Putting a patina on S30V?

Woodtroll

Woodtroll

Joined
Oct 15, 2001
Messages
193
Hello, folks. I'm not exactly sure where to ask this, so I thought that I'd start here.

I recently traded for an S30V fixed blade, and while I love its properties, including the stain resistance, I find that I am not fond of its brand-new look. I know this may seem a contrary statement, but I typically use and prefer carbon steel, and I can't get used to the shine of this one. Have any of you had any success in putting even a small bit of patina on this steel? If so, what was your process? (Pictures would be even better!) I'm not looking to put a pattern on it, or anything drastic, just dull it down to gray, or something similar.

Thanks, y'all take care!
 
I put a patina on a Mora 2000 (stainless) with etching fluid from Radio Shack. It should also work for S30V. I dipped the knife for a a few seconds, looked at the results, and dipped the blade for a few more. Keep dipping and checking until you're happy with the results, then rinse with water.

Before you actually do any of this, know that if you use the knife much, the patina will get shiny scratches in it. Those shiny scratches stay there until you do the process again.
 
Woodtroll said:
Thanks for the answers, folks! gnw1209, how did you do the acid treatment, and what concentration did you use? How did the blade turn out- was there any pitting?
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i soaked it in muriatic acid checking on it about every 30 min until it was the shade i needed took it out wiped it off and washed it i was using pure muriatic acid also known as hydrocloric acid used as a hot-tub cleaner
 
You'd best not pick up any H1 knives. Good luck getting those to rust.

I'd sand blast it, or scratch it up with either a course DMT or some rough sandpaper before soaking it in acid. Should increase the "worn" look to the knife.
 
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