Blackening Engraving

[Slice of 56]

I am doing a restoration of an inexpensive knife for a friend. The "Surgical Steel" blade has the company name engraved on one side and before I wire brushed it with a brass wheel on my dremel, it had black in the text and logo. It is still dark but I want to restore that blackness. How do I do that?

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Black paint.

 

[Slice of 56]

Black paint.

Hi Bill, I am a bit slow on the uptake. Can you elaborate a bit? Type of paint, how to apply, how to prep the surface?

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Here is the technical version:
Put black paint on the blade. Wipe off excess. Let dry. Remove rest of excess with paper towel with paint thinner.

 

[eveled]

Is it really an engraving? Or an etch?

A dremel could do more damage than good.
I would use fine sand paper on a very flat hard surface like glass. I use the back of a diamond plate

 

[killgar]

Is it really an engraving? Or an etch?

This is a good question.

Laser etching can produce black, grey, and even white coloration in the depths of the etch without any form of paint or chemicals being applied. Many knives these days are laser etched because it's fast and cheap.

I wouldn't expect ordinary "paint" to remain very long on a knife blade, not if the knife is going to be used. Knife blades that are coated black by the manufacturer tend to have the coating baked on to make it more wear and chip resistant, and the chemical compositions of those coating tend to be specifically chosen for those purposes. We ain't talking a can of Rustoleum or a bottle of Testors model paint.

I have seen knife blades decorated with enamel paint inside of engravings, but I believe those enamels are baked to make them more durable.