Acid stonewash advice?

[joeyza]

Hi guys, just wondering acid you guys use for acid washing your blades? I did my first acid wash using PCB etchant from radio shack. Any suggestions on what other acids people use and benefits of them or does the radio shack acid work the best?

 

[BellaBlades]

That works the best for me. 1/2 hour for hardware and about 45 min for the blade.
Finishing with 1000 grit wet sand paper makes a great worn black wash look without the stones.

 

[joeyza]

That works the best for me. 1/2 hour for hardware and about 45 min for the blade.
Finishing with 1000 grit wet sand paper makes a great worn black wash look without the stones.

45 min???? Isnt that way too long? I'v heard most people say 15 min is the max you should do. Does 45 just make it much darker and dont you risk doing damage to the edge if you keep it in for that long?

 

[BellaBlades]

Most recent below. When people ask me to do a acid treatment to hardware, usually 15-30.
Depends on the blade steel. I also coat the edge, pivot and lock area with nail polish.
45 min was perfect on S30V and 154cm. For the hardware 2 runs at 15 minutes was medium grey like a bead blast for pocket clips and hardware with no pitting or damage to even the screw threads.

Just try different times to find out. Even at 45 minutes the finish will easily remove with scotchbrite.