Not a Patina man

G

Glenridgerich

Joined
Aug 7, 2015
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36
Hello gentleman, I know that there are a good number of you out there that enjoy a good patina. I personally am not a patina man. So I've got a question (and please excuse me if it is naïve): Can you remove patina once it appears? Further, what is the best way to clean blades in general? Thanks in advance!
 
You can easily remove a patina by polishing it. But like any other finish, what ever you do to remove it will be the new finish.


If you patina a stonewashed blade then decide to polish it out, it won't be stonewashed anymore.

When my blade is dirty and I just want to make it look nice, I'll use oil (I use Breakfree CLP for everything 'knife'). If I am cleaning and want to disinfect I'll use dish soap and water or isopropyl alcohol.

ETA: a very light patina can be easily polished out with out altering the finish underneath too much. Dark heavy patinas will be the ones that removal means removing the underlying finish.
 
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Patina is very easy to remove from a polished blade. Pretty much any decent metal polish and a cloth will do the job. I have used Simichrome, Wenol, and Mothers Mag Polish - all work. If you use a metal polish on a surface that was not originally shiny, it will end up being shiny (or shinier) when you are done.
 
If a metal polish like Mother's Mag doesn't "erase" the patina enough for your liking, use Bar Keeper's Friend. It is less harsh than comet/ajax and often found on a different isle of the grocery store (with furniture polishes and metal glo and stuff like that). After using the BKF, use your metal polish to brighten it up. Works very well.
 
I'm not a fan either. Which is why I've never gotten a GEC and don't carry my CV Case knives often. Is there a way to manage a patina? For instance, I don't use my knives for food prep at all, so I wouldn't be developing a patina quickly. Is there an easy way to maintain carbon blades? Most people would say "buy stainless"...but I really want a GEC :thumbup:
 
I am not a fan either. I use Flitz and remove the patina. I use mineral oil or Ren Wax to keep it away during storage and mitigate it's formation during use.
 
JD Bear said:
I'm not a fan either. Which is why I've never gotten a GEC and don't carry my CV Case knives often. Is there a way to manage a patina? For instance, I don't use my knives for food prep at all, so I wouldn't be developing a patina quickly. Is there an easy way to maintain carbon blades? Most people would say "buy stainless"...but I really want a GEC :thumbup:
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An acorn shield on a GEC product is indicative of stainless steel being used for its blades.
 
NJBillK said:
An acorn shield on a GEC product is indicative of stainless steel being used for its blades.
Click to expand...

I was looking at them, but nothing really caught my eye quite like a #72. I reckon I'm just going to have to get one. That pattern is just awesome to me....
 
How can one NOT like patina - tut tut.

OP - you owe it to yourself to buy a Super Blue Spyderco - learn to embrace the beautiful patina.

:)
 
Patina comes and goes very easily. Just using my knives that have gained some sort of staining or patina from acidic foods or fruit will remove some of the patina. Heck just run your blade flat on your strop and it'll get rid of that patina in a jiffy.
 
google or amazon "Super Eraser Rust Eraser" it will should help remove patina or any rust too.

Edit: after removing patina coat the blade with mineral oil (food safe) or fluid film (fluid film works better but it is lanolin based and some people are allergic to that, but iirc its food safe also).
coating it with these will help prevent future patina.

the other thing you can do is have someone ceracoat/Cerakot or DLC coat the blade. look at razoredgeknives.com , he's on the forums, for examples (others do this aswell).
 
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wipe w/ tuf cloth to help prevent patinas. to remove one, try any of the good suggestions given above--I like Flitz personally and BreakfreeCLP.
 
Your best bet is to change your mind 😁

But seriously as others have recommended flitz should work fine.
 
GEC made the 72 in stainless in at least two blade shapes.
720111-mlb-hunteramerican-elk8.png

721111-mlbh-american-elk7.png

Sourced from GEC #72
Good luck on your search.
 
JD Bear said:
I'm not a fan either. Which is why I've never gotten a GEC and don't carry my CV Case knives often. Is there a way to manage a patina? For instance, I don't use my knives for food prep at all, so I wouldn't be developing a patina quickly. Is there an easy way to maintain carbon blades? Most people would say "buy stainless"...but I really want a GEC :thumbup:
Click to expand...

I have and carry GEC knives with 1095 blades and Case knives with CV steel blades. It all depends on what you use them for and your environment. If I don't use my carbon steel pocket knives for cutting apples, I never get a patina on them. Which is fine, I don't especially like the looks of a patina.

I just use a little mineral oil and/or Renaissance Wax on them every so often and never have any problems. When not being actively carried, I put a small drop of mineral oil in the pivot and spread any excess on the blades with my fingers before putting them in the knife drawer. When a particular knife goes back into the carry pool, I wipe off any residual oil and it goes in the pocket.

It's really nothing to maintain a carbon steel knife. Just a little care once in a while, and don't put it up wet.

I have stainless steel knives I use for cutting apples. Though if the only knife I have with me is carbon steel and I really want to cut an apple, then I cut the apple. It's easy to polish the blades back to shiny when I feel like it later.
 
I used "never dull" to take the patina off my GEC 15 hj last night. Took me awhile but I enjoyed the process and the knife too. Take care everyone
 
jc57 said:
I have and carry GEC knives with 1095 blades and Case knives with CV steel blades. It all depends on what you use them for and your environment. If I don't use my carbon steel pocket knives for cutting apples, I never get a patina on them. Which is fine, I don't especially like the looks of a patina.

I just use a little mineral oil and/or Renaissance Wax on them every so often and never have any problems. When not being actively carried, I put a small drop of mineral oil in the pivot and spread any excess on the blades with my fingers before putting them in the knife drawer. When a particular knife goes back into the carry pool, I wipe off any residual oil and it goes in the pocket.

It's really nothing to maintain a carbon steel knife. Just a little care once in a while, and don't put it up wet.

I have stainless steel knives I use for cutting apples. Though if the only knife I have with me is carbon steel and I really want to cut an apple, then I cut the apple. It's easy to polish the blades back to shiny when I feel like it later.
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Thanks John....that's exactly what I wanted to hear. I've been wary to cross over from Case to GEC, but the way you put it makes it sound like it's not a big deal. For some reason I think if I carry a 1095 blade for a week it's going to turn into a rusty mess. Just a mental thing I reckon. You're explanation makes it a lot easier, because I really want to try the fit and finish of a GEC...especially a #72 :thumbup:
 
If your lifestyle or work environment means your knife is exposed to moisture or sweat a lot, then it may have more of chance to rust or patina no matter what you cut with it. So if you work outdoors in a warm summer environment and you get sweaty and the knife is in your jeans pocket, it may get some rust spots or patina.

I carried a Case CV Small Texas Jack daily for about 6 months, and unless I used it for fruit slicing, it never developed a patina, nor pitting, nor rust. I did put a little oil on it about once a week (just a small drop in the joints, and then rubbed the excess onto the blades before wiping off most of it). When it did develop a patina, from me intentionally doing so by using it to cut up fruit on a regular basis, it was easy to later polish off with Simichrome metal polish and paper towels.

GEC knives have reactive backsprings, too, so maybe use a scrap of paper towel and a wooden coffee stirrer (or toothpick, or any small stick-like tool) to spread the oil down into the bladewells once in a while. Just a little bit - you don't want an oily knife in your pocket. Essentially you are using the paper towel to mop up any oil that flows from the drop in the pivots, which spreads it out and leaves a thin film while removing most of it.
 
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