Rex 45 Patina question.

Kmikaz3

Kmikaz3

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Aug 28, 2019
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I'm fairly new to all these non-stainless steel blades. Been trying to avoid them like the plague because of fearing of rusting. That being said, i do have a PM2 Maxamet that i kept as a safe queen mainly because for the reason i mentioned. Today, i just bought a Manix 2 in Rex 45 and i plan to actually use it. My question, is patina same thing as rusting? Will it damages the blade itself? Should i let it patina or oil it? If anyone has any experiences with this type of steel and would like to share some input, i would be grateful.
 
I would force a patina. Afterwards re sharpen.

Otherwise you'll be oiling and polishing it a lot maybe. How much rust you could see will hinge on local environment and use.
 
Hypothetically, if i force a patina on, will it corrode more overtime? Or it stay as is with knife maintenance.
 
Patina is more of an oxidation/stain than rust. It actually helps reduce the rusting process as already stated. As with any carbon steel blade, it's neglect that causes rust. As long as you wipe down the blade after each use, there won't be any issues. I don't know how easily Rex 45 stains. My K390 Police started to take on a patina the first time I used it.
I'd say let it develop a patina with normal use. If you don't like the direction/looks of it, it's fairly easy to clean it up. If you force a patina on it, you may not like it and will have a bigger job getting it back to original finish.
And no, it will not corrode more over time. Neglect/not taking care of it will corrode it.
 
Lubricate and care for your knife as you would any other knife. Patina will happen on it's own. Rust is different.
 
Kmikaz3 said:
I'm fairly new to all these non-stainless steel blades. Been trying to avoid them like the plague because of fearing of rusting. That being said, i do have a PM2 Maxamet that i kept as a safe queen mainly because for the reason i mentioned. Today, i just bought a Manix 2 in Rex 45 and i plan to actually use it. My question, is patina same thing as rusting? Will it damages the blade itself? Should i let it patina or oil it? If anyone has any experiences with this type of steel and would like to share some input, i would be grateful.
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I have a rex45 military. It has a very light natural patina. Well I’ll call it a cultivated natural patina. I’d use it to cut some fruit, then wipe the fruit juice with a paper towel. Id cover the entire blade with the fruit juice as evenly as possible.
I’d let it sit for 2 min then wipe it off with water and dry it. I also would wet a paper towel with white vinegar and just evenly wet the blade with the vinegar.
Let it sit for 1 or 2 min, then dry it off with a dry paper towel.
This method left a really light, even patina. In bright sunlight you can barely see it.

As others have said, you can remove the patina if you don’t like it.

Wiping the blade before hand, to make sure there no oil left on it, will speed up the process.
 
Ahh thank you for the clarification, so patina is unavoidable on those kind of blade. I'll still wipe the blade with a Tuffcloth or Froglube but if a patina is forming ill let it go on.
 
I think if you keep it oiled with something that's a waxy rust preventative you should be 99.9% OK.

And also cut a lot of stuff with it instead of just leaving it in your pocket for weeks. But non reactive stuff; so if you wanted to cut limes and other acid materials all day you'd be better off with something else.
 
Just use it normally. Avoid lots of sweat and the ocean, wipe it clean/dry after use with food, and rub it with an oil cloth when you put it away in the evening. That's what I do anyways, Rex 45 is not too bad in the rust department.

In the incarnation of its Japanese sister HAP40, that steel is used day-in, day-out in many Japanese kitchens with no rust issues ....

K390 is another story (for me).
 
One thing is patina/rust on the blade, but what is happening in the pivot where you cant check without disasembly, is what drives me nuts with non stainless folders.

Cutting fruits, tomatoes and stuff, some juice will seep into your pivot and stay there untill thorough cleaning and disasembly is done.

Im also not a big fan of the carbon smell you'll get when you f.ex cut a tomato. You can actually smell the oxidation happening.
 
353 said:
One thing is patina/rust on the blade, but what is happening in the pivot where you cant check without disasembly, is what drives me nuts with non stainless folders.

Cutting fruits, tomatoes and stuff, some juice will seep into your pivot and stay there untill thorough cleaning and disasembly is done.

Im also not a big fan of the carbon smell you'll get when you f.ex cut a tomato. You can actually smell the oxidation happening.
Click to expand...
This is something to think about.
On my m4 pm2, I didn’t pay any attention to this. After a year or so of fairly heavy use I noticed the action was pretty bad.
I opened it up and for the pivot/washer area was gross. Not patina. Rust and light pitting. I cleaned it up as best I could and put a thin, thin film of grease.
What a difference.
On my m4 Gayle Bradley 2 , I removed the blade and forced a patina. This included the pivot/washer area. I greased it like I did with the pm2 before reassembling. With the forced patina and the grease, I’d be shocked if I ever have the same issue with the gb2.
 
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