Overheard a guy at the flea market say 'patina is just rust with character'

I was digging through a bin of old wool blazers near the Sports Arena swap meet and this older collector dropped that line while eyeing a knife with stained brass liners. Made me stop and realize I've been babying my gear instead of letting it naturally wear with use. Anyone else struggle with keeping stuff too pristine?

2 comments

2 Comments

benb2113d ago

Ugh, I gotta respectfully disagree here. I see patina as one thing and actual rust as a totally different problem, you know? Patina is that even, stable oxidation that sits on the surface and actually protects the metal underneath, like on a old copper pan or a well-used brass lamp. But rust, real rust, that's just corrosion eating your gear away from the inside out, it's not character, it's damage waiting to happen. I've seen too many guys at the Rocky's swap meet act like their flaking, pitted knife blades are "well-loved" when really they're just neglected. There's a difference between using something hard and letting it get wet and sit in a drawer for six months. You can use your gear and still wipe it down sometimes, that's not babying it, that's just common sense.

jenny_fox13d ago

A little oil after each use stopped my tools from ever getting that bad.