Carbon blade care how much effort is it really?

[lsboogy]

My Carter 52100 blade came with a patina that I think was a hot vinegar fume soak for a long time - blade is quite black and never discolors anything and seem to only need wiping for the most part (I wipe down blades often - very often - probably more than needed. But I love forced patinas - my daughter has a few carbon steel blades that I have patinaed for her - use a mix of mustard and vinegar (make a paste so that it sticks to the blade) and I have "written" her name or initials on the blades she takes to work (use straight mustard and a toothpick to put her name on, leave for half an hour, and then rinse, dry, and patina the rest of the blade - no other blades like Em on the planet and she loves them). A good patina will also pretty much prevent rust and discoloration of product once deep enough.

[stalliondawg444]

I think patina adds beautiful character to a carbon knife. My favorite so far is my Shigeki Tanaka Damascus Petty - looks like an ocean of blue and purple after a few weeks of use primarily on meat

[Fredward]

My Carter 52100 blade came with a patina that I think was a hot vinegar fume soak for a long time - blade is quite black and never discolors anything and seem to only need wiping for the most part (I wipe down blades often - very often - probably more than needed. But I love forced patinas - my daughter has a few carbon steel blades that I have patinaed for her - use a mix of mustard and vinegar (make a paste so that it sticks to the blade) and I have "written" her name or initials on the blades she takes to work (use straight mustard and a toothpick to put her name on, leave for half an hour, and then rinse, dry, and patina the rest of the blade - no other blades like Em on the planet and she loves them). A good patina will also pretty much prevent rust and discoloration of product once deep enough.

Do you have any pictures of the mustard patina?

[jacko9]

I have several carbon knives somer clad with iron some with stainless but I have never had an issue with them. I have one 300mm chefs knife made with 1095 steel that has a very nice patina but has never rusted and I wasn't very careful with that knife for the past 40 years. Use it rinse it off when your done and wipe it dry with the dish towel.

[theejlee]

My daily driver is a Kohetsu AS. I quite like the patina. Makes for a beautiful contrast to the stainless cladding. I do wipe the knife down after every use to prevent rust.

[bLoebs]

This is a perspective question! I have a cast iron from Smithey, a lodge carbon steel skillet, and some stainless steel pans that all get more love attention and mental anguish than my 6 j knives. The only J Knife that takes up more mental anguish is my FM Fuji White IRON CLAD because I got a little rust on it over the summer cutting tomatoes and other juicy things. I've been chasing that beast ever since....

[Calcifer1]

What kind of maintenance does a honyaki require?

[Jeff B]

What kind of maintenance does a honyaki require?

No more maintenance than any other carbon knife.

[Calcifer1]

What kind of maintenance does a honyaki require?

No more maintenance than any other carbon knife.

Would you say you can feel a difference vs a regular carbon knife

[d_rap]

The only J Knife that takes up more mental anguish is my FM Fuji White IRON CLAD because I got a little rust on it over the summer cutting tomatoes and other juicy things. I've been chasing that beast ever since....

You sure that was even rust? My FM W1 has very colorful patina, including some relatively rust colored splotches that are just part of the reactive quality of the blade.

[shiupo]

Would you say you can feel a difference vs a regular carbon knife

It can be subjective but should feel similar to mono-steel carbon knives. You can check a video from Salty comparing mono Masamoto KS and Honyaki. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOHx14MMDMw)

[jacko9]

Not much care at all but, I don't mind a patina. A few of my blades did patina heavily at first but they either calmed down by the initial oxide being protective or in some cases I helped it with a coat of renaissance wax which seems to last quite a while as a barrier. I just rinse and wash if necessary and towel dry.

[cliff]

For Honyaki, it depends if you want to maintain the polish. Simply to prevent rust, you can treat it as any other reactive blade. Since there's no iron cladding, it should be less reactive than many knives. But a big part of the appeal of a Honyaki is the polish. To keep it looking good and see the Hamon, you will need some polishing skills.

[bLoebs]

The only J Knife that takes up more mental anguish is my FM Fuji White IRON CLAD because I got a little rust on it over the summer cutting tomatoes and other juicy things. I've been chasing that beast ever since....

You sure that was even rust? My FM W1 has very colorful patina, including some relatively rust colored splotches that are just part of the reactive quality of the blade.

It rubbed off on paper towel Maybe east coast summer humidity? It took a few different sessions with bar keepers friend and rust erasing to remove. Regular oiling has kept it at bay

[Calcifer1]

For Honyaki, it depends if you want to maintain the polish. Simply to prevent rust, you can treat it as any other reactive blade. Since there's no iron cladding, it should be less reactive than many knives. But a big part of the appeal of a Honyaki is the polish. To keep it looking good and see the Hamon, you will need some polishing skills.

What's needed to polish the blade

[Calcifer1]

Would you say you can feel a difference vs a regular carbon knife

It can be subjective but should feel similar to mono-steel carbon knives. You can check a video from Salty comparing mono Masamoto KS and Honyaki. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOHx14MMDMw)

I have another question would there be a down side to making a gyuto with a bit of a belly for chopping and a k tip

[shiupo]

I have another question would there be a down side to making a gyuto with a bit of a belly for chopping and a k tip

I think this would depend on personal preference and cutting style. That's why we have so many knives to choose from and forums to discuss.

[Jeff B]

The only J Knife that takes up more mental anguish is my FM Fuji White IRON CLAD because I got a little rust on it over the summer cutting tomatoes and other juicy things. I've been chasing that beast ever since....

You sure that was even rust? My FM W1 has very colorful patina, including some relatively rust colored splotches that are just part of the reactive quality of the blade.

It rubbed off on paper towel Maybe east coast summer humidity? It took a few different sessions with bar keepers friend and rust erasing to remove. Regular oiling has kept it at bay

Cutting something as acidic as tomatoes and not getting it cleaned up in a timely fashion will definitely bring on the rust on iron cladding. Carbon steel fairs better but iron cladding doesn't play.

[bLoebs]

You sure that was even rust? My FM W1 has very colorful patina, including some relatively rust colored splotches that are just part of the reactive quality of the blade.

It rubbed off on paper towel Maybe east coast summer humidity? It took a few different sessions with bar keepers friend and rust erasing to remove. Regular oiling has kept it at bay

Cutting something as acidic as tomatoes and not getting it cleaned up in a timely fashion will definitely bring on the rust on iron cladding. Carbon steel fairs better but iron cladding doesn't play.

Amen. It was a major learning lesson. I now continuously wipe as I move through different products

[cliff]

For Honyaki, it depends if you want to maintain the polish. Simply to prevent rust, you can treat it as any other reactive blade. Since there's no iron cladding, it should be less reactive than many knives. But a big part of the appeal of a Honyaki is the polish. To keep it looking good and see the Hamon, you will need some polishing skills.

What's needed to polish the blade

I am not an expert on this. I think it depends on your goals. Keeping the original finish is for all intents and purposes impossible. To keep the patina off and keep the contrast with the Hamon, you will need some natural stones -- at least finger stones and some sandpaper.