Erasing the patina

[Lefty]

In Canada, we're limited (I can't find Flitz ANYWHERE!!!). For my cleanups, I use wet/dry, but for the pitting, would nevrdull, BKF, or Autosol work? If so, which is best?

Awesome thread!

 

[Cutty Sharp]

This thread is giving me some idea of the next consolidated shipment I'll have sent from the US, so long as customs doesn't determine some things to be hazardous chemicals!

 

[SpikeC]

Has anyone else tried baking soda?

 

[dmccurtis]

Home Hardware has Flitz.

In Canada, we're limited (I can't find Flitz ANYWHERE!!!). For my cleanups, I use wet/dry, but for the pitting, would nevrdull, BKF, or Autosol work? If so, which is best?

Awesome thread!

 

[Cutty Sharp]

Has anyone else tried baking soda?

I have. Arm & Hammer. Didn't really do a thing.

 

[wsfarrell]

If your blade has a factory finish that runs from spine to edge--Sab, Henckels, Wusthof, many Konosukes, Devin Thomas (non-damascus), TKC, many many others--you can restore that finish perfectly with a scotchbrite belt on a belt grinder. This will remove all patina that isn't actual pitting, and is the way many knifemakers finish their blades.

If the finish on your knife runs from heel to tip, this won't work. In that case, wet/dry sandpaper on a hard rubber block will work. I've used worn 220, lubed with water/Dawn, to restore the finish on several Shigs and Watanabes to better than factory--in my opinion, at least. Pic below shows a Shigefusa 240 kasumi gyuto that developed some corrosion while out for rehandling:

And this is how it looked after a minute with 220 (sorry about the lighting--fluorescents in second photo):

For polish, I really like Mother's Mag. Mentioning it because I didn't see it in this thread.

 

[Sara@JKI]

kurenza-----! and daikon!

 

[Sara@JKI]

yes, I'm sorry but I don't know how to spell this Japanese white powder thing for polishing up steel.

 

[shankster]

yes, I'm sorry but I don't know how to spell this Japanese white powder thing for polishing up steel.

Not sure if this is what you mean..you can see it at about 4 minutes

http://marthastewart.com/914242/nobu-knife-sharpening-techniques

 

[GlassEye]

クレンザ　is cleanser I believe, which would be an abrasive cleaner like Comet, Barkeepers Friend, etc.

 

[Don Nguyen]

I got some Metal Glo (United Cutlery brand) and tried it out on an old knife really quick.

Took off the heavy, dark patina really fast. There was still this underlying patina that looked subtly like water stains or something similar. Maybe I just gotta put more elbow grease in it, we will see.

 

[Cutty Sharp]

Though I am no metallurgist I think sometimes you'll get spots where the reactions forming 'patina' are much deeper and have put down roots, and maybe are not so easy to remove if at all, unless some grinding occurs. I've long since polished away the colour on my practice knife, a santoku, but there are still hints at the swirls from my erstwhile forced mustard patina. I've even scrubbed the blade with some quite abrasive stuff and it refuses to go.

 

[Don Nguyen]

It probably depends heavily on how the blade is finished. A mirror polished would probably have less of such patina than one finished at 300 grit, I'm guessing?

The metal glo works great though.

 

[andoniminev]

I use japanese natural fingerstones. Depending on the patina sometimes i use a combination of different stones. Drnaka has a nice post about that where he tests different methods. I have never tried with any powders because i get amazing results with natural fingerstones.