Barkeeper's Friend & Flitz

Hey folks, will both these products strip off all patina and 'reset' a carbon steel blade's surface?

Does either one interfere with subsequent patina formation?

And for those that have used it on their SS/Chrome pans, does it actually handle burnt in stains? I'm also wondering if they would be good to take out a gunky seasoning from a used carbon pan, so that I can reseason lightly/gradually.

Insights would be much appeciated. I don't have either available locally, so I'm asking a mate to bring some back next week

flitz typically won't completely remove a deep set patina on knives, but it does a pretty good job, otherwise. i haven't had much luck using it on stains on pans, but there are cleaning products made specifically for that. i haven't used BKF.

I use BKF on my SS pans and I'm amazed at how well it works. My pans will take on a weird discoloration on the inside. Soap and water have no effect on it but BKF cleans it right up. No real scrubbing or anything. BKF has some kind of mild acid in it which I guess is why it works so well. It will also etch your granite counter top. I used to place my sponge next to the faucet after rinsing it out. Didn't take but a day or two for me to notice a slight change in the feel of granite where the sponge was laying. Needless to say I don't do that anymore.

i'll have to get some BKF.

99Limited said:

BKF has some kind of mild acid in it which I guess is why it works so well.

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It's oxalic acid. Commonly used by boaters to remove stains from fiberglass hulls.

I use both. Neither will completely clean the patina off a knife. I mean pretty darn close, but not going to look like new. I've only used them on white#1 and 2, and stainless blades.

Korin used to sell, maybe they still do, basically sandpaper in a balled up strip that I used on a big allclad chef's pan out of shear frustration. It will quickly take anything off a pan's surface but leaves a surface that is not pretty, though it works fine. I never tried going through additional polishing before I moved on to carbon steel pans - just a point of information, not a recommendation unless you do want to then figure a reasonable way to polish.

EdipisReks said:

i'll have to get some BKF.

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Wet & rub, don't soak knife BKF for more than few minutes at a time because oxalic acid will etch your carbon blade.

If you have access to one, a belt grinder with a fine/very fine Scotchbrite belt on it *will* make a knife look like new again. It will even take out light scratches. Put a Surgi-Sharp leather belt on it with CrO and you have the best knife strop ever----in my opinion.

I've used BKF for years. I haven't used Flitz.

BKF, in my experience, both powder and liquid, will not completely take the patina off a knife. I've noticed that the liquid seems to be stronger than the powder and have generally gotten better and faster results using the liquid. However, for really stubborn polymerized oil on SS pans, the powder works better because you can work it like an abrasive with a little water.

I haven't been able to tell whether it interferes with subsequent patina formation - I used on a knife with a heavy patina and it really only took off certain stains; the patina remained.

It may not work on a carbon pan to remove the gunky seasoning. I've tried BKF on a cast iron pan; it's not very effective. To get rid of all the seasoning on my cast iron pan, I use the salt method - I fill the pan with salt, put on high or throw it in the oven. The old seasoning will just flake off.

I havent noticed a residue from bkf, but fitz does seem to leave behind an oily film. For really deep patina on knives that i want to get completely off, I use bkf, then 1k sand paper, 2k, fitz, then acetone and finish with hot water and soap.

Another choice here is Simichrome.

Similar to Flitz.

Will remove light staining and surface rust.
Never had any issues with residue.

To many of us over in Europe, Autosol does basically the same job as Flitz, MAAS or Mother's.
In fact, of the 4, I would choose Autosol, but they are all doing the same job more or less

I've also used a non-abrasive metal polish that I found in an auto-parts store (supposed to be used for rims). It seems to work pretty much the same as flitz. Still, whether these polishes are listed as toxic or not, I wear gloves and do a through post-cleaning.