and under direct sunlight there's a nice rainbow appearance accross the blade...was definitely a bit scary doing this but I'm glad I did!
 
I also used the vinegar on a paper towel method on my AK and love how it turned out, easy, cheap and the patina looks great.
 
scotchleaf said:
I like the ferric chloride and Mango looks: where do you get ferric chloride?
Click to expand...

try radio shack or equivalent. i got mine from maplin in the UK, another large electronics supply chain. it's used for etching printed circuit boards. comes in solid pellets or pre-mixed solution here.
 
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