Has anyone tried forcing a patina on VG-10?

[kbuzbee]

Just curious. I love the look of a nice patina, but wondered if VG-10 was a candidate....

Thanks!

Ken

[freedoom]

isn't vg-10 stainless?

[kbuzbee]

It is but, like all steels (except H1) that really means stain/rust resistant, not "proof". ZDP and VG10 will "stain". Some report, more readily than other "stainless" steels.

Just curious if anyone has tried to patina, intentionally?

Ken

[araneae]

You could coat it mustard for a while and see what happens.

[The Deacon]

I really don't think patina is an accurate description for the discoloration that occurs on ZDP-189, and to a lesser degree on VG-10, when they are exposed to certain acidic foods such as mustard, vinegar, and citrus. It's a coppery color rather than dark grey and it's blotchy. I've given up bothering to remove it when it happens, but I don't go out of my way to encourage it.

[Zendemic]

Wouldn't it make you're blade more susceptible to rust with a stainless blade?

[FLYBYU44]

VG-10 is pretty resistant to rust or staining of any kind, somehow I don't think it will work.

[The Deacon]

VG-10 is pretty resistant to rust or staining of any kind, somehow I don't think it will work.

Not a metallurgist, so I can't say for sure, but I think that, just like on a carbon steel blade, the oxides that cause the patina/discoloration act to inhibit the oxide that we call rust from forming.

[kbuzbee]

Thanks guys, kinda what I was expecting. I may try this to see what, if anything, happens. I'll post back here the results.

Ken

[SolidState]

I think your best bet will be anodization.

[JNewell]

I think your best bet will be anodization.

I don't believe it is possible to anodize steel.

[The Deacon]

I don't believe it is possible to anodize steel.

May not be anodizing but the rainbow Spyderfly is definitely colorful...

[CENTER][/CENTER]

There was also a Japanese market Rainbow SS Cricket at one time.

I'm also old enough to remember when S&W first started making stainless steel handguns and cops were reluctant to buy them because of the old blued gun = good guy, chrome gun = bad guy bit, so they came up with something called, IIRC, "Polara bluing" which sounded like it involved electric current.

[JNewell]

(Link) Anodizing, or anodising in British English, is an electrolytic passivation process used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer on the surface of metal parts. The process is called "anodizing" because the part to be treated forms the anode electrode of an electrical circuit. Anodizing increases corrosion resistance and wear resistance, and provides better adhesion for paint primers and glues than bare metal. Anodic films can also be used for a number of cosmetic effects, either with thick porous coatings that can absorb dyes or with thin transparent coatings that add interference effects to reflected light. Anodizing is also used to prevent galling of threaded components and to make dielectric films for electrolytic capacitors. Anodic films are most commonly applied to protect aluminium alloys, although processes also exist for titanium, zinc, magnesium, niobium, and tantalum. This process is not a useful treatment for iron or carbon steel because these metals exfoliate when oxidized; i.e. the iron oxide (also known as rust) flakes off, constantly exposing the underlying metal to corrosion.

As a side note, it is possible to coat ferric metals with an aluminum plating and then anodize the aluminum plataing, but it will obviously wear poorly.

[Jijoel]

I had a spyderco vg10 knife "stain" just from fingerprints.
So it is possible.

It was just a little "thumb stain" around the hole.
It was polished off very easily :D .

[dbcad]

vg-10 is really good at corrosion resistance, the only rust I've see on it was my wife's FFG Delica, when she cut some branches and didn't wipe it off for 3 weeks. Those 2 little spots were very small and easily polished off. My own vg-10 blades have been immersed in water and just wiped off and air dried, no rust :)

Something tells me vg-10 is going to resist a patina, but it'd be interesting to see of one can be forced :)

Charlie

[Creepo]

My FFG D4 and Spin both came with a couple little darkish areas, not really patina per say, just some discoloration, and they were new.
So I'd say it's possible.

[Blue72]

I don't see why not.

I have a dragonfly and a lava with gray like patina stains. VG-10 may be better corrosion resistant than other steels, but I get plenty of surface rust after a half a day in salt water.

[Jazz]

Back in the old days before I used good knives (Spyderco), I was cutting up rhubarb with a Cold Steel Voyager AUS 8 - or whatever it is - and it left a pretty good patina right away. Maybe try that. I'm not gonna do it for you. :eek:

- best wishes, Jazz.

[kbuzbee]

Okay, I give up... At least for now...

24 hours of mustard followed by 24 hours in lemon juice and almost NOTHING!

Three teeney tiny stain spots. That's it. Not even a milimeter in diameter total....

I knew it was pretty corrosion resistant but seriously? I'm very impressed.

At this point I'm just gonna flitz it off and enjoy my shiney VG10..

Thanks all for yout input and encouragement but this steel is beyond my ability to patina...

Cheers all,

Ken

Ken

[indie_dave]

Thanks for trying and posting your results, i'm seriously becoming fonder of VG-10.