Acid etch/patina idea

E

Eighty6ed

Joined
Oct 18, 2017
Messages
9
So I did some test etching on a 5160 blade I'm working on. I'm going for a solid dark gray look and so far, I'm pleased.

So here's the idea. I sure we all love waiting half an hour to gently scrub away oxides, but if you know you're going to need at least 3 hours soak time, can you get around that? The idea was to put an aquarium air diffuser at the bottom of the etch tank. Would this amount if agitation help keep the oxide buildup down? Or think it'd have an adverse affect on the etch? Or is this just the dumbest idea you've ever read?

Also, preferred methods to get a uniform matte finish. I don't want to see any visible grit lines if at all possible.
 
Let's assume I don't even have an air compressor capable of doing that, much less have a sandblasting setup. Wouldn't mind one but just can't quite justify such a purchase just yet.
 
Just use ferric chloride. If you left a blade in for 3 hours you wouldn't have much left I imagine.

I'm not a fan of etching in most cases, but have done it a few times and can say that a good etched finish requires a good sanded finish beneath it, otherwise you are gong to see those scratch marks etched even deeper. At least that is my experience with it.

-Clint
 
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