Mora 163 patina

[sachapost]

Hi everyone,

I ordered a new Mora 163 hook knife to toy around with, mainly because I found the 164 a bit too curvy. Didn't have a lot of budget so thought 163 was a good option. Today I received the knife and was surprised by a blue/purple patina covering the entire blade. Not what I expected! Is this a sign of overheating or is this harmless? Anyone else experienced this before with Mora knives?

 

[mrcharly]

Never - I've had 3 Mora knives.

Overheated when being ground I reckon, I'd send it back if I were you.

 

[mark.177]

sounds like normal colors left after tempering... does the blade take and hold a good edge? if so i wouldnt worry

 

[decorum]

Good pics would really help ...

iirc at least some Mora hook/spoon knives come with a protective coat. It could be a coating, could be a manufacturing issue ~ but pictures would really help

 

[sachapost]

The blade is razor sharp, but I didn't dare to hone or use it yet as I may want to return it.

I took a picture of the blade, hope this helps! Thanks

 

[mark.177]

thanks for the pic, looks just fine to me... one of my blades after tempering

 

[sachapost]

I see, thanks for the clarification! Out of curiosity, what makes the steel turn blue after tempering?

 

[bushcraftkid2001]

Mine was exactly the same, after a while it wears off

 

[DurhamBushcrafter]

thanks for the pic, looks just fine to me... one of my blades after tempering

OOOOHHHHHH!!!!! looks NICE!!!!!

 

[Robson Valley]

I think of two possiblilties.
The color is residue from the tempering process, most unusual to see.
The color is the result of overheating = they cooked it.
The difference for me would be to explore how long the edge holds with steady work ( at least 30 - 45 minutes.)
And, did the edge chip (brittle) or crumple (normal)? How much effort does it take me to restore the edge.
For service, I should think a total included bevel angle of 20 degrees, no more.

My main blade source for Pacific Northwest Coast style crooked knives has been Mora #171 Equus farrier's knives (2 pairs), Diamond (Taiwan) #271, 1 pair, almost a clone of the Mora
and 2 double edged Mora #188 Equus knives. In every case, the blades have a dull, pale brown surface coating which did polish off to bright steel. They all arrived at 30 degrees, more or less and
each was revised to 12 degrees. All adequate for carving but not the hard, hard steel of a Hall or Ukal blade.

 

[sachapost]

I looked up the Mora 173 and the 188, those look very promising. Couldn't find the Diamond #271 though!

I hope it's a residue then and they didn't cook it. I guess there's not really any other way to find out but starting using it. I'll let you know about the result! Thanks for taking the time everyone