Post some pics of forced patinas!

Joined
Feb 27, 2007
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I'm planning on adding a forced patina to a Laredo Bowie. Could anyone with past experience post some info or pics regarding best methods? Oh and pics of course! Thanks!:thumbup:
 
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CPMD2 Military from Spyderco. Began by taking apart the knife and suspending the blade in a glass of vinegar. This left a nice, even patina. Next I soaked a paper towel in vinegar and wrapped it around the blade, which gave it that weird textured look. Then continued the process by cutting up acidic foods over the next few weeks and not cleaning off the blade in a timely manner, which helped blend everything together.
 
Here is one I just finished up. This is Chuck Burrows method.
O-1 steel, apply super blue with steel wool,
20 minutes in clorox,
steel wool rust off, (I used 0000)
dunk in boiling water,
steel wool to desired contrast.

Next time I will cut the clorox time down to 10 minutes to see how it comes out.

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Here is a closer shot of the finish

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This was my first attempt at patina about 2 years ago.

4140 throwing knife
slathered in frenches yellow mustard
wrap in plastic wrap
go to bed
go to work
come home, and un wrap
scrub off mustard in the sink with baking soda.

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That looks soo sweet!!
Have to try that out on my condor golok.

Just one question, the "super blue" you are referring to, is that brake fluid?
 
I did the blued, bleached and buffed finish on my first knife. If I knew how fast the bluing was going to work, I would have applied it differently for a more even finish.
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Here is Walt Davis' advice on b,b &b finish:
Heres what I did: pre-shape the scales so you don't have to sand around the handle once they're attached. Then finish the blade to your desired grit. In this case it was a 220 grit machine finish-I just finished a couple of other knifes and did the same treatment, but at 120 grit and you can just barely see some grind lines. Apply cold blue to the entire blade as even as possible-just one layer, let it set, rinse and dry it. Then place it (outside!-the fumes are not good for you!) in a pan or bucket with bleach. I used a 5 gallon bucket with 4 gallons of water, 1 gallon of bleach and let it set for about half an hour. If you've got a pan or trough the right shape, you can use a stronger concentration (even straight bleach) for a shorter period of time (5-6 minutes with straight bleach). When you remove the knife from the bleach, it'll be covered (at least spotted) with fuzzy rust. Rinse it off, wash it down very well to remove any bleach. Then run it over a buffer! I use a hard buffer with white compound-it brought it to an almost mirror finish in about 5 minutes total of buffing.

If you search the shoptalk forum for 'antique finish' or 'antiqueing'(sp?) there are a couple of threads with some other options, too, but I'm really happy with the way this one turned out!
 
Been thinking of doing a forced patina on my Laredo too. You have to post some pics after you do it!

Here's my riflemans hawk that I sanded down then added some gun blue to:
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And this is a Craftsman carpenter hatchet that I hacked up, then soaked in vinigar and salt for about a day, then sanded and added a little gun blue...
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....hmmm ....think I'll go fiddle around with my bowie and see what happens ;)
 
I use lemon juice. One thing about carbon steel and patina is it is always changing. Have friends over and make Margaritas. By the end of the night you'll have a good patina from cutting all those limes. :) My favorite way to force a patina. :)
 
Mmm, patinas! Whether forced or acquired through years of use, I like 'em either way.

Stop me if you guys are tired of seeing these pics over and over again.

Valiant bendo with mustard etch:

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It's subdued a bit after almost a year of kitchen use:

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Valiant parang bandol and HI (Sgt. Khadka) Bonecutter, both ferric chloride etches:

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HI AK Bowie with white vinegar etch by Andy Colglazier:

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Case CV Sodbuster, after sticking in an apple for a few hours:

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You can see where it bisected a seed.
 
hitch-hiker, that looks INCREDIBLE

thanks. it doesnt look as good anymore, i didnt soak it long enough or leave the mustard on long enough. whenever i'm feeling less lazy i will re do it. it was actually my first patina attempt.

edit: this is the natural it had on it, i sanded it off then forced that one. and dont mind my finger in the picture, it was w/ my phone and i didnt realize it until i uploaded it haha.

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