Best way to force patina?

J

JustinP

Joined
Feb 11, 2015
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Hey guys. Just got my first Opinel No. 8.
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Just wondering if you guys think I should force a patina or not. I've never done it before and this knife was only 12 bucks so if I wreck it no biggie. I was just wondering what the best way to get a nice even looking patina on the blade. I don't like the blotchy mustard patina that much. I'm thinking about just sticking it in an orange. That seems like the best method. Am I right in thinking that? Any info would be great. Thanks!
 
Use vinegar. After it oxidizes. Lightly sand with 2500 sandpaper. Or a cut up a bunch of apples and let it sit on the blade. Onions also work
 
Have chicken for dinner tonight and use your new opinel to cut it, you'll get some nice vibrant blue patina on your blade.👍
 
Soak a paper towel with vinegar and wrap the paper towel around the blade and leave it alone for about 10 minutes. Afterwards, you can rinse off the blade.
 
Hot vinegar will do it if you are in a hurry. Bring a glass full of vinegar to near a boil in the microwave. Then take it out and dip the knife blade in it. Will turn a nice black in about 20 seconds. Rinse off, wipe off with a paper towel. A lot of black will come off on the towel. Repeat if desired, until it looks like how you want it to look.
 
You can use vinegar, or lemon juice, also you can cut some raw chicken to get a blue anodized type patina. Another way is to use your knife to prepare food an the patina will appear naturally. By the way your Opinel is carbon steel? Cause if is Inox it will not develop any patina..

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Soak it in vinegar, or cover it with mustard. You can also get one of those cold blueing liquids for guns (probably not food safe).
 
Hot vinegar soak works the best. Let it sit in the hot vinegar and then let it air out for a bit then repeat.


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ATJ999 said:
I have seen some really good patina from mustard
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I know the OP doesn't like the mustard method, but it worked for my needs. I forced patina on a Lee Valley kitchen Peasant knife. I made the mistake of running it through the dishwasher, so wanted to fix that mistake.

Smear some mustard on with a paper towel, where the mustard is will remain and the areas around it will blue. Let sit in sun for a while, wipe off and your done.

I skipped the sandpaper, steel wool and most of the prep, but think I used this as a guide.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=439062

Here was my knife. It has since developed its own, natural patina, see last pic. It hid all the flaws the dishwasher gave it (we hand wash ALL our knives now), so I was happy with it.

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2-1/2y later:
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Last edited:
Dunno. Feel like I've come across the topic once or twice. Or I could be remembering it entirely incorrectly.
 
If I were you I'd just use it, I don't have an Opinel but my GEC's get a pretty even, nice looking patina after just a few days of use. Cut some fruit, perhaps wait till you've eaten said fruit before rinsing and wiping off the blade. If you can't wait or want a perfectly even patina, clean the blade crazy good and use some gun blue, ferric chloride or hot vinegar.
 
Cold bluing is not permanent and will wear off. Since it contains selenium, I wouldn't want to use it on food prep equipment.

IIRC, someone asked Birchwood Casey and they said their cold bluing products were not food safe.

Why not contact them directly yourself?
 
Important for an even patina: cleaning the entire blade (or the entire surface you want patina'd) of ALL OILS. I use rubbing alcohol and make sure to not touch the blade with your hands after you clean it. Any oils on the blade will protect the blade from oxidizing and give you a more uneven finish.
 
kniferbro said:
Important for an even patina: cleaning the entire blade (or the entire surface you want patina'd) of ALL OILS. I use rubbing alcohol and make sure to not touch the blade with your hands after you clean it. Any oils on the blade will protect the blade from oxidizing and give you a more uneven finish.
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This. Like painting, prep work is the most work. Clean all oils and residue from your blade first. This will ensure you don't get a splotchy patina pattern. Personally I like the even patina myself. I'll dunk in apple cider vinegar for 1.5 hours.

Here is one I did a full dunk and the scandi portion stropped
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Old timers would stick the blade in a potato overnight. I've done that, as well as the hot vinegar soak. The potato gives you a nice gnarly pattern with different streaks in it that eventually evens out more with use. The vinegar gives you a nice even grey. With vinegar, use some baking soda to neutralize the acid, and rinse it really well and dry it completely. Otherwise you might end up with red rust popping up in a few days.


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