Quick 52100 patina setup

[SC_PATRIOT]

Never tried to "patina" a metal before. On my way to lunch with my son so is there a recommended solution I can leave the blade dipped in for about 2 hours. I have apple cider vinegar and some mustard. Wondering if I can leave the blade in a semi solution for the duration of my lunch without ruining the 52100. Great all around PM2 Sprint for me with a combo edge. Perfect for my applications but want to finish the steel. Any input is appreciated.

[goonielife]

Itll be fine

[ross8425]

I did this for about 4 hours on mine. Worked great.

[p_atrick]

I'd love to see the results of your patina whenever you get around to it.

[vivi]

I used apple cider vinegar on 51200 and CPMD2, worked great both times. Considering it on an A2 fixed blade in fact.

[SC_PATRIOT]

Got some pics I'll post tonight. Super beyond simple.
Just dipped the blade in the vinegar for 40 mins and presto. Pretty cool to see the air bubbles sticking to the blade while submerged.

[SC_PATRIOT]

https://i.imgur.com/xn6GQVK.jpg

[gundamaniac]

That is a cool looking blade. How's the edge now, does it need a bit of a touch up?

[SC_PATRIOT]

I don't think the vinegar would/will affect the edge. Now I could be wrong Mr. Amalgam.

[jpm2]

That is a cool looking blade. How's the edge now, does it need a bit of a touch up?

I don't think the vinegar would/will affect the edge. Now I could be wrong Mr. Amalgam.

It will need a touch up to get back to top sharpness.

[SC_PATRIOT]

Gladly noted. Stropping work ?

[jpm2]

Don't really know. I don't sharpen or touch up with a strop, just finish with one, mostly bare denim. For special projects I'll do 1 micron diamond, but that's rare.
With just a 40 minute soak, there may not have been too much corrosion of the edge. What type of strop and compound?

[SC_PATRIOT]

I've got 3000 and 6000 grit. One is black and the other green. I'm pretty sure the green is the 6000. Probably wouldn't hurt a nice smooth draw on both sides.

[jpm2]

Not real familiar with those, maybe someone else can chime in. Black sounds like silicon carbide and green sounds like chromium oxide.

If this is a new unused blade, I'd give it a full sharpening.
If you already did that before the vinegar, I'd just hit it a few strokes on my f/600 or ef/1200 diamond plate, and then a few licks on my bare denim pant leg.

[gundamaniac]

I'd just use it and see if it still cuts, then gauge where to start from there. Very scientific like

[anoir]

don't have 52100, but put my M4 steel to apple vinegar for around 8 hours, then use Brasso to brush it for 2 hours to create gradient color. here are the result

[gundamaniac]

Wow that gradient effect looks really cool. Almost looks like a cg render or something.

[The Mastiff]

I'll never understand the concept of pre rusting a knife nor do I get the " that looks beautiful" feelings people have about like new knives that people try to make look used. I never got acid washed jeans and especially the ones that were put on belt sanders to make them look old and holed.

It just makes no sense. It isn't needed even with simple carbon steel knives in the rusty-est areas of the world I've lived. Quite the opposite of taking care of ones tools even though more time is often put in to getting them just right. :)

Joe

[Larry_Mott]

I'll never understand the concept of pre rusting a knife nor do I get the " that looks beautiful" feelings people have about like new knives that people try to make look used. I never got acid washed jeans and especially the ones that were put on belt sanders to make them look old and holed.

It just makes no sense. It isn't needed even with simple carbon steel knives in the rusty-est areas of the world I've lived. Quite the opposite of taking care of ones tools even though more time is often put in to getting them just right. :)

Joe

I'm with you 100%. I also detest "antiqued" "shabby chic" reliced guitars and macadam washed jeans :)
However, they're not my knives bought with my money so i just (semi)quietly wait for the trend to die on its own.

[gundamaniac]

I think it's more that people want to protect against harmful brown rust or try to treat their blades so there is a more even layer of oxidization, not necessarily that they're trying to make a knife look used and antiquated. Taken to an extreme, does that mean that stone washing (pre-scratched!) or black washing is also undesirable, or "melting" the edges and corners of some knife handles (pre-pocket-worn!) is a bad thing? I think it's a not different from the pre-worn holey faded jeans in that those are structurally compromised, whereas grey patina isn't structurally compromising the steel. If people were running around deliberately putting brown rust on their knives that'd be a different story. Anyway, ymmv, beauty in the eye of the beholder and whatnot :). For what it's worth, I tried a vinegar mustard patina on my Opinel No.8, decided I didn't like it, scotchbrited it off and just used it for fruit and cheese and let it patina naturally. It only took a couple apples to darken up considerably :D