Does anybody NOT use their carbon steel blades for food prep?

Railsplitter

Railsplitter

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Like many of us, I have a variety of knives in my EDC rotation. Some have stainless steel blades and some have carbon steel blades.
In the past I have forced a patina on all of the carbon steel blades that I have carried.

I recently got a new GEC Calf Roper (1095 carbon) and I have been toting it around and using it since I got it. I will let the patina form naturally on this one but I almost never use my EDC knives for food preparation. There is always a kitchen knife or a steak knife handy when I need to cut food. I don't fish much but when I do I have a SS knife in my tackle box that I use.

The blades on my new GEC still look like new except for a few minor scratches. I'm not complaining about that but I thought I should mention it.

My question is that since I don't use this knife for food prep, will a patina ever form on the blades? Almost everything I cut in the normal course of a day is dry stuff like string, shrink wrap, nylon or plastic banding, etc.

Have any of you good folks carried a carbon steel knife for any length of time and never used it to cut food? If so, how does the patina look?
 
I'd like to here from others as well. I've been purposefully using the clip on my #48 Jack for food and its got a nice dark gray patina. The pen blade hasn't been near food and still looks as shiny as the day I got it (with a few scratches and some glue I have to clean off...)
 
There's a very wide variation in how fast different 'carbon' steel blades will oxidize. Some seem to develop that 'patina' a lot quicker than others. Lately, I've been carrying at least a couple of non-stainless folders. One, an Old Timer 8OT. Also an Eye Brand 425DS stockman. A third, is a somewhat unusual variation. It's a Buck 307 stockman (originally produced by Camillus, under contract for Buck). This one is odd, in that the blades are stainless (440A), but the springs are carbon steel. Some makers have apparently made knives this way in the past. The springs on the Buck will turn almost BLACK within a week or two after polishing, and that's just when it's sitting on my desk (in the arid southwest U.S.). The Eye Brand has polished blades, and I've been carrying it a lot lately. Can't see any evidence of patina yet, save for a few dark spots on the springs. The 8OT Old Timer has satin finished blades, which will very subtly turn a little grey with time. I generally don't even notice it, until I polish the blades again. I did use it to cut/quarter an apple one day, and I deliberately let the blade sit a while before washing it with dish soap & water. It did show some oxidation from the apple, in typical random pattern.

Edit:
Just to add, a more refined finish (such as mirror polishing) will slow down oxidation dramatically. The other upside to that is, they won't rust nearly as easily, either.
 
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I have some knives I ground from 01 steel that will turn black after one use on cutting veggies. This will polish off with Flitz . However, I don't care for patina and have stopped using these as I prefer a good stainless blade. They do cut well and are easy to sharpen. DM
 
If like me, you are a keen gardener, then carbon blades get all sorts of tree sap, stuff from dividing bulbs, prodding bark, making cuttings etc all over the blades. Medium Stockman or Whittlers make excellent horticultural knives.

Fruit&veggie chopping IS the road to fast patina, no question. But I've noticed a variation in the 'taste' of carbon: GEC OK, CASE more tangy, Böker very bitter metallic taste imparted.:eek: Must be the alloying. I've never liked the flavour of carbon knives on raw fruit too much actually. A friend has a very friendly pet house-rabbit, he is eager to be fed pieces of fruit or carrot but it has to be from a stainless blade. He won't touch anything cut with carbon at all. Does Bunny know something about steels:D
 
Thanks everyone for the replies.

Good post, Willgoy. I enjoyed reading that.:)

I know that as time goes by I will know more about this subject but I wanted a heads up on what to expect and you guys have been helpful.

Wether my blades take on a patina or not, I will be happy because I like blades with and without patinas. Sounds like they will eventually develope a patina but it will most likely take much longer than blades that are used on food or items containing moisture.

This will be an interesting journey.

More replies are welcome and thanks again.
 
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