- Joined
- Mar 12, 2010
- Messages
- 975
I have not seen any photo's of a naked Junglas before... that is, one that has had the coating stripped off leaving only the bare, legendary 1095 steel manufactured by Rowen. After a recent outing to Kettle Moraine State Forest in the heart of Wisconsin in search of fatwood, my Junglas was pushed to the limits after plowing through miles and miles worth of rotted, resinous pine stumps and trunks. The Junglas did great, but the coating was shot, so it was time to strip it just like I stripped my Izula...
I stripped the Junglas using Zip Strip Paint and Finish remover. The coating began flaking off almost immediately after I applied it. After about 10 minutes soaking in a layer of the Paint Stripper in tin foil, I began using a spatula to start removing the coating while still in the paint stripper. Some areas came right off, but others were a little more stubborn. After 15 minutes all in all, the coating was completely removed and I had the knife rinsed and clean. This process does seem to dull the knife, but it can be sharpened up in no time afterwards.
Now it was time to force the patina. For those newbies who aren't familiar with what this is, a patina is essentially oxidization of the metal which causes a dulling in the color. It is essentially a healthy form of rust, but it can protect high carbon steels such as 1095 in it's ability to provide a protective layer of oxidized metal at the surface of the knife which is much more rust resistant than bare metal. You will see what I mean when you look at the pics... I forced the patina with 1 tiny packet of yellow mustard that I borrowed from a local restaurant. 1 packet for the whole Junglas, that's it. There are many ways to force a patina, but I've had the best luck with mustard. I applied half the packet to each side, spread it around so that all of the metal at least looked moist from the mustard, and then I spackled it a little with my finger to create the pattern. Believe it or not, the areas that have the thinnest layer of mustard produce the darker colors of the patina. Oxygen is your friend when doing this. Use less than you think, and then let it breathe and your patina will form in no time. This part took about 30 minutes.
All in all, 45 minutes of work and my Junglas was stripped and had the patina forced and then I had my handle slabs back on and started sharpening it up again.
It turned out really well, and without further adieu, here are the pics.
Side by side with the Izula.
Again.
Close up of the ESEE Logo.
The cool colors from the mustard patina.
In Hand.
My favorite pic...
I hope you enjoy the pics and tutorial on forcing a patina...
JGON
I stripped the Junglas using Zip Strip Paint and Finish remover. The coating began flaking off almost immediately after I applied it. After about 10 minutes soaking in a layer of the Paint Stripper in tin foil, I began using a spatula to start removing the coating while still in the paint stripper. Some areas came right off, but others were a little more stubborn. After 15 minutes all in all, the coating was completely removed and I had the knife rinsed and clean. This process does seem to dull the knife, but it can be sharpened up in no time afterwards.
Now it was time to force the patina. For those newbies who aren't familiar with what this is, a patina is essentially oxidization of the metal which causes a dulling in the color. It is essentially a healthy form of rust, but it can protect high carbon steels such as 1095 in it's ability to provide a protective layer of oxidized metal at the surface of the knife which is much more rust resistant than bare metal. You will see what I mean when you look at the pics... I forced the patina with 1 tiny packet of yellow mustard that I borrowed from a local restaurant. 1 packet for the whole Junglas, that's it. There are many ways to force a patina, but I've had the best luck with mustard. I applied half the packet to each side, spread it around so that all of the metal at least looked moist from the mustard, and then I spackled it a little with my finger to create the pattern. Believe it or not, the areas that have the thinnest layer of mustard produce the darker colors of the patina. Oxygen is your friend when doing this. Use less than you think, and then let it breathe and your patina will form in no time. This part took about 30 minutes.
All in all, 45 minutes of work and my Junglas was stripped and had the patina forced and then I had my handle slabs back on and started sharpening it up again.
It turned out really well, and without further adieu, here are the pics.
Side by side with the Izula.
Again.
Close up of the ESEE Logo.
The cool colors from the mustard patina.
In Hand.
My favorite pic...
I hope you enjoy the pics and tutorial on forcing a patina...
JGON
next contract bonus 
