Patina

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Hi guys I need help.
I have many carbon knives with stainless clad and I can't develop a good patina on the cutting edge.
How should I use?
I try with lemon an tomatoes but it s not working. It just growing rust on the cutting edge.
Please help 😄
 
Use them often and take care of them, the patina will develop with time and usage. Try something less acid, like blood, if you want to accelerate the process.
 
Patina is more of a thing for non-SS cladding. Usually if you've got stainless cladding, the idea is that your blade is protected already and rust/stains/patina isn't so much of an issue, and then you've just got the high-carbon middle hagane that is more vulnerable. However, little of this steel is usually exposed, which is the intention, and what is exposed is often what you frequently sharpen or polish anyway, and so any patina that develops there should be quite temporary.

Looks-wise, I don't think a patina-ed carbon hagane in contrast with shiny SS cladding is that attractive, in case you're thinking of that. You'll also get stronger discolouration along where the lamination line occurs, which isn't as nice. Instead, the hard carbon steel is what should shine and cladding should have kasumi. With a SS clad knife, I wouldn't worry about or be trying for a patina.
 
Hi guys I need help.
I have many carbon knives with stainless clad and I can't develop a good patina on the cutting edge.
How should I use?
I try with lemon an tomatoes but it s not working. It just growing rust on the cutting edge.
Please help 😄

First, make sure the area you want to force a patina on is clean. Use some acetone (nail polish remover) to get it perfectly clean. Then, slice a hot chicken breast and leave the juices on the edge for about ten to fifteen minutes.
 
You could also try a hot vinegar etch. I did one on a Hiromoto (core AS steel), and I thought the contrast between the stainless cladding and the dark grey (almost black) of the core steel was pretty cool. And it was cheap and pretty easy. You'll just have to find a container tall enough for the entire blade.
 
You'll just have to find a container tall enough for the entire blade.

Or you could apply like MC applies etchant...@ about 7 minute mark.

[video=youtube;zNRQOwW-J-U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNRQOwW-J-U[/video]
 
I really like the takeda. I have few of them and I will try the mayo ones
Curious to see the differences between blue steel and white stEel, how they react.
 
Let it force naturally. One thing I avoid sometimes cutting with carbon is tomatoes, no matter how much fun it is. Tomatoes give an ugly brown patina most of the times. The beauty in the stainless clad carbons, to my opinion, is that you have a silver blade with a dark edge. To the monosteels, you will notice the beauty of the colors. If you are patient and you have time to mirror polish them up to a degree, I do it by rubbing the blade with diamond paste, starting from 3 or 2 microns, using a towel to rub the paste, you will see even more beautiful patina on mirror blade. My method demands patience, and it will take about 5-7 hours to be there. There are some other products, I don't know how they are called now- but you can find them in the forums, a sponge like soft micro mesh or something, to apply the diamond paste there and rub the blade, it will become mirror quicker, but of course nothing like the real thing, Sukenari or watanabe for example. Still satisfying enough.
 
If you use blood, not raw, cooked. Also avoid vinegar. My favorite color is a purple, achieved by raw halibut and salmon. You might also get a turquoise by mango, and once, only once, I got a red patina- not the rust one, but a very vivid red color, I don't know from what. It didn't last though
 
A lot of people say using blood works great. By blood I'm assuming they mean the juices found in raw meat packaging and juices from cooked meats?
Just a heads up, these juices are not actually blood, but myoglobin. Myoglobin is a water and protein based liquid used to supply muscle w/ color (pigment) and oxygen. It is found in blood, but is not in itself actual blood.

I've used this by soaking paper towels in it, wrapped it around a blade and then plastic wrapped it, tighty. Let it sit for 1/2 hour or so then cleaned it off. Leaves a real nice, dark patina.
If people have used actual blood, I'b be interested in seeing how this turned out, and where you got the blood. I suppose some butchers may be able to supply actual blood now that I think of it..
 
A lot of people say using blood works great. By blood I'm assuming they mean the juices found in raw meat packaging and juices from cooked meats?
Just a heads up, these juices are not actually blood, but myoglobin. Myoglobin is a water and protein based liquid used to supply muscle w/ color (pigment) and oxygen. It is found in blood, but is not in itself actual blood.

I've used this by soaking paper towels in it, wrapped it around a blade and then plastic wrapped it, tighty. Let it sit for 1/2 hour or so then cleaned it off. Leaves a real nice, dark patina.
If people have used actual blood, I'b be interested in seeing how this turned out, and where you got the blood. I suppose some butchers may be able to supply actual blood now that I think of it..

Find someone who makes blood sausage... He'll tell you where to get it [emoji6]

If you live in an urban area with Latino population, try one of their supermarkets, they sell all kind of stuff from cow feet to pig noses and sometimes blood as well!
 
I have 3 Asian markets, 2 Hispanic markets and one well known butcher by my house. I'm very fortunate. The butcher I suspect has the blood. They butcher their own livestock. It's a pretty big operation up in the "hills". Between all these places I can pretty much get any part of most animals, including seafood.

So this means others are using actual blood for a forced patina?
 
Marc, Coagulated blood is a staple in any decent Asian market. I'm just curious, why blood, is it something about the pH?
 
With a brand new one I wait a bit before cleaning the core, except for the very edge I clean up by cutting lightly along a piece of cork. Rinse with a lot of very hot water.
 
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