So I have a 120-year-old knife with a natural patina and I just forced a patina onto a much newer knife. What I've noticed is the natural patina is way more durable than the forced patina.
Years ago, I knew someone who thought it was a good idea to submerge their damascus blade throughout the long weekend in triple power pickling vinegar 😂 It was like an army of ants created tunnels through the steel material 😂😂😂😂😂
Fun topic. I’m a hobbiest chef and knife maker. I’ve gotten good results by combining vinegar and water and heating the mixture. It makes dark patina that will eventually host color as you use it on meat. I pour the mixture into a very tall glass (height of the blade). I then set the blade up to the bolster for 20 minutes, wash, and then repeat 2-3 times (if you rest the handle in it, it will remove the finish so don’t let the handle rest in the liquid). This makes a very resilient patina for those who cut a lot of onions, hot peppers, tomatoes, etc. You will never have to patina it again. You can sort of do this with mustard but I find the patina either fades or is overtaken easily by a natural patina.
you can't actually be a "hobbyist chef". A chef is a title of the person of highest authority in a kitchen. That's like saying "i'm a hobbyist head surgeon".
I also have a that Bob Kramer, my favorite knife. I never thought about speeding up the (term I grow-up calling it the) Aging Process. I only wash & dry wipe with EVO. As a kid in NYC I worked at a Pizza Restaurant, Lou the owner had old knives it was the only thing he ever did with his Knives. He used to say the EVO is what gives the aging character.
forced a patina on my blackjack knife made from D2 tool steel simply by using mustard and it looks great, and it's been on the blade for well over a few years now protecting it from all kinds of rust, but if i go cutting anything gritty of chopping tree limbs it does start to wear a bit a bit. About as strong as the powder coat on a kabar, maybe a bit stonger, but not as thick.
I recommend using lime and water solution. Apply the solution to the blade and warm it up a bit. The heat allows the acid to reacts with the steel. Warm up the blade just until you can't touch it, around 65 to 80°C. It is a very controlled method and I got thick and even layer of patina on my knife, the colour is also very dark even after scrubbing off the loose oxides. It is quite time consuming but the all black blade is worth it for me.
Thanks for the great tutorial! After checking the links below i noticed a link was missing to the Carbon Steel Yoshihiro Kiritsuke that i would love to have a look at. Does someone know where i can find this knife?
Thanks for the video! It was great! I've got a carbon petty that I want to use for fruit. But, it transfers this weird metal taste to everything it touches. Will a patina prevent it from transferring that flavor and darkening the fruit?
So I have a 120-year-old knife with a natural patina and I just forced a patina onto a much newer knife. What I've noticed is the natural patina is way more durable than the forced patina.
Absolutely, 100% agree
Years ago, I knew someone who thought it was a good idea to submerge their damascus blade throughout the long weekend in triple power pickling vinegar 😂 It was like an army of ants created tunnels through the steel material 😂😂😂😂😂
holy smokes! lol
Fun topic. I’m a hobbiest chef and knife maker. I’ve gotten good results by combining vinegar and water and heating the mixture. It makes dark patina that will eventually host color as you use it on meat.
I pour the mixture into a very tall glass (height of the blade). I then set the blade up to the bolster for 20 minutes, wash, and then repeat 2-3 times (if you rest the handle in it, it will remove the finish so don’t let the handle rest in the liquid). This makes a very resilient patina for those who cut a lot of onions, hot peppers, tomatoes, etc. You will never have to patina it again. You can sort of do this with mustard but I find the patina either fades or is overtaken easily by a natural patina.
Very cool! Thanks for sharing!
One thing to add is that you can always go back after a vinegar patina and add a mustard layer for design.
you can't actually be a "hobbyist chef". A chef is a title of the person of highest authority in a kitchen. That's like saying "i'm a hobbyist head surgeon".
@@ejunsub you sure about that?
@@philliphart6327 yes, unless you are currently employed as the head of the kitchen, you are a hobbyist COOK.
I also have a that Bob Kramer, my favorite knife. I never thought about speeding up the (term I grow-up calling it the) Aging Process. I only wash & dry wipe with EVO. As a kid in NYC I worked at a Pizza Restaurant, Lou the owner had old knives it was the only thing he ever did with his Knives. He used to say the EVO is what gives the aging character.
That’s so cool. I love hearing great stories like this. Thanks for watching, cheers!
forced a patina on my blackjack knife made from D2 tool steel simply by using mustard and it looks great, and it's been on the blade for well over a few years now protecting it from all kinds of rust, but if i go cutting anything gritty of chopping tree limbs it does start to wear a bit a bit. About as strong as the powder coat on a kabar, maybe a bit stonger, but not as thick.
I recommend using lime and water solution. Apply the solution to the blade and warm it up a bit. The heat allows the acid to reacts with the steel. Warm up the blade just until you can't touch it, around 65 to 80°C. It is a very controlled method and I got thick and even layer of patina on my knife, the colour is also very dark even after scrubbing off the loose oxides. It is quite time consuming but the all black blade is worth it for me.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for the great tutorial! After checking the links below i noticed a link was missing to the Carbon Steel Yoshihiro Kiritsuke that i would love to have a look at. Does someone know where i can find this knife?
How did your stainless steel knife turn out from the coffee?
no issues
this the same process that happens with using ferric chloride? mygreathanks and blessings
It’s almost the same yes.
I'm not sure several minutes is enough for the instant coffee method. It took several hours in my case.
Oh wow, thanks for letting me know
Thanks for the video! It was great! I've got a carbon petty that I want to use for fruit. But, it transfers this weird metal taste to everything it touches. Will a patina prevent it from transferring that flavor and darkening the fruit?
It should, I haven’t had any offsetting taste with my cs knives. Cheers!
Stick it into a tater overnight.
Black as coal. Sharpens easy.
Then there is the hardcore version... Vinegar, salt and H2O2 :-) Try it with a piece of polished rebar at first...
Hardcore!
"Fake unique narratives" by forcing the patina...