Sharpfinger Patina School Project

[Barry E Harris]

I told the wee ones that today's home school science lesson would involve metalurgy and chemistry. I talked with them some about carbon, rust, oxidation, chemical reactions, and the meaning of the word patina. There was not a whole lot of interest until I pulled out a recently acquired badly beat up 158OT they had seen me cleaning up for several nights while we were watching TV. They really got curious when I filled a Prego spaghetti sauce jar with white vinegar. I washed all the oil off the knife with dish soap and water and then cleaned it real thoroughly with alcohol. This was my first attempt at intentionally putting a patina on a knife. One of the posts had said to hold the knife in the vinegar until the desired color was obtained. I couldn't picture someone "holding" a knife in vinegar for an hour so I figured the patina would happen pretty quick; kinda like dying Easter eggs. Well, it didn't. After about 15 minutes of my magic trick not working the kids lost interest. I put a lid on the jar and told my wife to check it about every 15 minutes; I was going to the cafeteria for lunch. I had just gotten in the line at the cafeteria when I got a cell phone call. The knife was covered with bubbles and the jar of vinegar looked like a soda fountain experiment gone awry; all hands were on deck around the jar and extremely intrigued. Patina turned out pretty good, given how beat up the knife was. The kids learned a whole lot more than just how to put a patina on a Sharpfinger. I'm not a betting man; but, I'll wager that this Sharpfinger experiment was not conducted at any public schools today.

 

[El Lobo]

That is a good story.

I've found that if you "Nuke"...er, ah, I mean heat the vinegar to a boil, it happens quite fast. You can also take the the blade out, wipe it down gently, and polish it a bit (I've used Flitz, a metal golf club cleaner/eraser...or A. G. Russell and others sell a rust eraser) to smooth the patina, then dunk it again for a darker color.

YMMV.

Bill

P. S.
I use apple cider vinegar...it smells better.

 

[Codger_64]

Next time, you can carry the lesson into the cafeteria. Mustard and onions, and make livercheese or balogna sandwiches!

 

[Don_Luis]

Last ones I've done I used a clear soft drink (soda), put knife in a glass (or a test tube for small ones) and fill it up to cover the blade, it has worked fast and well for me. I've also used coke, but then I can't see the patina develop.

Luis

 

[SAM58]

A few years back I was up in Oregon visiting my mother with my family. I went with my dad to pick up his tractor, my kids went with my mother shopping in town. My son noticed a knife case with some Schrades in it and explained to my mother that these are the knives dad likes, mom bought a 194OT for me. I have been carring it for a while now and just started to core and cut my apples with it. It is developing a beautiful fast patina on its own and I am creating and having great memories with it. Thanks for the post,

Scott