acid finish

H

hobbit

Joined
Nov 16, 1999
Messages
25
This one may be a bit off the mark but does anyone use an acid etch finish on non-damascus knives. I'd like to try a 320-400grit hand rub finish on a 440V blade and then etch the whole blade in ferric cloride to dull and age the finish. Anyone have any opinions?

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Just because you're not paraniod doesn't mean they're not out to get you
 
Yes!!
For a subdued finish that in MY OPINOIN, looks better than bead blasting......
I hand rub down to 600 then etch with Ferric Chloride (Radio Shack Stuff). Using a small foam brush I keep spreading it around to get an even shade of grey over the entire blade. This my take several rinses and re-aplications. Once the finish is uniform, I then lightly hand rub with 400 just to bring out a line patern. I always work in line with the blade.
I also etch some of the blades the same way, then mirror polish the hollow grinds using a cork belt. This leaves the flats a dull gray with shiny hollows. It's a nice two tone affect
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Neil

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Neil,

Neat idea! Almost makes me want to take up hollow grinding.

I think I'll try the same principal on my flat grind. If I mirror polish the whole blade then tape off the bevels and etch the flats, I should get a similar effect don't you think?

Gary B www.toptexknives.com/bradburn.htm
 
I'd try using beeswax instead of the tape. It's a lot easier to see and control where it's going. You can put a design in it that way, too, if you want to get really fancy.

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Oz

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I do it pretty much like Neil suggests, except I use Scotchbrite to rub it out. Depending on the length of the etch and the amount of rubbing you can adjust the darkness to suit you. I've not used it on 440V, but it works well on ATS-34 and with some care also on CPM-3V. Done right, it looks a lot like the bluing on old guns, and the blade can be highlighted by rubbing the edges to a little higher polish. Another nice thing about it is that it wears well, much better than bead blasting. In my opinion, as it wears it just takes on more character.

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Jerry Hossom
www.hossom.com
 
GaryB, Osborn,
I have never had any success with masking! Bead blasting would be the only exception. The only way I can obtain a crisp change in finish is either by polishing the the entire blade, then lapping the flats on a surface plate or by the method I described above. I found that the acid would creep under any masking material I tried.
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Neil

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Asphaltum has been used forever for masks in acid etching. I think sheffield sells the components and the formula. That might be fun to try. I know some makers who use that method to sign their knives.

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Jerry Hossom
www.hossom.com
 
Thanks everyone,

Neil, I try just as you described except that after etching I just went over the grind lines lightly with a 1500 grit till the lines stood out and finished the rest of the knife tonight... Looks great, exactly what I was looking for. Thanks again.
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Lloyd
 
Loyd,
One other tip!! Do you acid work AWAY from your regular work bench!!! One day you will notice a nice big acid pit on one of your finished, ready to be delivered knives
mad.gif

Not that this ever happened to me or any thing............
Neil

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