Non-stainless high carbon blades aren’t for everyone, but there are many aficionados who prefer them over stainless steel. High carbon steel can provide a harder blade which can be made much sharper and hold the edge longer than stainless steel.
The draw back to non-stainless is, well, that it’s not stainless and will rust if not properly taken care of. But one of the beauties of this, what many users of high carbon enjoy about this type of knife, is the lovely patina that builds up on the surface of the blade over time with use.
The progression of patina buildup on a high carbon knife over time
Below are photos of a knife I made a year ago, and I’ve been using it in my kitchen. The blade is extremely sharp and I just love how the knife performs when I’m using it to cook.
This is how my new knife started out in life. The first photo below is the knife blade as it was when I first made it and started using it in my kitchen. The steel blade is clean and shiny.
I then used mustard to etch a patina pattern into the blade. The pattern shown below was achieved by dropping mustard blobs onto the blade. I’d let it sit for a few hours, then clean it off and repeat. I repeated this three times.
As I used my knife, the natural acids from the vegetables I cut would etch colour into the steel surface. Onions are particularly effective in a process like this. I’d allow the juices to rest on the blade for a minute or so after finishing, then I’d wipe it clean. The steel didn’t rust, instead it gained a lovely colouring. This kind of patina on the blade forms a natural and appealing protection against rust.
In this photo below you can see the blue and purple colouring of the patina.
Here is a close-up of the blue patterned colouring.
This may not be for everyone, but I really like this kind of knife. This knife is available for sale if you’re interested.
Thanks and have a lovely day!
