Blade patina

M

machine26

Joined
Sep 3, 2009
Messages
1,383
Should I let nature take its course and get a patina the normal way or force a patina on my knives from JK? and if I should force the patina, whats the best method of going about this.

thanks guys
 
I think you should use it and let it develop. My Ewok is looking great just from use. I think you will like it.
 
My original plan was to just use it and oil it when im finished, all that jazz etc. Then my buddy told me about forcing patinas. I reckon Ill take your advice and let it form naturally, no need to rush things I reckon.
 
I force mine, they seem to stand up to rust much better this way. Either that or just make your first few uses cutting fruit and/or onions.

I use Dijon mustard. Seems to protect the blade very well.
 
Just keep fetching it out in the kitchen, slice up some apples,limes, lemons,potato's etc and don't wipe the blade down for an hour or so.You will soon get a nice natural looking patina form !
 
I like to force a light patina, just to have some uniform rust protection. A mottled, more natural patina will still develop over time, so you can certainly do both. I like to use a mixture of mustard and vinegar, dabbed on and allowed to partially dry, then re-applied a few times. Alternatively, you can boil white vinegar and apply that very a uniform grey patina.

Pictures!

JK_3.jpg


Sept52009058.jpg


All the best,

- Mike
 
As has been said doing it yourself will add some rust protection. I have a skeleton necker of John's I am thinking about forcing to keep the rust away from the handle. As Pitdog said using it in the kitchen and letting it stand before you wipe it off will get a good patina going quickly....and is pretty much doing it naturally.

Top Tin knife is a dijon mustard patina. Bottom in soaked in vinegar.
DSC03911.jpg
 
Mentor said:
I like to force a light patina, just to have some uniform rust protection. A mottled, more natural patina will still develop over time, so you can certainly do both. I like to use a mixture of mustard and vinegar, dabbed on and allowed to partially dry, then re-applied a few times. Alternatively, you can boil white vinegar and apply that very a uniform grey patina.

Pictures!

JK_3.jpg


Sept52009058.jpg


All the best,

- Mike
Click to expand...



Mentor, what model is that?

Thanks,
Dave
 
Hey Dave,

That's a JK Anniversary Knife (no. 11!), with a 5" blade and canvas Micarta handles. It is currently my go-to wilderness knife, though it keeps sneaking its way into the kitchen, too. Awesome knife. It has seen a lot of use in its short life.

All the best,

- Mike
 
Mentor said:
I like to force a light patina, just to have some uniform rust protection. A mottled, more natural patina will still develop over time, so you can certainly do both. I like to use a mixture of mustard and vinegar, dabbed on and allowed to partially dry, then re-applied a few times. Alternatively, you can boil white vinegar and apply that very a uniform grey patina.

Pictures!

JK_3.jpg


Sept52009058.jpg


All the best,

- Mike
Click to expand...
This one always reminds me of a Charles May OSK knife, except that the OSK costs $295 !!!!!!:eek:


osk.jpg
 
Huh - first time I have seen that one! Nice knife! There are definitely some similarities, though I suppose there are only so many ways to make a dropped-point 5" knife with contoured handles.

All the best,

- Mike
 
Mentor said:
Hey Dave,

That's a JK Anniversary Knife (no. 11!), with a 5" blade and canvas Micarta handles. It is currently my go-to wilderness knife, though it keeps sneaking its way into the kitchen, too. Awesome knife. It has seen a lot of use in its short life.

All the best,

- Mike
Click to expand...


Hmmmm, very nice.


Thanks,
Dave
 
C Bryant said:
As has been said doing it yourself will add some rust protection. I have a skeleton necker of John's I am thinking about forcing to keep the rust away from the handle. As Pitdog said using it in the kitchen and letting it stand before you wipe it off will get a good patina going quickly....and is pretty much doing it naturally.

Top Tin knife is a dijon mustard patina. Bottom in soaked in vinegar.
DSC03911.jpg
Click to expand...

bottom one looks great, can you describe the process for soaking it in vinegar to me?

Thanks
 
machine26, I'm sure C Bryant will chime in, but in the meantime here's how I do a vinegar patina.

You need a pot large enough to fit your blade, enough white vinegar to allow the blade to submerge, and tongs to retrieve it. With an all-steel blade like the tin knives above, you can just drop the knife into boiling vinegar. For a blade that already has the handle attached, you will want to keep the handle out of he vinegar, lest it does weird things to the finish. This process can smell pretty bad, so I like to use it as an excuse to start a fire outside.

Anyway, once your vinegar comes to a boil, drop / suspend the blade so that the area to receive a patina is covered uniformly. Leave it there for a few minutes. It helps if the blade has been cleaned and given a few very light passes with some fine steel wool first. After a few minutes (longer = darker, but only to a certain point), take the blade out of the vinegar and allow any remaining moisture to evaporate. Leave the blade to sit for ten or fifteen minutes. Then give it a thorough washing, and you're set.

This produces a very uniform patina. If you want something a bit more mottled, you could dab the boiling vinegar on instead.

All the best,

- Mike
 
That is pretty much it. For the bottom one I soaked it in apple cider vinegar overnight, then hit it with 0000 steel wool, and gave it another overnight soak in lime juice. Gave it a really nice dark color. I did not biol the vinegar. The lime juice did the most work. After the mustard and vinegar, both knives went into lime juice and it really did the trick.

Here is a thread from a while back
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=621308&highlight=patina+tin
 
Last edited:
I put mine in a dish with Apple cider vinegar and some Mustard mixed in. Let it sit for a day or 2 then let it dry. I tried to get it pretty dark but I rescued it to use it.
 
Thanks for the ideas guys. If I do force a patina itll probably be with white vinegar and mustard. Considering the handle is already attached itd probably be a PITA to use boiling vinegar.
 
Would cutting tomatoes help with the patina? Seems to me they are pretty acidic and would do something.



Dave
 
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