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Patina: Good, bad or indifferent?

Patina: Good, bad or indifferent?

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What’s your verdict on the dark oxidation that often forms on high carbon steel, straight razor, blades? I’m currently on the fence.

Should it be welcomed as a natural protection against active red rust? A sign of a razor that is ageing gracefully?

Is it an unsightly eyesore that needs to be polished out at the very first sign? A canary warning of improper cleaning and storage?

Or is it simply a non-issue fact of life with certain steel alloys? Just roll with it like you do with greys and wrinkles?

What say the experts?
 

Legion

Staff member
Tarnish that can be removed with metal polish, I generally will. Just for sanitary reasons, if nothing else. Light pitting or stubborn "devils spit" I'll usually leave it, as an antique shouldn't be perfectly shiny if it is not NOS, IMO.
 

Legion

Staff member
And then there is this...

I called this razor "Freddy Krueger", and gave it green and red scales to match his sweater.

P1000137.jpg
 
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Tangentially related - does anybody ever force patina on razors...? I was tempted to give it a go on a couple of restrations I did recently but didn't in the end. Maybe I'll try tomorrow...

For those unfamiliar - you can create patina on carbon steel with any kind of acid. Vinegar is commonly used, also mustard which you can create fun patterns with. But anything acidic will work, and the patina created varies. Fruit and fruit juices do interesting things, strawberries apparently produce almost black patina. Coffee makes it very dark, but works slowly as it's not as acidic as some other things.

Here's an example of a caidao, which I sanded so it was at 400-grit-shiny, and then submerged in hot vinegar with instant coffee dissolved in it, for about an hour in total:

Screenshot 2021-10-21 002357.jpg
 
Patina is a natural form of protection against rust. I have forced a patina on several of my knives, using mustard, potato or onion. Some of these patinas can be very decorative with shades of red, green, etc. Some of my old silver dollars have beautiful colored patinas. Their value would go down if I cleaned them. I have not seen any patina on any of my razors. If I did, likely I would leave it.
 
Tangentially related - does anybody ever force patina on razors...? I was tempted to give it a go on a couple of restrations I did recently but didn't in the end. Maybe I'll try tomorrow...

For those unfamiliar - you can create patina on carbon steel with any kind of acid. Vinegar is commonly used, also mustard which you can create fun patterns with. But anything acidic will work, and the patina created varies. Fruit and fruit juices do interesting things, strawberries apparently produce almost black patina. Coffee makes it very dark, but works slowly as it's not as acidic as some other things.

Here's an example of a caidao, which I sanded so it was at 400-grit-shiny, and then submerged in hot vinegar with instant coffee dissolved in it, for about an hour in total:

View attachment 1348973
Not intentionally. I was checking my bevel set once and had no tomatoes. I used a few blueberries instead. The juice from the blueberries was quite effective at staining the steel.
 
And then there is this...

I called this razor "Freddy Krueger", and gave it green and red scales to match his sweater.

View attachment 1348851
That patina is a thing of beautiful. The pattern is almost Damascus like. Really cool.

I typically lean towards a bright polish but in some instances a patina does seem more appropriate. I think we are just so used to seeing stainless steel these days that we forget what carbon steel naturally looks like. People go to great lengths to preserve the shine even though a patina can technically be an advantage.
 

David

B&B’s Champion Corn Shucker
I prefer a patina on most of my knives but always tried to keep my straights clean and polished. That being said, the right patina on the right razor could look really cool.

And because no one likes threads without pics, here’s one of my knives.
BEDC2C60-B5D5-404B-B946-8885606C8A80.png
 
Given time, I believe the acid in tomato will also produce a patina. I always clean the blade after the tomato test.
I do the same.

I wonder if certain soaps can also promote a patina. I use a sterling silver lather bowl and normally scoop my soaps. I was mashing some soap into the bowl the night before for a while until I noticed that this was tarnishing the bottom of the bowl.

Not that I’m going to stop using shaving soap or anything. Just an observation. Under normal use the inside and outside of the bowl seem to tarnish the same. In actual fact daily drying with a cotton towel after the shave seems to be enough to keep it looking pretty bright and shiny.
 

Legion

Staff member
Tangentially related - does anybody ever force patina on razors...? I was tempted to give it a go on a couple of restrations I did recently but didn't in the end. Maybe I'll try tomorrow...

For those unfamiliar - you can create patina on carbon steel with any kind of acid. Vinegar is commonly used, also mustard which you can create fun patterns with. But anything acidic will work, and the patina created varies. Fruit and fruit juices do interesting things, strawberries apparently produce almost black patina. Coffee makes it very dark, but works slowly as it's not as acidic as some other things.

Here's an example of a caidao, which I sanded so it was at 400-grit-shiny, and then submerged in hot vinegar with instant coffee dissolved in it, for about an hour in total:

View attachment 1348973
No. The edge on a razor is so thin and fragile, it is imperative to keep corrosion away by properly drying and storing the razor, rather than giving it a protective coating. You can’t force a patina on a honed bevel.
 
I have two razors with iridescent patina.
I like it a lot.
They are both in my rotation.

 
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