Patina question

Kitchen Knife Forums

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

TamanegiKin

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2011
Messages
472
Reaction score
1
So I've recently started wondering whether or not patina creates drag.
Sometimes I feel like my knives drag, specifically in onions...
Does patina create stiction? Or am I experiencing something else? Thanks in advance
 
I can't tell the difference. When do you notice it? Can you feel your patina with your fingers?
 
I can't tell the difference. When do you notice it? Can you feel your patina with your fingers?

Nah, can't feel anything as far as I can tell.
No pitting or rough surface area. I do notice that there are areas of gloss and others that appear matted.
The matte patina always appears on the newer "raw" steel at the edge.
 
I have felt a bit of drag that I assumed were a result of the patina, but now that I have full "uniform" patina on my Misono (the Konosuke came with a beautiful one from Rick) I haven't noticed any drag.
I would think that patina would change the surface, ever so slightly, so there's a possibility that this theory could in fact be truth. It still doesn't explain why a full patina would stick less than a partial one, for me though.
 
What kind of steel are you using? I found that on a couple of my knives that experience drag and get that matte look, I have and excess silica build up. Some vegetables are filled with silica ( corn,onions, asparagus and a few others that I can't remember.) This silica will abrade the steel at a microscopic level and will form a residue on the blade that gives it that sticky feeling. I mentioned to my friend who is a materials specialist of some kind what was happening and the matte spots I noticed on the knife and he took a look under the microscope and noticed the silica build up. It was a Ray rogers chef knife and he used A flat ground O1 tool steel that was mirror polished and it was quite sticky until I actually had to take some 800grit emery cloth and remove the build up and force a patina on it. I no longer have that problem as long as I watch how i clean and treat my knives. I don't know if this is the same thing that you are experiencing, but it could be.
 
I don't feel any drag also. On damascus and my etched hiro-as..yes, I can feel it when I run my finger on the surface of the blade, but on the food... barely noticeable.
 
What kind of steel are you using? I found that on a couple of my knives that experience drag and get that matte look, I have and excess silica build up. Some vegetables are filled with silica ( corn,onions, asparagus and a few others that I can't remember.) This silica will abrade the steel at a microscopic level and will form a residue on the blade that gives it that sticky feeling. I mentioned to my friend who is a materials specialist of some kind what was happening and the matte spots I noticed on the knife and he took a look under the microscope and noticed the silica build up. It was a Ray rogers chef knife and he used A flat ground O1 tool steel that was mirror polished and it was quite sticky until I actually had to take some 800grit emery cloth and remove the build up and force a patina on it. I no longer have that problem as long as I watch how i clean and treat my knives. I don't know if this is the same thing that you are experiencing, but it could be.

Hmm interesting, the knives are white 2.
Maybe I'll mess around with some onions at work trying my knives with and without patina.
 
Really just to many factors that can "feel" like drag. I notice a huge difference with a forced patia over a naturally formed one. So yes I'm sure there is a difference, can the avg person feel it? Doubt it... We tend to be hyper aware of our knives around here for some reason lol :p
 
I've noticed a very little on my Kono #2 on onions but it's more towards where the steel isn't as heavily patina might just be my imagination. But interesting might have to pay a little more attention the next time I use it.
 
Don't do it! It'll drive you nuts trying to figure it out!
 
Back
Top