Blade finishes

C

Craig2485

Joined
Apr 19, 2022
Messages
2
Hi all just found this group and hoping I might get some help,

I've engraved a blade on a knife I was given with a polished blade and I'm after the engraving to be darker than the polished area any advice on something I can use that I'd have at home sorry for the long winded question

Craig
 
Welcome Craig. Fill out your profile so we know where you live and a bit about you.

We need a bit more info to give you an answer.
What metal is the blade?
When you say, "polished" do you mean mirror polished or just sanded to a final finish?
What are you engraving on it - a logo, a name, the Mona Lisa?
Do you want to darken just the letters/image or the area around them?

General info:
When engraving a name or logo, most folks use an electro-etcher. After the etch is made using DC electric current you switch to AC which darkens (Marks) the etch.
IF engraving with a pantograph or other scribe method, darken the etch with Ferric Chloride after it is done and then polish the area with very fine paper and a hard backing block.
Hand engravers rarely engrave the blade after it is hardened and polished.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Welcome Craig. Fill out your profile so we know where you live and a bit about you.

We need a bit more info to give you an answer.
What metal is the blade?
When you say, "polished" do you mean mirror polished or just sanded to a final finish?
What are you engraving on it - a logo, a name, the Mona Lisa?
Do you want to darken just the letters/image or the area around them?

General info:
When engraving a name or logo, most folks use an electro-etcher. After the etch is made using DC electric current you switch to AC which darkens (Marks) the etch.
IF engraving with a pantograph or other scribe method, darken the etch with Ferric Chloride after it is done and then polish the area with very fine paper and a hard backing block.
Hand engravers rarely engrave the blade after it is hardened and polished.
Click to expand...
I've engraved it using a dremel, I'm wanting what I've engraved to stand out, thank you for your reply
 
Thanks form filing out your profile. It helps to know where you are, so we don't tell you to order something from half-way around the world.

You could use a cold gun blue if FC isn't available to you. You didn't say what type of steel it is, but various acidic things will also darken the area. Lemon juice, mustard, and strong vinegar are ones often used. They are slower and less black but will darken the area.

If te engraving is fairly deep, what is used is a background antique lacquer. These are anything from black enamel paint to black lacquer. Lacquer is best. Apply it to the area and wipe off after a few minutes, leaving it in the recess of the engraving. Let dry and repeat a time or two. Use a hard backer block and a paper towel barely dampened with solvent to stroke across the area to remove the excess from the high spots (leaving it in the recesses). Clean up by buffing with a cotton cloth and hard backer block to remove the last remaining lacquer from the surfaces. This is what jewelers and engravers do to blacken the background on things. You can even use different colors than black.
 
Ha you guys are reminding me of my crude engraving struggles. Any future engraving will be done by a professional!
(unless I get carried away with some idea)
 
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