# Pre-patina?



## Dave Martell

I love carbon steels and will always prefer working with them so the issue of patina formation and rust prevention will always come up in questions. 

So I was wondering what you guys thought of pre-patina-d (etched) Martell knives? I'm thinking of offering this as an option (no extra cost) and curious what people thought of this idea?


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## echerub

I like seeing the patina form as I use a knife. It personalizes the knife


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## Zwiefel

echerub said:


> I like seeing the patina form as I use a knife. It personalizes the knife


lus1:


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## DeepCSweede

I think it would be ok to offer it as a choice and maybe even appreciated by some users, but I personally liked forming my own patina also.


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## RobinW

echerub said:


> I like seeing the patina form as I use a knife. It personalizes the knife



Agree!


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## kalaeb

True, I like to develop my own patina as well. Plus it seems when i try to force patinas they are not as strong and come off easier. However, I can't see why offering it as a option would be a problem, I would kind of like to see a full blade etch.


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## chinacats

Same here, no real personal interest as I like to develop my own, though it may be something that some people would feel more comfortable with on their first carbon blade.


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## wenus2

I think it's a good idea.


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## GlassEye

I think it is a nice option to have.


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## Customfan

I agree its better to customize yourself... with some exceptions such as Michael Rader patina on knives.... I think his mustard patina rocks! :viking:


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## dough

I agree with everyone else. I personally wouldnt care for a pre-patina but i can bet there are home cooks that would love it as they dont cut a lot... constantly.
I can go through 8 tenderloins in a day prepping its easy to get a patina started... I also got enough knives that if a knife needs a bit more patina before it can really be a workhorse I can easily set a knife aside until I have more time to properly care for it. 
most people dont own a $400 plus knife much less have many to choose from unless you are talking to a knifenut. I can easily someone deciding to invest in one high quality knife and wanting to use it right away with no muss no fuss and pre-patina would be the perfect option.


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## Cutty Sharp

I think it would be a good option that other makers don't have. It could make ordering a knife from you a little more fun - how will it be? what will the pre-patina look like?

I suppose if you include an info booklet with your knives, or provide some post-sale support via email, etc, you can also advise on removing the patina if customers don't end up wanting it.

However, if they're already on KKF then they probably know all about this kind of thing.


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## Zwiefel

Taking the current comments to the next step: custom patinas? Maybe based on expected use, or color preference or steel properties?


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## Cutty Sharp

Custom? ... Zwiefel, you're not thinking of patina burls?


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## ecchef

I like that purple/blue that comes from red meat blood. The only problem I forsee is your neighbors objecting to a fresh corpse in the yard with a bunch of knives sticking out of it.


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## Zwiefel

Cutty Sharp said:


> Custom? ... Zwiefel, you're not thinking of patina burls?



What do you think it would cost to get one for the SIH?


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## wenus2

ecchef said:


> I like that purple/blue that comes from red meat blood. The only problem I forsee is your neighbors objecting to a fresh corpse in the yard with a bunch of knives sticking out of it.



LMFAO, that's awesome!


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## DwarvenChef

One of the aspects of the natural patina I love is that not a single one is the same as the next. A forced patina is just another finish, just like a brushed or polished finish, flat and bland. Some have come up with artsy ways of making it look interesting but it is still just another finish that can be duplicated.

Some people like a forced patina, and nothing is wrong with that if that what they want. I'll take mine all natural


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## Dusty

If it was an option, I would choose an etched blade.


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## Dave Martell

There's some great feedback here guys, some even made me laugh and cringe too. 

So far the majority isn't interested but most say having the option is nice and some say that maybe they'd chose it if there were patterns available. Sounds pretty much what I expected to hear. 

Thanks for your input.


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## Jmadams13

Do you have any images of the patina that might be offered? I agree that it's part of the fun of a new knife to watch it develop and sometimes fun to play with forced, but if it looks nice then that would definitely be an option to consider


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## Joshua1970

as someone who's completely clueless when it comes to carbon steel (aside from what I've learned in using straight razors, in which only some of my vintage blades have developed any patina at all over many many years - I just keep em dry and/or oiled to prevent rust) this option is attractive to me, tho I would imagine as I learn more I would also appreciate developing my own patinas over time. With my limited experience/knowledge I would be afraid to screw up a patina on my first carbon blade....


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## cclin

hi Dave, could you give me more detail about the pre-patina-d (etched) will look like??:scratchhead: is it look like you did on etched hiromoto AS??


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## Benuser

Anything to hide? I know people who sandblast blades to hide grinding issues...


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## RRLOVER

I think it is a great idea.If you want to sell to NORMAL people it would be a nice marketing tool......If you read this you are not Normal


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## Burl Source

My preference is for the knife to arrive clean, without a patina.
While some of the patterns with a forced patina might look cool, my thought is that it would limit instead of increase sales.
I enjoy watching the patina develop on it's own.
Maybe if you include a print out of how to force a patina as well as how to care for the knife.


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## Dave Martell

cclin said:


> hi Dave, could you give me more detail about the pre-patina-d (etched) will look like??:scratchhead: is it look like you did on etched hiromoto AS??




Hiro AS's are clad in stainless so the outer layer stays lighter and the core gets black. I make mono-steel blades so all I'd have is one even tone or gray/black. I did some playing around with the steel I use (O1) and found that if I mirror polish the blades and quick etch I can then buff to a gray shiny look that is a lot better looking (IMO) than a flat appearance. 

You can see the difference between dark flat spots and light shiny spots on the knife below. This knife shows the two extremes of etching very well.


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## Dave Martell

Benuser said:


> Anything to hide? I know people who sandblast blades to hide grinding issues...




Etching can make fine grind lines disappear but isn't able to hide "issues". So it's like a chemical helper for making a finer more even appearing finish. The thing here is that this only works to an extent of the knife being evenly ground to begin with as uneven finishes will still show unless a really deep dark etch is used. 

So to summarize there's no hiding grind issues behind etching, at least not from what I've seen anyway.


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## Dave Martell

And just to be clear, that knife shown above (the pattern of the etch) isn't what I'm considering doing here, that's just being shown to give some reference to the levels of finish you can achieve by etching - one being dark and flat and the other being light and shiny.


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## Joshua1970

that's pretty neat Dave. again I've got a lot of research to do regarding patinas and carbon steel. but I can see that being otentially useful as a marketing tool - especially if you are able to get very detailed with it


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## mr drinky

I think you should etch pretty flowers into the blades 

k.


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## cclin

Dave, check out this- O1 steel, $375 upgrade Etching!


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## Zwiefel

mr drinky said:


> I think you should etch pretty flowers into the blades
> 
> k.



-1 :sad0:


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## mr drinky

I hate how the wink emoticon isn't very winky. I was just kidding, but Konosuke does a lot of flower stuff. 

k.


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## Dave Martell

cclin said:


> Dave, check out this- O1 steel, $375 upgrade Etching!




Who made that?


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## cclin

Dave Martell said:


> Who made that?



TC blade


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## Customfan

Never seen anything like that.... What is the verdict? :dontknow:

That had to take quite a bit of time for sure!


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## tsuriru

Customfan said:


> Never seen anything like that.... What is the verdict? :dontknow:
> 
> That had to take quite a bit of time for sure!




It did take a substantial amount of work hours, yes.


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## WOK-a-holic

Customfan said:


> I agree its better to customize yourself... with some exceptions such as Michael Rader patina on knives.... I think his mustard patina rocks! :viking:


)

+1 on mustard!!! ... let stand 30 mins bloted on with paper towel, cloth, or a sponge


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