To patina or not to patina?

Bigfatts · Jun 4, 2012

So I have this knife:

It's a JW Knives Tanto. Bought it from Jason here on the forums. This next camping season it will be one of my main knives. It will not be used on food nor cleanin game. The problem is that I am in Florida and most of the places I camp are near or in a swamp and that kind of humidity isn't kind to 01. So I am thinking about patinaing it. My question is which way to go? I have heard Mustard, vinegar, tomato, even limes. I want a good even patina and was leaning towards the mustard as it seems to give it color fast and look good. But is there any reason I shouldn't? Also, how long should I leave the mustard on? I saw someone that left it on for under 5 minutes and got a nice pattern with lots of whorls in it but I want a more even finish so I was thinking 10 minutes. More, less? Any input appreciated.

Vicv · Jun 4, 2012

For a nice even patina I find it has to come naturally through use cutting acidic foods. I've tried forced patinas and they're always irregular. A vinegar soaked paper towel works well though. A few hours does a pretty even job

stoffi · Jun 4, 2012

You can always drown it in citric acid. I usually get the powder stuff at the grocery store and mix it with water. I'm actually treating a CS Norse Hawk right now! The finish is a uniform grey-to-black, depending on the steel quality/mixture and temper zones.

KennyB · Jun 4, 2012

Well, if you're not going to be using it for food or cleaning game, then I would suggest you get some of those TufCloth or TufGlide things. I think they will protect from rust a lot better than a patina.

However, to answer your question, the best way I've found to get a dark and even patina is to soak some paper towels in vinegar, and then stick these to the blade on each side. Let it sit for about 30 minutes, or just wait until the paper starts turning yellow/brown. Wipe off the loose stuff that will be on the outside of the blade, and then repeat this until it is as dark as you want.

I find that this gives the most even patina, because generally even when trying to spread mustard or potato oil or something over all parts of the blade, certain areas seem to have a higher concentration of acid than others. I personally think vinegar is best to use here since it is 5% acid and leaves a deep, dark patina. If you're just looking for rust prevention and don't want it to be all pretty and fancy looking, these work the best in my experience.

I filed out the jimpings on my ESEE Izula because I wanted them more aggressive. Applied a patina as described, and I have zero issues with rust, despite my finger's leaving lots of oils and what not there to corrode the spot, and during the winter month humidity gets pretty high here as well.

stoffi · Jun 5, 2012

I once bought a 1L bottle of vinegar and poured it into a tall glass and let different knives sit in there over night. Pitch black finish, but it wears off after a while of usage.

Bigfatts · Jun 5, 2012

Thanks for the tips guys. I actually tried the mustard yesterday. Put it on and left it a couple hours. Now here's where it gets wierd. I wipe the mustard off the first side and it has a nice dark, somewhat blotchy pattern on it. Looks good. I turn to the other side and wipe the mustard off and the patina wipes right off too. Just a couple streaks left. So I smeared it up again and left it a couple more hours, same thing. The brown wiped right off and just left a couple more streaks. Any reason one side would take a patina and not the other?

KennyB · Jun 5, 2012

Bigfatts said:
Thanks for the tips guys. I actually tried the mustard yesterday. Put it on and left it a couple hours. Now here's where it gets wierd. I wipe the mustard off the first side and it has a nice dark, somewhat blotchy pattern on it. Looks good. I turn to the other side and wipe the mustard off and the patina wipes right off too. Just a couple streaks left. So I smeared it up again and left it a couple more hours, same thing. The brown wiped right off and just left a couple more streaks. Any reason one side would take a patina and not the other?

Sounds like maybe there's something on the other side of the blade that needs to be cleaned off. Patina won't take well to a surface unless it's very clean.

Bigfatts · Jun 5, 2012

Hm, I used a degreaser to take all the oil off before I started. I'll do it again and give it another try.