Should I sand back this knife?

L

lazybonez

Joined
Dec 22, 2023
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Hello, looking for advice on whether to keep developing this patina or sand to a mirror and start again. It is a vintage carbon steel Old Timer 150T. It had a mirror and I forced a patina with everything in the kitchen. But it had a lot of scratches that run lengthwise all along both faces of the blade, and these still glimmer when you hold the blade at an angle. I am worried that these scratches might become a foothold for rust. However I appreciate that by the same process, they might help build a protective patina. I think it is safer to sand this blade back to a mirror finish and patiently let a natural patina form instead through use. I would enjoy spending time sanding. However I am worried about how much thickness I would remove from the blade. It was already restored by its previous owner who had to take alot of material off.
Blade showing scratches


I have a stainless steel 150T to compare thickness with. The stainless is the top one Thickness comparison

Thanks!
 
Is that the larger version of the Schrade/Old Timer "Sharpfinger"? My Dad gave me one of those back around 1982 and I just dug it out last summer and discovered that it had rusted in the sheath, doh! I sanded/polished off most of the rust, but it still has some tiny pits and discoloration, and I was thinking I might take it to a buffing wheel to bring back a mirror polish.

As for leaving or removing the scratches on yours, the scratches might provide a foothold for rust, but they might also give some "tooth" for a film of oil to adhere to ... so I'm not sure which is better in the long run...good luck.
 
Yes the blade is just under 6 inches its a really nice design. Schrade are selling them again but they are not made in USA and are stainless steel.
The sheath would have accelerated the corrosion of your knife.
 
I wouldn't refinish it. Just use it, and keep it clean and dry. The tiny scratches shouldn't cause an issue unless it was neglected.
 
Regarding thickness, I don’t have a caliper but the spine is about 2.9 - 3.0 mm. How much thickness would be lost sanding from 400 grit up to 3000? A thinner blade is still great for hunting and butchering.

As for patina, I cant believe a polished mirror is better than a strong patina. And surely the strongest patina is formed by many thin layers.

So now my question becomes: do scratches help or hinder for patina formation?

Also is it better to start from a mirror or a satin raw metal finish to build the patina?
 
I just got off the phone with a friend who is a world expert on rust and he recommended unambiguously to keep it as a mirror finish!
 
I guess traditionally carbon steel blades were getting oiled with animal fats like lard, lanolin, which are slightly acidic. So polishing regularly with such oils would keep regenerating the patina in the pits and scratches.
 
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Just oil the blade after cleaning it. You don't need a "patina."
 
Thanks I am going to do that. So I see a patina will slightly or gradually form and I don’t need to help it. I’ll use animal fats which being mildly acidic will help neutralise the rust.
 
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