Aged Steel

[Rkymtn57]

I know its on this forum but I just cant find it.
I would like to know how to age 1095 bar steel that hasnt been forged.
I would like to age the steel for a knife im making. Thank you. D

[Daniel]

 Bleach will do it. Neutralize with baking soda.

[LRB]

  Bleach works best if the steel has been cold blued first. The common cold blue used for gun touch ups. There is a chemical in the bluing that the bleach reacts with.

[Nordnecker]

I put a scrap of steel in a container of bleach (1/2 in, 1/2 out) last summer and forgot about it. Found it a week or 2 later and couldn't believe how "aged" it was. The rust was about 1/4" thick.

[44-henry]

I use Birchwood Casey's super blue as instructed and than scuff the area with steel wool before dropping it into the bleach solution. I have found it helps to keep the solution agitated while it is working. I shoot for leaving it in the solution about 30 minutes at a time, take it out, and card of the rust with a green 3M scrub pad and repeat as necessary. Sometimes a re-coat of bluing helps the process along. Afterwords a slow rust or hot brown adds some depth to the finish. It is an art form to be sure and takes practice to get it right, I am not even close to calling myself good at it, but here is my latest attempt.

[LRB]

   Bleach is fast, but the cold browns are more controllable and less hazardous to work with.