Canister build question

T

The Unconventional Smitty

Joined
Jan 27, 2023
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I am wondering if you mix in colored pigment powder with the 1095 powder at a 1:1 ratio will it show up after etching in either ferric chloride or muriatic acid?

Has anyone tried it yet?
 
Thank you for the information. I finally have a chance to try it out cause I got some canisters finally. I will record the results and let you guys know. If it does It will be amazing and I would have helped the bladesmithing community learn a new process for canister Damascus.
 
I recommend a mixture of Venetian red and Lamp black, although you'll need to get it very hot to fuse

(this is bad advice don't do this)
 
Even if by some miracle it did work, your concoction would only be halfway made up of actual steel. Some things really don't require testing to know they are bad ideas. Or am I missing something?
 
Having a go at a serious answer:
A pigment that is stable at forge welding temperatures will be incorporated as a whole grain. If it's big enough to be visible it will cause a flaw in the steel, if small and well distributed enough not to cause a flaw it won't be visible. I wouldn't want to use that steel for a cutting edge.
A lot of pigments are not stable at forge welding temperate; best case something like lamp black (carbon) will dissolve into the steel messing up your steel chemistry
Worst case is something like Prussian blue that will thermally decompose into gasses inside a canister, which is not good.

If you are going to try this do a lot of research on the individual pigments, consider what the reactions between them are going to be, and do some tests heating them in an anoxic environment.
Also check the specific composition of the pigment; zinc oxide, titanium oxide, and lead oxide have all been used for white paint
 
Agree with Alex.
Before i wasted some expensive steel powder I'd be doing lots of experiments and testing pigments fir for safely
Rationale,
Will your chosen pigment even solidify.
Pigments don't seem to have a carbon content. Therefore if it did make a blade 50% would have hardenable steel , and you couldn't be sure of its distribution throughout billet.
Since the steel and powders aren't the same micron size you won't get even distribution in canister
 
I'll just say the obvious -" It won't work."

Not sure what the OP's metallurgy and chemistry knowledge is, but what he is asking is basically impossible. It is not like mixing 1095 powder and 5160 powder.
A few points:
The dissimilar materials will not form any bonds or matrix. (at least not any you want)
Whatever the residue of the paint ends up being it will basically be a 50% impurity in the billet.
The billet would not be able to be worked or even drawn out without crumbling.
Almost every color of paint pigment would be destroyed except titanium white.
It is possible that the paint will vaporize and explode the canister. A weep hole would be quite wise.

Unconventional Smithy - How much experience do you have with canister damascus?
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
I'll just say the obvious -" It won't work."

Not sure what the OP's metallurgy and chemistry knowledge is, but what he is asking is basically impossible. It is not like mixing 1095 powder and 5160 powder.
A few points:
The dissimilar materials will not form any bonds or matrix. (at least not any you want)
Whatever the residue of the paint ends up being it will basically be a 50% impurity in the billet.
The billet would not be able to be worked or even drawn out without crumbling.
Almost every color of paint pigment would be destroyed except titanium white.
It is possible that the paint will vaporize and explode the canister. A weep hole would be quite wise.

Unconventional Smithy - How much experience do you have with canister damascus?
Click to expand...
Maybe if he add Chilli , it would work :)
 
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