My weird experiment with a vinegar and salt patina on a steel hook

I was trying to get a quick, dark finish on a set of coat hooks I made. I mixed up a batch of white vinegar with a big spoon of table salt, brushed it on, and left it for about two hours. Instead of a nice even black, it came out with these wild, splotchy orange and blue streaks. It looked more like a bad bruise than a forge finish. I think the steel might have had some oil on it I missed, or maybe my mix was too strong. Has anyone else had a patina go totally wrong, and how did you fix it?

3 comments

3 Comments

sarah5311mo agoMost Upvoted

Remember my friend tried that on a knife. Ended up with this weird pink and purple mess, looked like a sunset. He did what @jesse_fisher said, cleaned it with acetone and started over.

jesse_fisher1mo ago

Try wiping it down with acetone first next time, gets rid of any oil. I've had luck with just straight vinegar for a more even gray, but it takes longer.

rubyschmidt21d agoTop Commenter

Acetone is fine but it's actually not the best for all steels. Some high carbon blades will flash rust right after the acetone dries. Mineral spirits work better for those, doesn't cause the same reaction.