To Force a Patina, or Not to...

I

IanShane

Joined
Sep 23, 2014
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I recently was given a couple of high carbon pocket knives( Case Sodbuster Jr Cv and Opinel no.6) and am trying to decide whether or not I want to force a patina or just "let it happen". What do you suggest?
 
How often are you using your knife?

I force patina knives I don't use a lot, but let my favorites take on their own character.
 
I recently forced a patina on a Northwoods. I did a pretty bad job and had to remove it with some Flitz. It didn't take long to get a real one. Just use it to cut fruit in the kitchen for a few days and you're good.

If you do force it, make sure you get an even application and check it often.
 
I find that peeling and slicing apples and tomatoes produces a very pleasing and even patina.
 
When I get a new knife that I want to patina, I just up my fruit intake, peel and slice a few apples or pears, maybe an orange, use real lemons or limes in my drinks. You will be shocked at how fast a new knife will darken up (and how much better you will feel with the fruit intake)
 
If it comes out well then force it! But this is not always the case...

Here's a GEC 79 Workhorse after one week of orange cutting (I juice two everyday for breakfast) and fruit & veg duties. I forced/promoted it with a quick wrap in cider vinegar and paper towels. The results pleased me at least.

Thanks, Will

IMG_2419.jpg
 
I just use mine - you'll develop a patina over time and its satisfying to watch it develop :)
 
Force or not ..... if you use the knife, before long no one will be able to tell, one way or the other.

-- Mark
 
IanShane said:
I recently was given a couple of high carbon pocket knives( Case Sodbuster Jr Cv and Opinel no.6) and am trying to decide whether or not I want to force a patina or just "let it happen". What do you suggest?
Click to expand...

In another thread, didn't you mention that you received these from your wife? What a woman!!:thumbup:

The decision is, of course, yours regarding patina, but I was surprised how quickly something developed on an Opinel no. 6 I bought this summer. It arrived just before we went on vacation to a little cottage on the shore of Lake Huron in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I took the Opinel along and used it for kitchen duty for 2 weeks (mostly as a fixed blade on the kitchen counter, since I was having difficulty dealing with a sticky joint due to humidity swelling the wood, I guess). But it worked great for slicing apples, grapes, carrots, potatoes, onions, peppers, lettuce, chicken, cheese, and even spreading mustard and ranch dressing on sandwiches. I don't know if you can see it in this photo, but the blade developed what I considered to be a surprising amount of patina in 2 weeks of use.

FfHvqg1.jpg


-GT
 
I've forced a few patinas on my case knives and every dang time I do it I always end up feeling like I cheated myself from forming it with honest use, may sound odd but it's pretty rewarding to me to watch it "age"
 
I agree with all the "let it develop naturally" comments. I have always just let the patina develop with use. Unless the knife has stainless steel, the patina will develop rather quickly. Stainless blades don't take on a patina as such very quickly, if ever, but they will develop their own "usage character" over time. Those scratches tell their own story.

I do have to admit that I accidentally forced a patina on a brand new HC blade when I left potato juice and pieces of potato peel on the blade when my sister ran over a water faucet while "helping" me by mowing the lawn while I made supper. Came back an hour later to a really weird patina pattern that can still be seen on the blade a coupe of years later.
 
I don't like forced patinas. Some will say that they do it to prevent corrosion. If you want to prevent corrosion, wipe it with an oily rag. I can't recall any vintage advertisements or product pages for old knives that instruct the user to force a patina. No one goes out of their way to accelerate the wear or aging on other items they own such as pieces of furniture, vehicles, tools, sports equipment, etc. It's your call though.
 
Whether one believes a forced patina is desirable or not, it's not like it's going to get in the way of the natural changes the patina goes through with use. Any existing patina, whether forced or not, will be altered by the next patina-inducing usage, be it cutting up acidic fruit, or cutting meat or taking it hunting or fishing. Nothing is lost or 'cheated' in the process, and worrying about it is much ado about very little. It's no different than protecting some new furniture with a coat of polyurethane or wax or oil; the 'real use' wear will still come, and do it's own work in time.

The one positive thing I've found in inducing my own patina is, it slows down the accumulation of ugly 'pepper-spotting' that often happens on new non-stainless blades, before the whole of the steel has had time to oxidize with use. That's worth it in itself.


David
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
The one positive thing I've found in inducing my own patina is, it slows down the accumulation of ugly 'pepper-spotting' that often happens on new non-stainless blades, before the whole of the steel has had time to oxidize with use. That's worth it in itself.
David
Click to expand...

My sentiments concur with this precisely. I personally see no distinction between sticking a knife in an orange for a few hours (so called "forced") and cutting up some oranges specifically to start the patina ("natural"). I use coffee grounds dampened with cider vinegar and heated in the microwave to get a nice, even gray base coat to protect against spotting, then let it progress however it does. Here are a couple of examples of this method:

StagonWood_zps575f5bb1.jpg~original


BBopen_zpsde96f3c6.jpg~original


I think they look better with an even patina, than one which is splotchy and inconsistent. The large stockman above has seen more use cutting acidic materials, so has some uneven patina, but with the even base coat underneath, it is much less noticeable. The completely natural patina of this old Schrade Walden shows the less than optimum splotchiness I am talking about.

SchradeWalden890_zpsf9de364a.jpg~original
 
My thoughts about patina, no I don't like it. I keep my blades polished and oiled, as you should with any good tool. Forced patinas are fake, not earned from use, if patina is what you want.
Bottom line, do what ever you want, they're your knives. Long run, it only really matters to you.
 
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