Patinas: how do the different vinegars affect the look of the patina?

C

CascadeSam

Joined
Apr 18, 2012
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I have a BK15 and green micarta scales in shipment to me from The Knife Connection. My plans are to strip the black coating off the blade and then apply a patina using vinegar (and maybe some other food/liquid too). I do not have a specific look in mind that I'm trying to achieve. Do the different types of vinegars affect the outcome of the patina? My BK5 was soaked in (I believe) white vinegar for almost an hour and it now has a nice old look to it. I haven't much idea or experience in this area. BF member Widerstand did my BK5 for me. I'm curious how apple cider, rice, red wine, balsamic, etc vinegars will make the blade look. Thanks.
 
In my experience its not so much a color difference but a depth difference.... Sure veggies and meats will start as a blue almost oily looking patina, but they still darken up over time.. Its all just acids, oxidation, and controlled corrosion. The more acidic the deeper/darker. I know some will disagree with me and say this or that medium is their preferred/perfected/correct method to achieve X patina... I have not noticed a specific difference in anything in particular... only thing that is somewhat noticeable is forced versus natural.
 
If you just want an overall even patina - use a vinegar soak (all vinegars should be the same, afaik). If you want some variety, leave it in a grapefruit, or cut onions, or use mustard... doing a few of these over a few days will build a patina with more depth than just an overall wash. Depends on what you want.
 
heating up apple cider vinegar will give you a very dark patina. I heat it up in a pan on the stove and apply with cotton balls for about 30 minutes. Caution, it gets smelly.
 
I used yellow mustard with a tiny bit of water and applied it with bubble wrap. I dabbed the mustard on and let it sit for about ten minutes. Then washed it off and dried it completely. I keep the blade oiled and in the rust proof paper when I don't use it.
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Another consideration is the way you apply the vinegar. My knife took the paper towel patern that I raped it in giving it a honeycomb texture. Some people like this but next I'd probably do a napkin or printer paper so it's smoother.
 
In my experience, apple cider vinegar works much faster and provides a better patina.
 
I am going to try the apple cider vinegar tomorrow On my esse 6. If it comes out good I will do my bk12. I did one of my knives with a lime yesterday. I cut the lime in fourths and stuck my knife in the slices sideways, and left it overnight. One side came out looking awesome, the other.... not so much.
 
I usually microwave some white vinegar until it is pretty hot but not boiling. I've found this to produce the most even patina for me. I tried mustard and thicker substances to make patterns but they never came out to my satisfaction. The hot white vinegar produces a nice even dark patina. I'll put it in for 10-15 minutes, rinse the blade off and will repeat if I feel it needs to be darker.
 
I impaled two oranges with an old Mora Clipper and waited three hours. Pictures coming soon.
 
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