Acid etch H1?

[wvriverats]

Has anyone acid etched an H1 blade? I have a beater Atlantic Salt that I was wanting to dress up a bit. I was curious how well this would work on this kind of steel, if there is any difference at all.

 

[G. Scott H.]

I've never tried to etch H1, but here's my armchair expert opinion D): Etching is corrosion. Since H1 was specifically designed to be as corrosion resistant as is currently possible (while still being useful for cutlery, of course), it seems like it'd be quite a job to undertake. There may well be some really nasty acid out there that would do the job, but I'd be very surprised if you had any success with standard etchants like ferric chloride.

 

[Muaddib1116]

I think it would work. I think there is a difference between rust corrosion and acid corrosion.

 

[G. Scott H.]

You may be right. My observations lead me to believe it will be quite difficult, though. While I haven't tried H1, I've tried etching 440A and 4116, both of which are pretty corrosion resistant (though nowhere near H1, apparently), and I got nothing on the 4116 and only a light gray film on the 440A that pretty much wiped right off. This was despite a very strong FeCl3 solution (I mix my own from powder) and long soak times. I'm not even close to an expert in this area (hence my armchair expert comment), I'm just kind of thinking out loud based upon my own (admittedly limited) observations. 'rats, I can only suggest experimenting on your own and seeing how it goes. :thumbup:

 

[wvriverats]

I may just wait until I have another knife or two I want to try it on. Hate to get all the stuff to do it and end up failing, and with nothing to compare it to, I still wouldn't know if it was my fault or the knifes.

 

[tinky1233]

Salt + vinegar and a little DC current should be no problem to etch.