Questions on patinas?

D

|davedude|

Joined
Nov 13, 2011
Messages
8
Hey guys,

I've just saw a few vids on youtube of knives with patina on them. I thought it was very cool and I wanted to test it out on some cheaper knives, but I don't know how to get the natural patina, do I just use it normally? Does it work on stainless steels or do I need a carbon steel??

And also if I use knives with patinas to slice food, wouldn't it be unhealthy???
 
It doesn't really work on stainless. Carbon steel is the best and i don't think it would harm your food as long as you don't rust it too bad.
 
You've pretty much got it, just find a carbon steel knife and start using! Opinels are great for that sort of thing, any of the Case brands with CV will take a good patina as well, and anything with 1095 steel will patina up pretty quickly if thats what you're after.
 
To get a natural patina, just use the knife regularly. Certain things, like acidic or fast-oxidizing fruits, can accelerate the process. A patina is just a controlled surface rust. There will be a little transfer from your knife to the food you cut. It's not enough to be harmful, but sometimes, you may get a little bit of metallic taste in some foods (I've only noticed this with fruits).
 
Cut up a couple of apples it will take on a patina real quick or if you really want to experiment get a Case soddie jr. in cv take a small bowl mix in lemmon juice, ketchup, mustard, hot sauce and anything else you can think of then paint that blade up let it sit for a number of hours it will take on all kinds of shapes and colors.
 
i did a forced patina using red wine vinegar on my sog flash 2. had to sit in the vinegar bath for close to 24 hours though. however i really like the way it looks now. still not a huge fan of the knife but oh well..i will post a pic if i can figure out how lol
 
Opinel knives are a great platform for trying out patina, carbon steel is becoming a real favorite to me. I noq have a spyderco in aogami super, carbon steel.
Carbon steel is a rewarding steel IMO, you get a patina when you cut something as a reward for using it, and it makes you exited to use it again.
 
Thanks guys for the help! I think I'll get a few carbon steel Opinels and experiment around with it.
 
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