An itch to etch...

[R.C.Reichert]

I would like to be able to achieve a nice even grayish etch on my knives something like Raymond Richard does on his beautiful works of art. I was wondering how I would accomplish this with a full tang knife. Should I have the handle slabs already shaped and finished and first put them on the tang after the etching is complete? Reason I am asking is that I usually shape my handles after the scales are glued and pinned in place, so I'm thinking that might pose a problem when I want to etch. Is there a certain way or order to do this? Also, will I be able to get a nice etch like that with muriatic acid because I can't find ferric chloride anywhere around here? How much should I dilute it? Thanks.

 

[Will Leavitt]

RC I use warm vinegar to etch my blades. Only problem I would think on a full tang would be wearing the etch off when cleaning up epoxy off of the tang. You could always touch up the etch with a small paint brush I reckon. On my etched full tang knives I don't worry about the tang and it provides a little contrast to the etched blade.

I guess you have an etch you need to scratch?