Knife 43 – Hidden Tang Puukko - Apple Cider Vinegar Patina

Hidden Tang Puukko – Apple Cider Vinegar Patina

A Puukko is a Finnish utility knife

1/8” 1080 steel
Blade 4 3/8”
Overall Length 8 5/8”
Sapele handle
Hand rubbed oil finish

I force a patina using Apple Cider Vinegar on “Hidden Tang Puukko – Apple Cider Vinegar Patina“

Apple Cider Vinegar Forced Patina

A patina is a protective layer on your blade. It prevents further oxidation of your Carbon Steel and can make your knife more resistant to other forms of corrosion……… If you intend on forcing a patina onto your blade, just remember one thing. Appearance. A properly-done patina can look great, and you can actually customize it into special design and colors.
https://www.theknifehub.com/patina/

I have tried several different types of forced patina at this point. Using apple cider vinegar seems to work fairly well

I first did it before adding the handle. I cleaned the knife with denature alcohol

I put the apple cider vinegar in a plastic container and heated it to boil in the microwave.

I let the knife sit in the vinegar for several hours. Every once in a while, I took it out for inspection. After a few hours I took the knife out, buffed it with a clean shop rag, wiped it clean with denatured alcohol.

I put the vinegar back in the microwave and ran through the cycle again.

When it was dark enough, I wiped it clean. I cleaned it well to neutralize the acid. (I didn’t wash it with baking soda, but I would recommend it to be safe)

I then finished the knife.

From the work on the handle there were some scuff marks, so I taped the bolster and handle and ran the knife through one cycle with the vinegar. As I put the knife in the vinegar, I tried to get the vinegar to a level that it hit all the blade but not on the bolster. Error ever so slightly on the side of the blade. It’s already etched, and you shouldn’t need to leave it in to long for this touchup.

I then dried the knife, neutralized the blade, and buffed with some polish being careful not to buff the patina off. I then buffed the blade with oil.