Real "Experience" Patina???

The best trick I've found to start that multi-colored patina on a Carbon Steel knife is to make some homemade salsa.

You've got tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, and limes that'll all have an impact on coloring the steel and, when you're done, you've got fresh salsa.

It won't be that dark grey you're looking for but it'll surely put you on the road to that end.

Using the knife all the time will help to "fill out" the patina as you go but it's going to take lots of use to get it really looking nice and broken in. :)

B
 
Surely, if you deliberately cut something that you would not normally cut in order to enhance the patina you are forcing the patina?

Since most people wouldn't force a patina more than once, and that generally being at the first use of a new knife, any subsequent patina that forms during use would be classed as being natural.

Forced or natural patina is a non-issue as far as I'm concerned?
 
I think when most people refer to forcing a patina, at least from some of the other sub forums, they're talking about a vinegar or mustard soak. Where they put something on the blade that will stain it, and leave it there for awhile. Where as a natural patina is from simply using the knife.

When I get a new carbon blade, I use it in the kitchen for food prep for a couple weeks to get a nice patina started.
I know it's not a traditional, but this is an example of the patina that comes from KP duty
608da494.jpg


The nice colors near the tip are from cutting my steak a few weeks back at a cookout
 
Looks similar to the pattern on my canoe, which I also cut a steak with when a steak knife was not available. I didn't have any steak sauce on the meat, just it's natural juices and fats. - Ed
 
TLARbb said:
Looks similar to the pattern on my canoe, which I also cut a steak with when a steak knife was not available. I didn't have any steak sauce on the meat, just it's natural juices and fats. - Ed
Click to expand...

Yeah, its the hot, greasy juices and salts in it that help it get like that in my opinion. The pinks and blues it produces in the metal are almost psychedelic. :cool:
 
Yep, that picture doesn't do the blade justice. It's full of blue, purple, red, pink, and yellow. Pretty awesome looking, especially since about 2 years ago I had no clue that blades stained like this from normal use
 
In the "70s, I played bass in the band "Forced Patina" ;P
 
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I find that my CV blades start to look proper after about 6 months of regular use. Cut lots of food: make your sandwiches with it, spread mustard, cut fruit & vegetables (tomatoes and pickles for your sandwiches, kitchen prep, etc.). Those things will give you waaay more patina than opening boxes and whittling sticks.
It's going to be uneven at first, and that's fine. As long as it's not rusting, you're not doing anything to "hurt" or "mess up" your knife. That's what it's for.
Keep at it; you'll get there!
 
I've never read this any where, but here goes.

I usually force a grey pantina, because I think it protects the knife from red rust. I use regular antiseptic hydrogne peroxide and cider vinigar mixed 50/50 and a little warmth from a stove eye. I wash it all off when finished, oil the knife and then use it. You can also just carry it in you paints pocket all summer in Tennessee! hehe
 
I've had good results with what I call 'accelerated' patina.

It's forced, then cleaned off with metal polish,forced again then used for food prep for 3 months.You get a good even coating that looks like Johnny's Tidioute above. The thing that really gets colour on a knife is a Conference Pear, stick a blade in that overnight and the results are notable!
 
I've never seen a man that could sweat more than my Dad (except for me, unfortunately) and it definitely impacted the stuff he handled and carried in his pockets. This is the moose pattern Case that he carried in his pocket every day from October 1987 until March 2008. Looks like sweat causes a patina.

dadknife2.jpg
 
Raw meat (say slicing med-rare or rare) works better.

French's mustard, which I cant stand to eat, will do a great job in about 3-4 minutes, then rinse off, clean with soap, and instant patina.

JC
 
I was working at a feedlot and bought a new trapper. The next day I used it to casterate a couple hundred bulls, between uses it was soaking in a bucket of iodine water. When we were done I cleaned my knife off and the blade was almost black. It looked like it was a hundred years old. After that everyone assumed my grandfather had passed it down to me. Not a method everyone can do but very effective.
 
Warning: This post may not be suitable for knife maintenance nuts!

Here's how I treated my old scout knife: I used it for everything from spreading jam on my bread for breakfast to splitting wood and never oiled it. Just wiped it off on something, mostly my pants, sheathed it and that's it. Occasionally there was a bit of rust, came right off with a tiny wad of steel wool. It got a beautiful patina that way, it's a shame I lost it last summer.

If you want a nice "real" patina, don't care too much about your knife. Keep it dry and clean, that's about it.
 
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