TIP: Is patina a good thing or a bad thing on a knife, and should you force a patina or take steps to prevent it? Find out in-depth explanation in the article below: Patina On A Knife: Prevent Or Force It? In-Depth Explanation How To Blacken A Knife Blade? Stainless steel is resistant to the oxidation process responsible for producing the natural patina on a carbon steel blade.Ī stainless steel blade will not develop a natural patina due to its alloy composition, but it does not need the same level of protection from rust since stainless steel is resistant to this type of oxidation as well. Patina will occur on carbon steel knives rather than stainless steel knives. Many people try to wash or scrub this patina from the knife blade, unaware that it acts as a protective layer on the steel, helping to prevent rust from forming. This is generally referred to as a patina, and it occurs over a period of time as the knife is used.Ī patina is a form of oxidation caused by cutting acidic foods, which results in a reaction with the steel overtime to give the knife blade a blackened or stained appearance. If a knife is not intentionally blackened, it is possible for the knife to blacken or darken over time. Blackened knife blades can be visually appealing and can add to the stealth aspect of the knife.īlackened blades are often used in military roles to add to the low visibility requirement for a soldier’s equipment and protect the blade in typically harsh environments. This makes a black coating desirable for protection on certain steel types, but this is not the only reason blades are blackened.Īnother reason knife blades are blackened is for aesthetic purposes. In some cases, oxidation can be a protective, non-corrosive coating that prevents damage to the steel from other forms of oxidation. The interesting aspect is that not all oxidation on steel is corrosive or detrimental to the metal. Oxidation is normally a process associated with corrosive rust on steel and something that we should take steps to protect our knives from. The first step to blackening a knife blade is understanding what the black coating is on the knife blade and why it is desirable. What Is The Black Coating On Knife Blades? You can find them by clicking here (Amazon link). However, it's deferentially heat treated, which creates a hardness line similar in appearance.TIP: If you are interested in checking out the best kitchen knives we recommend buying knives made by Wüsthof company. (And yes, I know that my hatchet does not have a real hamon. You can see that the lines on my bushcraft knife are much thicker, because I left the mustard on it for a longer period of time. That is because I didn't leave the mustard on quite long enough. The main visual difference you can see between my fake and the real hamon is the depth of the line. In other words: Part of the blade is harder than the other part, and the intersection point between hard and soft steel is marked by a very classy looking line. The change of hardness in the metal is visible in a dark line running across the blade the hamon. The blade would end up with a very hard cutting edge, and a soft spine and back. Japanese smiths would coat the spine and the back of their blades with a clay mixture which, when quenched, caused the part of the blade coated with clay to cool down much slower than the bare metal. A real hamon line is created during the heat treatment of the steel. Well, the difference is actually pretty big. By this time some of you (the newbies) are probably wondering what the difference is between this hamon-looking-line I just created, and the real deal.
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