Bleached spots on black damascus, fixable?

[ChainringTattoo]

Hello kkf
I'm quite new in the knife game, and looking to expand the collection. During the hunt, I have found a Konosuke Keiai NT damascus which I find very interesting. It went out of producting some years ago it seems, so exact specifications have been hard to find. But it seems it has some kind of special dark damascus pattern, which is not made like most other black damascus patterns. It looks great when new, but the used ones I have found, have all gotten some "bleached" spots on the damascus pattern. I have attached a picture of one of them. Does anyone know why this is happening, and if there is something I can do to remove those spots if I buy the knife?

 

[Corradobrit1]

According to Steve Gamache it has a proprietary etching treatment so I doubt you'll be able to fix those spots at home. The cladding is stainless so probably unreactive to typical acid etching. Maybe a reason why the line was dropped.

 

[drsmp]

I have had good luck etching washed out spots on Yoshikane SLD black Damascus. The Keiai looks similar. I use dilute FeCl and dab on the bleach areas with a cotton make up pad or Q-Tip. Rinse with water and then spray with windex or baking soda dilution to neutralize the acid. Don’t dip the blade as it will darken the polished edge.

 

[Corradobrit1]

I have had good luck etching washed out spots on Yoshikane SLD black Damascus. The Keiai looks similar. I use dilute FeCl and dab on the bleach areas with a cotton make up pad or Q-Tip. Rinse with water and then spray with windex or baking soda dilution to neutralize the acid. Don’t dip the blade as it will darken the polished edge.

Not sure the FeCl treatment would work here. This Swiss company has them in stock and states

"The latest nickel damask knife series from Konosuke have a black surface that is not in the Kurouchi finish
or in the acid bath, but with a technique that goes deeper."

https://www.japanische-kochmesser.c...ai-NT-Wa-Gyuto-245mm-Khii-Rosewood::4018.html

 

[ChainringTattoo]

Thank you for all your replies!
Well that sucks if the spots can’t be fixed with relative ease /: But It would make sence, when it looks so good but is not seen on other knifes..

drsmp: I’ve actually been looking quite a bit at the Yoshikane black damascus too. However I am not so keen on the fading color, so I have been wondering if the black can be removed all together

 

[McMan]

Here's my optimistic take--
That looks like patina, just light instead of dark.
So, the more the use the knife and a patina forms, the more the damascus pattern becomes apparent as opposed to being darkened and becoming more muddled.
All this to say, I'd just use the knife as regular and it should develop a nice, unique appearance over time.

 

[ChainringTattoo]

Here's my optimistic take--
That looks like patina, just light instead of dark.
So, the more the use the knife and a patina forms, the more the damascus pattern becomes apparent as opposed to being darkened and becoming more muddled.
All this to say, I'd just use the knife as regular and it should develop a nice, unique appearance over time.

Is that possible when the damascus clad is stainless? Or maybe it is only semi-stainless and that’s why

 

[McMan]

Is that possible when the damascus clad is stainless? Or maybe it is only semi-stainless and that’s why

Or it's reacting with whatever way they used to accentuate the contrast? Are the spots from water, citrus/acid?
Apparently the cladding is nickel+stainless (?).
Here's a picture of one after light use from the togo forum. This one actually looks like I'd expect patinated damascus to look--darker and muddled--and looks different from yours (though maybe there are a few similar white spots towards the tip?).

 

[drsmp]

I vote for the Yoshikane SLD black Damascus - great cutter and the cladding on mine looks good as new after 3-4 years. I hand wash and dry with a soft cotton hand towel after each use. I liked the look of the new Keiai- but many users weren’t that happy with its cutting ability and the used ones has cosmetic issues.
I use my Yoshikane 210 and 240 primarily to cut onions as I don’t like the onion patina on my carbon knives.
The Yoshikane 270 I etched had a wonky tip so I had to sharpen and refurbish.

 

[drsmp]

This is 270 that had the wonky tip after repair

 

[ChainringTattoo]

drsmp: Those are truely stunning! Is it the light which makes the 210 and 240 look like they are not really black like the 270, or has the color worn off evenly?

 

[drsmp]

Only the top half is etched black - the bottom half is etched white and silver
It’s not worn that’s the way it looks as new
Color differences on my Yoshikanes are primarily indoor vs outdoor lighting

 

[drsmp]

Here’s a new one at Carbon
https://carbonknifeco.com/products/...MIldK_q7ycggMV5AqtBh272QS2EAQYAiABEgJkQPD_BwE