That's real steel, baby! None of this hich chromium silliness.

I suppose you could get rid of it with a very stiff toothbrush and baking soda paste, but why bother? But you'll have to spend hours doing that, and it will happen every time you use this guy. That layer IS oxidized, but it will protect the blade underneigth.
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-IronRaven

When a man dare not speak without malice for fear of giving insult, that is when truth starts to die. Truth is the truest freedom.