Putting patina on my Dovo special

[Threethreethree]

Hello,
i would like to know how to put patina on a razor without destroying the edge too much.
I have watched people doing it with boiling vinegar and i myself tried tomatoes, apples and such on a Rat-3 but im quite affraid trying so on such a thin blade.
I want it to be protective, i dont care if its not pretty.

Thanks for inputs

 

[fast14riot]

Mirror polish and a dry towel are just fine for keeping a razor from rusting. For long term storage I use mineral oil.

But, that doesn't answer your question. Slightly acidic liquid works well, vinegar, lemon juice, 9:1 ferric chloride, etc. Just fill a glass with vinegar and stand the razor blade in it, take it out after a bit and rub the oxides off with a paper towel and put it back. Repeat as often as you want.


-Xander

 

[unit]

Honestly, I think it's a lot easier to just take care of a nice razor than to force patina on it then re-hone it (it will require re-honing).

Further, the business end of the razor is the edge, and any patina here will necessarily be removed when bringing the razor up to shave ready....then you must take care of it as you would an un-patinaed razor.

As for creating a patina, you already have the basics (mustard, vinegar, etc). It's really no different from a knife, just work with less aggressive agents first or shorter soak times.

 

[yoda4561]

I'm really fond of the look onions and fresh pineapple bring to carbon steel, it's a blue/pink/yellow patina on my japanese kitchen knives after a few uses, it does eventually darken up a bit but I usually give them a little polish on a 6k waterstone before that. I wouldn't try cutting either directly with the razor, but rubbing a small cut piece on it would work just as well.