Good steel that will patina?

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Ditch-Tiger

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Jan 20, 2018
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Lately I've been drawn to pocket knives (modern) that have that well used, been there, done that, patina look.
I own a good deal of stainless & stain resistant stuff (154, D2, S30, S35, S110, VG10, coated M4) but am somewhat ignorant to which steels will stain/patina.
Besides uncoated M4, what else is a good "super"? (IMO 154 & D2 are "good") steel that will take a patina?
Kinda thinking another Para2 or 3 in an uncoated stainable steel needs to be next on my list.
Other options are appreciated.
Elmax? That spyderco 52100 steel? What else?
If it helps, I own mainly BM, spyderco and a ZT, steel will & Fantoni.
 
1095 is capable of some excellent patinas, and is an good steel for both edge retention and maintenance. Carbon steels and tool steels will patina without much effort, but the elemental composition is very important. D2 doesn't patina quite as dramatically as 1095 does.

The most readily-available steel that can be given a dramatic or interesting forced patina is 1095. All you need is a little mustard and you can get results like this:

IMG_5337.jpg


Vinegar forms a very strong patina on carbon steels. Just make sure the surface is immaculate - wipe it down with windex - if you are trying to force a patina.
 
I knew about 1095 as I have an Eese and a mora but am not aware of a modern folder made with this blade steel.
 
The TOPS Fieldcraft is the only one I know of off the top of my head.

TOPS-Fieldcraft-Folder-FCF-01-BHQ-81871-jr.jpg


Traditional folders are really where you see any significant amount of 1095, or carbon steels in general. D2 is, by far, the most common non-stainless steel you see in modern folders.

Even then, most non-stainless steels you might encounter in production folders have a fairly underwhelming patina potential. Your best bet might just be to find a folder you like and give it an acid etch.
 
My Spyderco police 4 with K390 steel has taken a patina pretty easily.

I also have a PM3 in 52100 steel that patinas very easily.

My Spyderco Bradley 2 in M4 has a slight patina and is also the knife I use the most so it’s not as easy to patina as others.

CV steel that Case uses patinas quite easily.
 
If you want a knife that will take a patina, you should stop looking for a steel that would be considered a "super steel" and start looking for carbon steel.

As far as modern folders go, it's not a long list. That "Spyderco 52100 steel" would be a good place to start. 52100 ball bearing steel makes great knives, takes a patina easily, it's time tested, and not at all proprietary to Spyderco. It's used in tons of knives.
 
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Your going to want to change the coating in a sense. Your going to want to go with a acid wash if using something classified as stainless. You can go with aomething acidic if high carbon but low metals to make stainless.
Also like other post different metals react different. I have seen a 1095 blade take a nice patina and same process to opinel carbone look bad
 
I recently started my first forced patina on this Opinel Carbone. Not sure what steel it is, or if it would be considered "nice" steel. But it has been kind of fun to watch. The forced dots are just now starting to blend with a little use. My hope was that the unnatural forced dots would eventually blend into the background and just add a little "texture" to the look.

Now I'm tempted to try something like this on a D2 or M4.

w823rl.jpg


15zpcsk.jpg
 
A2 takes a patina easily and responds to cold bluing in seconds. 3V is technically not stainless, but is so resistant in my experience that I consider it effectively stainless. If you want a nice patina I suggest A2. Great steel also.
 
52100, 5160, 01, A2, 3v, 4v, and others (though it will be tougher to get a nice even patina on Cpm3v or 4v).

Elmax, from my understsnding, is pretty stainless,
 
AntDog said:
If you want a knife that will take a patina, you should stop looking for a steel that would be considered a "super steel" and start looking for carbon steel.

As far as modern folders go, it's not a long list. That "Spyderco 52100 steel" would be a good place to start. 52100 ball bearing steel makes great knives, takes a patina easily, it's time tested, and not at all proprietary to Spyderco. It's used in tons of knives.
Click to expand...

Great post right there.
 
K390 will patina, and so will Maxamet. If you want a modern pocket knife the Spyderco Urban LW in K390 is superb and holds an edge forever.
 
If you go with a stainless you can use an a acid and turn it grey. It does remove metal so time is important.
 
Any carbon steel, in my experience 1075 gets a nice grey patina in a few hours and a blackish blue one overnight, but I hear that 1095 and O1 also patina well
 
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