I bought a VG-10 Endura w/an Emerson Opener to use in the kitchen. No, not in case a killer tomato attacked, I wanted a blade with a lower profile.
Mainly, I’ve been slicing onions, tomatoes, apples, and avocados. The steel is taking on a slight patina. I’ll also use a 4.5” Utility Knife with MBS-26; no patina on it.
The streaks will change with time, so they’re not permanent. I think the tomatoes are the main culprit.
Pardon my ignorance please :o I've seen so many threads over the years here and on other knife forums pertaining to the "Patina" that forms mostly on high carbon steels. I've never paid much attention to the subject because I've always opted to polish and clean my blades>> I've been that way since high school in the 1970s. Now a friend of mine who is big into estate sales talks a lot about how the patina adds value to some metal tools and artifacts of the past. But again I never really talked to her about it or even looked into it for that matter.
So please tell me what if any advantage a Patina has on a high carbon steel>> or in this case with this thread how could it enhance the appearance and performance of a high grade stainless? Does a patina tend to prevent corrosion? Does a patina add value to older knives? If I knew more about it I might be tempted to try it on some of my older knives.
Pardon my ignorance please :o I've seen so many threads over the years here and on other knife forums pertaining to the "Patina" that forms mostly on high carbon steels. I've never paid much attention to the subject because I've always opted to polish and clean my blades>> I've been that way since high school in the 1970s. Now a friend of mine who is big into estate sales talks a lot about how the patina adds value to some metal tools and artifacts of the past. But again I never really talked to her about it or even looked into it for that matter.
So please tell me what if any advantage a Patina has on a high carbon steel>> or in this case with this thread how could it enhance the appearance and performance of a high grade stainless? Does a patina tend to prevent corrosion? Does a patina add value to older knives? If I knew more about it I might be tempted to try it on some of my older knives.
Hope I didn't get off the subject too far :o
A patina is a form of corrosion, but it can also prevent rust. It's not rust-proof, but does add some corrosion resistance. On a stainless steel, there's little to no benefit. I think that would depend on environment/use and how stainless the steel is. It would benefit something like XHP, but really wouldn't do much of anything for S110V.
The other value is purely superficial; it's visually appealing to some people.
I'd guess if you clean it thoroughly that comes off. I've had vg-10 knives in use for many years and never seen a patina form. It looks like my knives do after cutting plant material in the yard, but it always cleans off with a magic eraser.
So many knives, so few pockets... :)
-Nick
Last in: N5 Magnacut The "Spirit" of the design does not come through unless used. -Sal
araneae wrote:
I'd guess if you clean it thoroughly that comes off. I've had vg-10 knives in use for many years and never seen a patina form. It looks like my knives do after cutting plant material in the yard, but it always cleans off with a magic eraser.
araneae,
Yes, if I were to use something slightly abrasive to clean the blade I'm sure it would take it right off. The pattern changes over time so I can tell it certainly hasn't penetrated the steel, it's very superficial. It's interesting that the MBS-26 knives I have show no sign of this. The VG-10 and MBS-26 probably have a pinch of this or a pinch of that in the recipe that makes the difference.
Does a patina add value to older knives? If I knew more about it I might be tempted to try it on some of my older knives.
Don't confuse patina with originality. And don't confuse a thirty year old pocket knife with a priceless antique. If you have a truly collectable antique, you'll devalue it my intentionally blemishing it. And if you have a collectable antique that is blemished, you'll likely devalue it with an amateurish polish job. If you have a modern production knife, do with it as you wish. Whatever makes YOU happy.
I bought a VG-10 Endura w/an Emerson Opener to use in the kitchen. No, not in case a killer tomato attacked, I wanted a blade with a lower profile.
Mainly, I’ve been slicing onions, tomatoes, apples, and avocados. The steel is taking on a slight patina. I’ll also use a 4.5” Utility Knife with MBS-26; no patina on it.
The streaks will change with time, so they’re not permanent. I think the tomatoes are the main culprit.
I wouldn't go so far as to call it "patina" but I've often had slight discoloration form on VG-10 when using it for food prep. As you noted, acid foods like tomatoes, citrus, and prepared mustard are most often the culprit. As you also noted, I've found MBS-26 far less prone to it than VG-10. Not sure if that's due to different composition of the steel, or just that my kitchen knives get used in the kitchen, where they tend to get washed almost immediately after use while my pocket knives are most often used elsewhere, wiped down, closed, put back in my pocket, and often not taken out and washed until hours later.
I wouldn't go so far as to call it "patina" but I've often had slight discoloration form on VG-10 when using it for food prep. As you noted, acid foods like tomatoes, citrus, and prepared mustard are most often the culprit. As you also noted, I've found MBS-26 far less prone to it than VG-10. Not sure if that's due to different composition of the steel, or just that my kitchen knives get used in the kitchen, where they tend to get washed almost immediately after use while my pocket knives are most often used elsewhere, wiped down, closed, put back in my pocket, and often not taken out and washed until hours later.
I guess it's really more like a stain. As I've said in my follow-up posts, it's not permanent. Like in your experience, both of these knives I use get washed right after using them, and I use both as dedicated kitchen knives. It's got to be just a subtle difference in the steel's composition that makes the difference.
I've got two of the MBS-26 bladed kitchen knives, the 4.5" Utility and a Mini Paring knife; I really like the way they cut.
I’ve found I get staining from things like carrots and oranges, including on H1. Not really corrosive staining, but simply temporary stains than can be removed. Carrots are the worst; probably due to the carotene that makes them orange-colored. On an SE blade, special attention is required between for the scallops between the serrated teeth. When cutting those types of things, I tend to rinse and wipe the blade immediately afterwards.
