Does mustard work for putting patina on carbon steel?

[brew4eagle]

I have a raw Black Lab BL-1 carbon steel putter on its way to me. Want to get a rust-like look to it. Read about covering it in mustard for 15 min or so. Anyone tried this? Results? I could go with a cold japanese brown spray, or maybe just let it rust up like a raw wedge. Too many options.

[MPix53]

Best thing I’ve used so far for a pretty authentic looking patina is to first use a bit of cold blue gel - then make a mix of 3% hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar and some salt (there are recipes online) in a spray bottle.https://www.instructables.com/id/Produce-a-Rich-Rust-Patina-on-Iron-and-Steel-Safe/

Using the two together just gives it a bit of a darker finish.

[oneaugusta]

Patina is rust on carbon, patina on copper or brass is patina. Why would you want to rust a good putter. If you really want that look then Birchwood Casey plum brown works great and will keep that look even after oiling.

[brew4eagle]

That looks good. I think I'll give it a few weeks as is to see what a natural patina looks like, then go from there.

[brew4eagle]

I like the look of a real rust, but obviously not so much so that it's badly pitted. It ends up completely glare free that way.

[luke1333]

Don't know about mustard but just play with it and let it rust naturally ?‍♂️ here is mine that I just let go a couple years ago. Was just starting to rust when I bought it

 

[Z1ggy16]

I think you mean rust. Anyway... slap it in some salt water for a few minutes... keep putting it in until you get desired look.

[brew4eagle]

Technically, rust does not equal patina. Forming a patina layer on carbon steel helps to mitigate rusting. It's a process used all the time by chefs to protect their knives from damaging rusts.

Salt water is a bad idea, will make a very rusty, splotchy mess.

[Z1ggy16]

He says he wants to rust it and apparently quick. Salt water will accelerate that quite a bit.. Just like most things, it would look better if more time is taken.

But.. If it's black then it's probably got some kind of pvd coating etc, which would need to be taken off first.

[jtitleist12]

The best technique I have used is to boil a couple of eggs and upon them hardening and while still somewhat warm, break the eggs up into little pieces and place them along with the putter head into a small ziplock bag and close as tightly as possible. If you can do head only, you will be able to seal the bag completely. If the putter is shafted, place the entire head and the first inch of the shaft into the bag and seal with tape or a rubber band. Let sit for about an hour or two.

Humidity is a wonderful accelerant of patina (rust) on carbon. Simply playing the putter on a hot humid day will naturally start the process very quickly.

Josh

[cfunk11]

We must have the same taste in putters. I spoke to Chip at Black Lab about a BL-1 Carbon with a raw finish a couple of months ago. I ended up getting a Timeless DH in a black ox finish. I would be interested how that BL-1 feels. I had a raw Palombi 389 that I used Birchwood Casey to gun blue. As the blue wore off the putter rusted nicely. Before I blued it, I torch and quenched it. What ever you choose to do, have fun and post pics.

[oneaugusta]

I would just throw it out in the yard for rain and dew and maybe a dog will pee on it too. Urine works great for rusting putters

[A.Princey]

Vinegar in a pot brought near a boil, add about a cup of peroxide, and a tablespoon of salt. Stir in the salt and then just dip the putter, while keeping the solution pretty warm. Keep the putter submerged for a minute, pull it out and rinse under tap water. Repeat as desired to "thicken" the rust. I've had the best results doing the process 3ish times. With a final rinse under tap water, and then dab dry with a paper towel, DO NOT RUB OR WIPE DRY. Leave the putter sit out, dry at room temp for a couple days, then oil it liberally, and soak up the excess, boom ready to go. Never oil that thing again! This is the fastest way to create a uniform rust. Make sure to wipe down the putter with acetone or some kind of stripper to remove oils before the soak process, or they will affect the uniformity. The rust will appear immediately upon soaking in the mixture, the "drying" period at room temp seems to help solidify the rust layer to the metal best. Good luck, this is super easy and foolproof if you have a clean head, free from oils.

 

This finish is pretty darn durable, and the best part is no more maintenance, and if scratching or marking does occur, it will just oxidize in the future anyway! Something about the first "oiling" too, deepens the color and makes it "smoother". Here's my Byron after the soak(pre-oil), I'll get a pic of her now as well, 1yr later with nothing done but kept in a headcover. You could forgo the oil, but it's kinda powdery orange and the stuff gets on everything.

[LeftyMatt24]

On 5/14/2020 at 2:59 AM, A.Princey said:

Vinegar in a pot brought near a boil, add about a cup of peroxide, and a tablespoon of salt. Stir in the salt and then just dip the putter, while keeping the solution pretty warm. Keep the putter submerged for a minute, pull it out and rinse under tap water. Repeat as desired to "thicken" the rust. I've had the best results doing the process 3ish times. With a final rinse under tap water, and then dab dry with a paper towel, DO NOT RUB OR WIPE DRY. Leave the putter sit out, dry at room temp for a couple days, then oil it liberally, and soak up the excess, boom ready to go. Never oil that thing again! This is the fastest way to create a uniform rust. Make sure to wipe down the putter with acetone or some kind of stripper to remove oils before the soak process, or they will affect the uniformity. The rust will appear immediately upon soaking in the mixture, the "drying" period at room temp seems to help solidify the rust layer to the metal best. Good luck, this is super easy and foolproof if you have a clean head, free from oils.

 

This finish is pretty darn durable, and the best part is no more maintenance, and if scratching or marking does occur, it will just oxidize in the future anyway! Something about the first "oiling" too, deepens the color and makes it "smoother". Here's my Byron after the soak(pre-oil), I'll get a pic of her now as well, 1yr later with nothing done but kept in a headcover. You could forgo the oil, but it's kinda powdery orange and the stuff gets on everything.

Do you have an updated picture? Looks awesome. 

[SUITS]

Would love to see an updated photo of that Byron after these years

 

 

Edited December 31, 2022 by SUITS