We heat up coffee, keeping it at a consistent temperature, and steep each blade for less than 1 hour. Ultimately, we found that simply submerging our blades in strongly brewed (to a level similar to espresso) hot coffee achieves our ideal results! We experimented with different natural ingredients like vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, wine, and other acidic food products in various combinations and concentrations to compare with the chemical etchants. The most common products used in the cutlery industry to etch a forced patina onto a carbon steel knife are etching chemicals, like Ferric Chloride (FeCl3).īut our team was committed to finding the best natural product to achieve the effect we wanted. citrus fruits) changes the color of your carbon steel blade more drastically than cutting less acidic foods (e.g. This is why cutting very acidic foods (e.g. Patina occurs fastest by exposing the blade to acidity. The dark two-tone effect created by the combination of our differential heat treatment and unique natural patina process results in a beautiful modern heirloom to proudly display in your kitchen from day-one. When we force a patina at the end of our knifemaking process for each knife individually, it brings out the finer details of the blade so our team can carefully inspect exactly how the steel grain flows, where the temper line is (showing where the steel hardened to 65HRC on the blade edge and softer at 30HRC on the spine), and any imperfections that wouldn’t meet our highest standards. STEELPORT knives are forged 52100 carbon steel that we put through a proprietary 8-step cryogenic heat treatment process by hand, one-at-a-time, to achieve our prized differential heat treatment. In addition to the rust protection an initial patina can provide, our patina also acts as a quality control point. This was well put by the legendary bladesmith Ed Fowler: “There are no secrets in the etched blade, all is revealed”. It can also be intentionally added or ‘forced’ through various different etching processes.Ī forced patina has long been part of a bladesmiths’ toolset, showing the finer details of the steel. Patina occurs on many materials naturally with time and use. It can protect against the damaging (red) rust that forms when water and liquids are left on the surface of metals like steel and cast iron.
Patina is a controlled layer of oxidation. Patina is what gives material like steel, cast iron, bronze and copper their beautiful, complex aged look. One of the final steps when making our blades is forcing a patina through a custom etching process we developed, which serves multiple functional and aesthetic purposes.Īnd thanks in part to our unique patina, every blade we produce has visible reminders that it was carefully crafted by expert artisans, one blade at a time. Unlike mass-produced stamped blades, every STEELPORT blade is handcrafted using traditional materials and methods, with some modern innovation, giving each knife a unique character. Making a STEELPORT knife is both science and art.
Our goal is to provide every customer the best advantages of a well patinated blade from their very first use, while also only using natural products to achieve that effect. Significant time, energy, experimentation and… believe it or not, coffee, went into developing that unique finish to meet our uncompromising standards of iconic design, functional detail and handcrafted locally. “There are no secrets in the etched blade, all is revealed.”Ī new STEELPORT knife is immediately recognizable by its dark two-toned patina with visible grain patterns and temper line.
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