Trail master in O1 or San Mai?

Which steel?

  • O1

    Votes: 17 63.0%

  • San Mai III

    Votes: 10 37.0%
  • Total voters
    27
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Man with no name said:
What did you use to patina your O-1 Trail Master? The best one I've seen so far was done with vinegar purchased from WalMart. It was so dark and evenly applied. I wish I could remember where I saw it. The person said that they had rubbed the blade with alcohol and a scotch brite pad beforehand then soaked tge blade for two or three hours and it was done.
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:p I would try something like what you've described . I just was fooling around with trying to get a banana shaped "pattern " patina . I used some mustard and vinegar and laid a banana peel on top and let it bake in the sun (see my 1st post in this thread) . Actually did very little :confused:. The O-1 is more corrosion resistant then my cheap old carbon steel kitchen knives for sure . I'm now just letting exposure to tree and brush juices etc from use finish the job . Or maybe I'll try your method ? That's the great thing about a patina : you can erase and start over . Helps me not worry and more enjoy the experience of using the blade . :cool:
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Man with no name said:
What did you use to patina your O-1 Trail Master? The best one I've seen so far was done with vinegar purchased from WalMart. It was so dark and evenly applied. I wish I could remember where I saw it. The person said that they had rubbed the blade with alcohol and a scotch brite pad beforehand then soaked tge blade for two or three hours and it was done.
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That might have been me- http://www.bladeforums.com/threads/...patina-my-trail-master.1461896/#post-16836135

Here's the pic-
d2947f8a-7d1a-4d71-9e9d-c3c6594477dc_zps3dplx90y.jpg
 
Yes it was you. Thanks for posting the picture and the link to the thread. I read so many things from so many different sources that I can't always remember where. But your knife patina is the best that I have seen so far.

Other people talk about boiling the vinegar then dipping the blade for 15 minutes then boiling more vinegar and resoaking the knife. It sounds so time consuming and elaborate that I'd rather take my chances with rust. But your method seems straightforward so I might just give it a try.

Can you imagine if Cold Steel ever put their DLC coating on a Trail Master, Natchez or Laredo? It would be absolutely stunning. The finish actually looks like what you would expect to see on a blued firearm on the DLC coated Taipan and Tantos.
 
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Speaking of patinas and finishes. Does anybody know if putting a mirror like finish on the blade with something like Flitz metal polish have any rust prevention benefits?
 
Meshach said:
I dont even know who i am anymore! Lol.
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You are the proud owner of a shiny new Taipan, congratulations! And that O-1 Trail Master is going to be just fine. I own several O-1 knives from Cold Steel and have not had any problems with rust. I wipe the blades with a soft cloth and some WD-40 and they stay shiny and clean.
 
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