Recently I was starting to do a bit of an inventory of what I have in my collection, and decided that amongst other sharp and shiny objects, I should get some more slipjoints this year. I started that little quest with a Case Sodbuster Jr, which is rapidly becoming a favorite working knife. Today at the local hardware store I picked up a Case large Trapper, another beautiful knife. Both of these are yellow handled with CV (chrome vanadium) steel. Never having owned a knife with high-carbon steel, I was a bit worried about rusting and tarnishing. After some internet searches and PMs to a member here, I decided to force a patina on both knives. A patina is basically oxidation, but not quite rust. It will actually help prevent rust from forming, similar to bluing on a rifle barrel.
There are a number of techniques for forcing a patina, using different substances. To do these two knives, I decided to use two food items I had handy-an orange and yellow mustard. To start, I made sure both knives were good and clean, oil free. I used a product called Krud Kutter, but regular dish soap would work as well. Simply, I just stuck the Sodbuster into the orange, covering the whole blade. I then let it sit for about half an hour or so. The longer the knife stays in contact with the orange juice, the darker the patina. Very simple!
After half an hour, I removed the knife from the orange, and gave it a good cleaning with soap and warm water, followed by a light coat of mineral oil. The result is a nice gray, uneven coating that I think makes this knife look even better.
One thing to note is that when using this technique, the knife will have to be sharpened after the patina is applied.
For the Trapper, I decided to try out yellow mustard on the spey blade.
After the blade was cleaned and dried, I took a paper towel and dabbed the mustard on the blade, some places heavy, other spots lightly. Again, the longer the mustard is on the blade, the deeper the patina.
After only 15 minutes(!) with the mustard coating, I washed the blade and gave it a good oiling and sharpening. The results were impressive!
It doesn't show well in the pic, but there are some very nice rainbow hues to that blade when held up to the light.
And there you have it! A nice and simple effect that not only protects carbon steel blades, but makes your knife something truly one of a kind in a nice subtle way. With a carbon steel Opinel #6 on the way, I'm sure I'll have some fun trying other ways to do this. A big thank you to 2xTap for answering my questions about the properties of CV steel, and to all of you guys who do things like this and post them. It took a while and this was very simple, but I think my first "mod" came out pretty well!
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