1084 and canola oil...

[MadeFromMetal]

Mr. Apelt,

Could you elaborate on the process of etching with FC, neutralizing and then oiling? Also, could/should or should not that process be used on a kitchen knife, for instance?

I'm by no means a master blacksmith or nowhere near. But I think Ferric Chloride etching is actually very cool and not just for Damascus.
I use it with paint, I paint designs on the blades and then let that dry, put it in FC to etch and the paint areas are left a medium to light grey and creates awesome designs with contrast while around the paint it gets dark with darker rings right around the paint/mineral oil.

https://www.instructables.com/Acid-Knife-Etching-DIY-Quick-and-easy-way-of-makin/?amp_page=true

$10 knifes I've seen sale for $40 on Etsy with this simple FC etch

 

[Alex Topfer]

I use it with paint, I paint designs on the blades and then let that dry, put it in FC to etch and the paint areas are left a medium to light grey and creates awesome designs with contrast while around the paint it gets dark with darker rings right around the paint/mineral oil.

Acid etching is an older technique used in western metal work, goes back at least a couple of hundred years, before electrical and laser etching were invented. Not sure what acids they used though?

I've been playing around with using things to etch out decarb patterns around forged finishes. i think it's an interesting technique