Master the art of patina on carbon steel blades

A forced patina on Rex 45 not only really changes the aesthetic of this knife or any other knife with one of these blades, but it’s also just so darn cool looking. At first, I thought I would do it just the way I did plain old 1095 carbon steel. But that was not the case. The temperature of the apple cider vinegar was running a little lower because of the way I did it. For 1095, I used to put the heating element directly into the vinegar. Now I’m using what would be called a “double boiler” system. So the external water source is what is actually heating the vinegar. So the temperature will be more consistently lower but very effective.

True to form, I simply put the blade into some apple cider vinegar and walked away for a couple hours. When I returned, there was really no change. Maybe just a little hazing of the surface. That didn’t seem right. So I put the blade back in for a few minutes, then removed it and started to attack it with the stainless steel welding wire bristle brush. And immediately the blade took on a very very dark black patina. All I did was continue to brush it, with a couple more dips into the vinegar which I really don’t feel were necessary, and continued brushing. Then brought it inside and used warm water to rinse it off and start scrubbing it down with a Scotch-Brite pad to get it down to a color and texture that I really liked.

So if you’re going to do this, it might take you a fraction of the time that it took me by simply starting to use the wire bristle brush and scrubbing the surface of the blade after a few moments of soaking in the Apple cider vinegar. Perhaps the secret is simply to just create some sort of friction or action to help oxygenate the mixture on the blade surface to create a patina. Whatever it is… I think it worked great! I couldn’t be happier with the results.

——————Feel free to click the Subscribe link below.——————

If you would like, I'd love for you to subscribe. Click the link below. That would be grand:

   / @knifetimestory  

——————Instagram——————
  / knifetime   story

(bushcraft,camping gear,edc,hiking gear,knife modders,knife modifications,knife mods,knife sharpening,knifetalk,outdoor,sharpening a knife,survival,esee camp lore,favorite gear,outdoor limits,hiking gear reviews,camping gear 2022,knife review,spyderco,patina,forced patina,forcing a patina,carbon steel)