No kidding. Now that's the real deal. What stories that knife could tell, eh?
As far as patina goes, on steel it is a combination of staining and rust. As a professional woodworker, in 40 years in the trades using all manner of steel tools, I have never heard of anyone think of discolored or lightly rusted metal as being protected.
My best forged chisels, my hammers, my old Disston handsaws (rolled from spring steel stock), steel/wood handled Irwin screwdrivers, forged auger bits, my old Stanley planes, and on an on have never benefited in any way from a light coat of rust or staining. Yes, it does make the new stains or rust harder to see, but it provides no waterproofing or surface protection.
While the staining usually does no damage at all (look at your average wood chisels from a carpenter - not a shiny one in the bunch!) the thin layer of corrosion or rust can prevent easy cutting (would you shave a board with a plane that had a very lightly rusted blade? ) and attract more moisture as it it much more porous than a smooth, polished finish.
This is easy to see. Take two very lightly patinated chisels that your helpers have left in the open on a very humid day. Polish and clean one up. Dip them both in water. Which one stays wet longer?
I think of the forced patination here as the guys not wanting their knives to look new or unused. Think of it this way, on the jobsite, you don't want to be the guy that shows up with new, shiny tools. A no-no.
On the other hand,
I think knives look better with the patina as (even if it is mimicked) as it speaks to a knife that is well loved and well used. All of my old Case, Schrade, etc. knives got there eventually with enough use. My Benchmade, Spydercos and Kershaws never develop that character as they are all stainless, so the are just nice knives, even after years of use. But I like my old carbon knives with their pits, scratches, blue blades, etc. as they have a real sense of being a good knife.
Like Guyon's. The pits, stains, and well smoothed bone handles tell the whole story on that one. That knife sailed past patina all the way to
provenance.
I have to ask Guyon if you are still here, did you carry that knife the whole time to get it that way?
Robert
I don't have any pitting on my knives and love the colors that come with a nice natural patina. To each his own though.
