why patina a blade?

Steve

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watched a video where someone patina'd their Becker BK10 by removing the black and doing something with yellow mustard. Does the patina protect it from rusting or do they now have to wax/oil the blade to protect it.

 
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You should be oiling any steel blade, but carbon especially, even if it is coated.

But, yes, the patina does offer some level of protection. Some argue that fast or forced patina are not as protective or deep as an earned patina; I'm not an inorganic chemist or metallurgist, so I can't say either way. Even with patina, you need to occasionally apply a thin layer of of oil for daily use, or something like Renaissance wax for storage.

I can say that I am not a fan of any blade coating aside from parkerization. I do understand that most manufacturers do it because John Q Public doesn't have the first damn clue of how to take proper care of a tool, but to me, it just looks like crap, especially when it inevitably starts wearing off.
 
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Forgot to add that putting a patina on a blade helps keep the steel from imparting taste to food items prepped with said blade. My pop used his pocket knife more than a damn kitchen knife for cutting up fruit, meat, cheese, and such. Once he had a new knife, he would jam it down into an potato or onion overnight and have a nice gray patina the next day that supposedly kept his apples and cheese tasting better.
 
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I do it on carbon blades to prevent it from rusting. Same basic idea as gun bluing etc. Still have to keep it oiled.
 
It provides a level of protection but carbon steel blades still need to be lightly oiled.

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I love the look of a patina'd blade. When you think about how a forced patina is done, you realize you're basically doing a controlled oxidation of the surface. You're effectively pre-oxidizing the surface and reducing random oxidation (rust) from taking hold. Bluing is pretty much the same. But, you still have to keep it oiled.
 
I have a Mora used for camping food prep. I used apple cider vinegar to force patina the blade to keep it from pitting/rusting on its own. It has been used for a few years and several trips and it is holding up well. Below are before and after pictures of the ACV patina.

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Mines not nearly as pretty but it sure is sharp and tough. $15 Mora Companion HD carbon. Left it in my hunting pack since late November after skinning at least half a dozen whitetails this season. Soaked it in hot salt water with citric acid and then oiled with spray olive oil....hit it with a sharpening kit and then ready for next fall!
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