Removing Patina

[kens73]

Hello all. Any suggestions on removing patina on
a caly 3.5 sprint ? :eek: :o :o

[jackknifeh]

Wow. That is something I'd like to know myself. Patina is a form of corrosion that is desired sometimes as a protection from more damaging corrosion (RUST). Some like it just for the appearance since I don't think it gets worse like rust would damaging the steel. I'd think to remove it may be similar to removing rust. That may involve a little grinding with something small like a Dremel or just using sandpaper. I'll be interested to see what people who know more than me will come up with. I'm sure the issue has been dealt with sometime.

Jack

[The Deacon]

Probably better to leave it, since as noted, it does offer some degree of rust protection. However, if you really want to remove it, any good metal polish and plenty of elbow grease will do the job. Flitz, Simichrome, and AG Russell's Super Premium will all work. Heck, even silver polish from the supermarket or toothpaste should work.

[JacksonKnives]

Edit-as Paul says, polishing paste is a good place to start...

As Jack said, if you want to get down to bare steel again, you'll need to remove the oxidized steel on the surface.
A dremel could work, but the surface area of a dremel tool is so small, it's nearly impossible to make the finish even. Evenness is the difference between a mirror polish and a bunch of scratches.

How much of the blade has oxidized? (Just the tip? Along the spine on the flat? Random splotches over most of the blade?)

Bead/sand/ceramic media blasting is an option. Hand-sanding is an option, especially since the blade is flat-ground, but some spots might be tricky to hit with a straight edge.

Power-brushing or other motorized abrasives would be straightforward, but finishing a sharp blade is not for the faint of heart or unsteady grip--especially if you don't have a handle to hold onto.

[bada61265]

stone washing would remove it, stropping it on some 800/1000 grit paper. i have a brkt gunny that has a good amount of forced patina on it, just normal amount of stropping has removed some of it. i think if removing it was intended stropping on sandpaper would be the safe bet.

[phillipsted]

I agree that leaving it makes more sense - but if you absolutely need to remove it, or any rust or corrosion, then I highly recommend using rust eraser blocks. These look sorta like the old rubber block erasers from school - only these have abrasive grit embedded in them. I use them a lot on carbon steel shop tools that end up getting a little coating of rust. But they are great for getting rid of little spots and discolorations on knife blades.

I recently had a little spot on one of my slipits which probably came from cutting up fruit at lunch and not cleaning the blade quickly enough. It left a few small dark spots above the bevel. I used the fine grit block sort of like a strop and the discoloration came right off. The coarse ones can be a little aggressive, so be aware!

I buy mine in three grades from Garrett Wade - although there are other sources...

http://www.garrettwade.com/product.asp? ... p=06K02.02

TedP

[Evil D]

I would try Tarnex or Brasso. You're "polishing the brass on the Titanic" IMO though.

[razorsharp]

I would leave it as stated, otherwise, polishing past will work fine

[Evil D]

I would try toothpaste first as Paul recommended...i've used toothpaste to polish tarnished silver rings and it works great. It would be a decent food safe way to keep your knife polished. Anything else you use, you'll have to keep it in mind if you ever use the knife for food prep.

[dbcad]

Trying to keep a Super Blue blade tarnish free is futile if it is being used. You'll spend more time polishing than using. I would reccomend keeping it clean and dry and enjoying the distinctive personality it develops. For some reason this steel tends to oxidize with Fe3O4 rather than Fe2O3(rust). Use it and enjoy the character developing :)

[kens73]

Thanks for all the replies. I was wanting to clean it off to start a new forced patina just for different looks. I might just leave it alone now :D

Thanks all

[dbcad]

Enjoy the edge :D

[VashHash]

0000 steel wool does wonders on my 1075 machete. I've also used nevr dull with great results on a colombian machete.