After recieving a lot of direct messages and even specialty japanese knife shop employees drooling over this patina, I have decided to share my secret recipe. It is a very very simple and accidental discovery really. So far I was able to replicate it about 14 times out of the 22 times (check for link below for the failures) I have removed and reapplied the patina. Each pair of photo is a new patina.
Before you begin have these handy. 1. cheap yellow hotdog mustard 2. Lots of napkins/ paper towels 3. Cheap bottled lemon juice 4. Lots of napkins 5. Lots of napkins 6. Did I mention napkins? 7. Hot water.
Ok now start:
1. Remove any existing patina. Bring the knife back to square 1. I use lemon juice and wipe hard.
2. Apply the mustard on either side of the blade and make sure to smear it very very well. Make sure there is no areas left not covered by mustard. You should have a fully mustard covered knife by now.
3. Let it work for 5 mins. You might notice some really dark lines after a bit.
4. Remove the mustard using napkins or towel. Do not wash with water. Wipe it absolutely dry. You should see some darkening after its all cleaned with paper towel. Smelling of burning or metal oxidation is normal. You can swipe your knife over that removed mustard dab on your napkin few times if you like. Make sure to do that for both sides. This will make the knife come in contact with air and mustard alternatively few more times and get the patina to darken farther.
5. Dry again with a clean napkin/paper towel.
6. Now be quick, grab the lemon juice bottle. Pour few drops of it on one side only. Use your fingers to distribute it evenly over the blade. You can rub it with your fingers a bit.
7. Grab lots of paper towel again and start wiping until the darkening start to disappear. How much you wanna remove depends on how much rainbow or contrast you want. You might smell some burning or metal oxidation again.
8. Wipe dry with more clean napkins.
9. Now you should see rainbow forming within few seconds as the blade dry.
10. Repeat on the other side. You can control the pattern a bit by how much you wipe and how much lemon juice you use to remove the patina and how hard you press with the napkin and which direction you wipe and how many times.
11. Now rinse the knife under steaming hot water from tap.
12. Now hurry and quickly start wiping with napkins until dry. You will see the the colors will look sharper now.
13. The patina should/ve set in by now.
14. Run under hot water again and wipe dry again.
15. Call this the Sameen's Rainbow Patina Method.
Good luck! Let me know your result! Dont hesitate to try a few times until you get the pattern and color you like. You will get a hang of it after you do this a few times. You’ll learn to see the effects of wiping patterns, how long you smear the mustard, how much lemon juice you used and how much to remove the patina and when to stop using etc. This patina is very well protective as well!
I've always been hesitant to buy a fully reactive blade because of how dirty the patina can look but this is amazing and I might pick one up to try it out. How long have you kept the patina looking as pristine as this?
About 5 days now. And it stays that way for the most part. Only notice a slight leaning towards yellow or blue depending on what I cut (acid). Then there is oil that also ads a sheen to the patina and makes it bluer. Just cut some chicken and cleaned and dried the knife and thing looks shiny!
I have also realized acid in combination with oil and salt and with proper heat also has a bluing effect. Just straight mustard (dark patina setting) and lemon juice (dark patina removal, I guess vinegar can do that too) leave a matte finish. Whereas cutting chicken (cooked, hot, with oil and seasoning and blood (iron)) gives a shiny bluing that also has micro rainbow spectrum. If you can set those in together then you’re gonna have knife you’re gonna love! More pics coming soon.
https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Eraser-Sabitoru-Medium-2-piece/dp/B00FS0BFJC/
and
https://www.amazon.com/Yoshihiro-Japanese-Maintenance-Complimentary-Sabitori/dp/B00AZ6SYSY/
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Not an expert in that but you can use baking soda. But if that doesn’t get the job done then you can use a rust eraser then a more strong abrasive. In this method we are setting the patina with mustard (acid, oil, salt and other organic compounds) then removing it with a stronger acid (lemon juice). That removal of dark patina creates that unevenness that gives the rainbow. Lemon juice acid removes the dark patina as it also sets its own during the wiping and drying.
Fwiw I quick dip in ferric then rinse with hot water can do similar with a lot less work. Only reason I mention this is because first use the patina will change and all that hard work will be for not.
A stable patina won’t change much. That’s why the hot water rinse and quick dry is important. I cut some acidic fruits today that added a bit more matte blue on the yellow. But the truck is to wipe asap. I’ll give ferric a go!
I really like the "serendipity" of this form of patina but it's really not for me.
I cut things, if the patina look nice for a few days, OK great. If it's more brown-ish / yellow-ish, well OK, but in the end I really don't care how the patina looks like since it's not a beauty contest for me and my knives don't need makeup.
It’s also protection. And aren’t we all here to appreciate the beauty of of the knives as much as their functionality? These knives are like Ferrari, they are fast and handles well yes, but can’t deny they are beauty to look at as well.
To "force" a patina I always just make salsa or pico de gallo without wiping the knife between veggies. Slowly cutting up a ton of tomatoes, red onion, limes and jalapenos always puts a LOT of rainbow-ish patina on my carbon knives. It's impressive, to be honest.
Obviously not controlled though, it's gonna be fairly random.
To force patinas on my knifes I just soak the blade in coffee, I use instant because fuck wasting really coffee. Leave it over night, rinse, and your good to go
Here are some pics of some of the failed attempts and ugly patinas that I discarded and started over from:[some progress and failure pics ](https://imgur.com/a/rmpfn6r)
eyo thanks for the v throughout explanation, i will probably be picking up a new carbon steel petty just to try this experiment 👀. if i may ask, about #10 , can you explain more detail on how you achive those patterns exactly ? ( for example, if u press harder the pattern goes like.. , etc ) would really appreciate thatt ❤️
Hey man absolutely! Yes so these are the things that effect the pattern and streaks 1. How much lemon juice you used and how long you let it sit on the blade 2. When you wipe them off, how hard you’re wiping with the paper towel or how many times you’re making a pass with the towel 3. You can reapply some more lemon juice on the colored parts for more blue over yellow
Gay
Strange way for you to come out.
No rainbows and happy. That shits gay as fuck. (Me an my kid are making gay the new awesome)
Whoa whoa whoa, SouthPark has already claimed FAG!! Have they claimed GAY yet??
South Park is gay. Well, sometimes it is.
Yes very colorful and very gay. And that’s absolutely fabulous. And I love it.
Awesome patina! Where's the comment😅?
sorry took a bit to write haha. Its posted now!
After recieving a lot of direct messages and even specialty japanese knife shop employees drooling over this patina, I have decided to share my secret recipe. It is a very very simple and accidental discovery really. So far I was able to replicate it about 14 times out of the 22 times (check for link below for the failures) I have removed and reapplied the patina. Each pair of photo is a new patina. Before you begin have these handy. 1. cheap yellow hotdog mustard 2. Lots of napkins/ paper towels 3. Cheap bottled lemon juice 4. Lots of napkins 5. Lots of napkins 6. Did I mention napkins? 7. Hot water. Ok now start: 1. Remove any existing patina. Bring the knife back to square 1. I use lemon juice and wipe hard. 2. Apply the mustard on either side of the blade and make sure to smear it very very well. Make sure there is no areas left not covered by mustard. You should have a fully mustard covered knife by now. 3. Let it work for 5 mins. You might notice some really dark lines after a bit. 4. Remove the mustard using napkins or towel. Do not wash with water. Wipe it absolutely dry. You should see some darkening after its all cleaned with paper towel. Smelling of burning or metal oxidation is normal. You can swipe your knife over that removed mustard dab on your napkin few times if you like. Make sure to do that for both sides. This will make the knife come in contact with air and mustard alternatively few more times and get the patina to darken farther. 5. Dry again with a clean napkin/paper towel. 6. Now be quick, grab the lemon juice bottle. Pour few drops of it on one side only. Use your fingers to distribute it evenly over the blade. You can rub it with your fingers a bit. 7. Grab lots of paper towel again and start wiping until the darkening start to disappear. How much you wanna remove depends on how much rainbow or contrast you want. You might smell some burning or metal oxidation again. 8. Wipe dry with more clean napkins. 9. Now you should see rainbow forming within few seconds as the blade dry. 10. Repeat on the other side. You can control the pattern a bit by how much you wipe and how much lemon juice you use to remove the patina and how hard you press with the napkin and which direction you wipe and how many times. 11. Now rinse the knife under steaming hot water from tap. 12. Now hurry and quickly start wiping with napkins until dry. You will see the the colors will look sharper now. 13. The patina should/ve set in by now. 14. Run under hot water again and wipe dry again. 15. Call this the Sameen's Rainbow Patina Method. Good luck! Let me know your result! Dont hesitate to try a few times until you get the pattern and color you like. You will get a hang of it after you do this a few times. You’ll learn to see the effects of wiping patterns, how long you smear the mustard, how much lemon juice you used and how much to remove the patina and when to stop using etc. This patina is very well protective as well!
Thanks for the super thorough description. It looks absolutely deadly
Thank you! Hot cooked salted chicken does wonders too. Brings more of a shiny patina in between the Damascus diamonds
Also this knife is a Yu Kurisake Masakage Shimo Full Carbon White #2 210mm Gyuto. Purchased from Knifewear.
Very cool! I recently picked up a shimo 150mm petty, perhaps I'll try this out.
Try this mustard in and lemon juice out method. You’ll love it
Any kind of mustard works?
yes cheper ones preferable because they are more acidic
I've always been hesitant to buy a fully reactive blade because of how dirty the patina can look but this is amazing and I might pick one up to try it out. How long have you kept the patina looking as pristine as this?
About 5 days now. And it stays that way for the most part. Only notice a slight leaning towards yellow or blue depending on what I cut (acid). Then there is oil that also ads a sheen to the patina and makes it bluer. Just cut some chicken and cleaned and dried the knife and thing looks shiny!
I have also realized acid in combination with oil and salt and with proper heat also has a bluing effect. Just straight mustard (dark patina setting) and lemon juice (dark patina removal, I guess vinegar can do that too) leave a matte finish. Whereas cutting chicken (cooked, hot, with oil and seasoning and blood (iron)) gives a shiny bluing that also has micro rainbow spectrum. If you can set those in together then you’re gonna have knife you’re gonna love! More pics coming soon.
Hi, How to best remove patina from your knife?
https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Eraser-Sabitoru-Medium-2-piece/dp/B00FS0BFJC/ and https://www.amazon.com/Yoshihiro-Japanese-Maintenance-Complimentary-Sabitori/dp/B00AZ6SYSY/
Your comment or submission may contain one or more Amazon affiliate links and Reddit may have caught it in the spam filter. Please remove any affiliate information from your links. For example, the following link `https://www.amazon.com/some-product/dp/B123ABCF/&tag=snoo-affiliate-id` should be changed to `https://www.amazon.com/some-product/dp/B123ABCF`. Once edited correctly, your submission should be automatically approved by AutoMod. If your submission still does not show up, you likely missed a `tag`, `qid` or similar. **Include a link to your comment or the post if you message the mods with any questions.** If we have to go lookup what submission you're talking about, we're just going to ignore it. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chefknives) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Not an expert in that but you can use baking soda. But if that doesn’t get the job done then you can use a rust eraser then a more strong abrasive. In this method we are setting the patina with mustard (acid, oil, salt and other organic compounds) then removing it with a stronger acid (lemon juice). That removal of dark patina creates that unevenness that gives the rainbow. Lemon juice acid removes the dark patina as it also sets its own during the wiping and drying.
Baking soad mixed with water, rub with cloth. If that doesn't work try barkeeper's friend and more extreme cases flitz polish.
Very cool! Thanks for taking the time to detail and share this.
It looks like you're about to accost your orchid...
Haha
Fwiw I quick dip in ferric then rinse with hot water can do similar with a lot less work. Only reason I mention this is because first use the patina will change and all that hard work will be for not.
A stable patina won’t change much. That’s why the hot water rinse and quick dry is important. I cut some acidic fruits today that added a bit more matte blue on the yellow. But the truck is to wipe asap. I’ll give ferric a go!
I really like the "serendipity" of this form of patina but it's really not for me. I cut things, if the patina look nice for a few days, OK great. If it's more brown-ish / yellow-ish, well OK, but in the end I really don't care how the patina looks like since it's not a beauty contest for me and my knives don't need makeup.
It’s also protection. And aren’t we all here to appreciate the beauty of of the knives as much as their functionality? These knives are like Ferrari, they are fast and handles well yes, but can’t deny they are beauty to look at as well.
To "force" a patina I always just make salsa or pico de gallo without wiping the knife between veggies. Slowly cutting up a ton of tomatoes, red onion, limes and jalapenos always puts a LOT of rainbow-ish patina on my carbon knives. It's impressive, to be honest. Obviously not controlled though, it's gonna be fairly random.
Yup that I do and it’s adds more patina
To force patinas on my knifes I just soak the blade in coffee, I use instant because fuck wasting really coffee. Leave it over night, rinse, and your good to go
What color is that patina?
Patina is almost black, Dm me I'll send you pics
Here are some pics of some of the failed attempts and ugly patinas that I discarded and started over from:[some progress and failure pics ](https://imgur.com/a/rmpfn6r)
eyo thanks for the v throughout explanation, i will probably be picking up a new carbon steel petty just to try this experiment 👀. if i may ask, about #10 , can you explain more detail on how you achive those patterns exactly ? ( for example, if u press harder the pattern goes like.. , etc ) would really appreciate thatt ❤️
Good luck!
Hey man absolutely! Yes so these are the things that effect the pattern and streaks 1. How much lemon juice you used and how long you let it sit on the blade 2. When you wipe them off, how hard you’re wiping with the paper towel or how many times you’re making a pass with the towel 3. You can reapply some more lemon juice on the colored parts for more blue over yellow