Patina

Cold bluing does work quick. Either way what is important is that you clean the blade with a degreaser like acetone first. Then vinegar will be pretty instant.

Anyhow, here is my newest carbon steel user after food prep work.
IMG-20120105-00617.jpg


If you don't have the blade completely clean of oils and don't leave the food on the blade long its going to stay pretty clean. Mineral oil was the only thing on this blade.

On the other hand here is a picture of my user Genuine Stag 73
PhT_20111213_0.jpg

This one was all 'natural'

Lots of food prep and always keeping the blade clean and dry.

Its an older cell phone pic and I used a cheap phone app effect so its not really blue, but dark grays. I can't undo the effect or I would have.
 
I forced a patina on an Old Timer one time by leaving it in an onion overnight. Looks zebra striped. The bands of the onion are very visible. Generally, I would agree with what everyone has said. Use your knife for food and it will happen. Or stick it in an apple, potato, etc overnight and it will happen. If you don't WANT it to happen, then you gotta do something. Otherwise let nature take it's course. Or if you want to experiment with something fancy, go for it. I don't generally force patina, but I like the onioned Old Timer (it's pretty subtle and cool looking). I also did an Opinel with mustard and catsup in a pattern one time. Turned out well. Like Carl, I don't buy into the 'you gotta earn your patina' camp. I tend to agree with it nowadays because I like to be surprised, but I've done it both ways. Bottom line, it's your knife and you can always start over.
 
I'm awaiting the arrival of my first knife with a carbon back spring. I don't oil any of my current carbon knives. I just keep them as dry as possible/wipe down after use. Do I need to "worry" about the side of the back spring that is inside the knife handle rusting?

I apologize if this question is best for the maintenance forum, but it seemed apropos of the OP's topic...
 
SubSpace said:
I'm awaiting the arrival of my first knife with a carbon back spring. I don't oil any of my current carbon knives. I just keep them as dry as possible/wipe down after use. Do I need to "worry" about the side of the back spring that is inside the knife handle rusting?

I apologize if this question is best for the maintenance forum, but it seemed apropos of the OP's topic...
Click to expand...

Yes you do. Almost more so then the outer side of the backspring.
 
cut up an orange, eat the orange THEN wipe off the juice, do that a few times and it will leave a nice even patina on CV steal.
 
Most of my patina has come from what I call taking a "Hobo Lunch" I grab a chub of venison summer sausage and and apple and head out into the woods behind our office looking for Diamond Willows. Cut a slice of apple, cut a slice of venison, eat...find stick, peel bark...eat sausage, eat fruit, breath fresh air.

This is about the best cure for work that I've found so far.
 
Ryanol said:
Most of my patina has come from what I call taking a "Hobo Lunch" I grab a chub of venison summer sausage and and apple and head out into the woods behind our office looking for Diamond Willows. Cut a slice of apple, cut a slice of venison, eat...find stick, peel bark...eat sausage, eat fruit, breath fresh air.

This is about the best cure for work that I've found so far.
Click to expand...

We have a winner!
 
Humppa said:
That´s logical to me, neeman.

Is Brasso some kind of steelwhool? I don´t know that, here in Germany we know it, maybe, under another name.

Kind regards
Andi
Click to expand...

NO!
Brasso is a metal polish, a liquid in a can
You put it on and take it off with cotton wool

Do NOT touch your blade with steel wool
 
Hi neeman!

Thank you for the info. Steel wool would never be used for knives. Not for me, never.

Kind regards!
Andi
 
I usually go strait to the Frenches musturd bottle in the fridge for all my carbon blades. I clean the blade well with alcohol to remove any oil, the daub on the musturd where it's thicker and thiner over the blade. I put the knife up for a few hours then wash it off in hot water while scrubbing it with an old toothbrush, dry and repeat. On the third application I leave it overnight. The next morning you will think "I have just ruined a good knife" because the whole blade will be black, but it will wash off under hot water leaving a great mottled blue, gray and rainbow patina. I give it a good oiling and it's ready to cary. This will just keep getting better with time used and actually wear off and be replace when cutting some other foods.
It's very true that different steels will patina differently, my old Boker Copperhead seems to almost be semistainless, but it has developed a light greay over time used on fruit.;)
 
Hummpa- It's basically a polishing paste
I use my CV peanut to cut off some aloe plant when I need some aloe, it leaves a dark gray/ black patina.
Always let my patinas form naturally.
 
Yeah, me too!

Once I tried to get my Trapper CV in a vinegar bath... The patina was nice. But not true. So I removed it with polishing paste, here in Germany we have Mellerud, which might be the same. My wife uses it sometimes for steel-surfaces in the kitchen.

Making a patina naturally, like eating fruits, meat and so on is much more fun, I think.

Kind regards
Andi
 
Oranges apples bananas tomatoes uuuhhhh ---oh, potatoes, lemons and meat. Took 5 months

GEC62.jpg
 
I love an honest patina, one that time and simple chores produce. I don't count food prep as forcing a patina, I use all my knives for food prep regardless of steel.
Sometimes I needed a patina on my work knives for extra protection, the vinegar does a good job of giving a solid patina and keeping the rust at bay.
 
How does one force a patina on the "inside" of the backspring? That's the only part of the knife I am concerned about rusting, because I can't readily wipe it down...
 
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