Damascus etch question

J. Doyle

J. Doyle

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Feb 17, 2008
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I have a damascus blade that I etched in Ferric Chloride and vinegar. I liked the etch. It was a very high contrast between light and dark and you could feel the layers in the damascus so it was a pretty deep etch. This was some time ago.

Anyhow, I decided to do some more grinding to thin the blade out some and finish this thing up. I don't have any more FeCL at the moment so I used hydrochloric acid diluted with water. Ratio was water 12:1. I put the blade in for about an hour and a half checking every fifteen minutes. The etch is there but it's really faint and washed out. Not near as dark. Will this method darken if I just leave it in a long time? Or should I just buy some more FeCl? ANd if so, do I have to do anything to the light etch such as sand it down again or can I go straight into the FeCl to get a darker etch? I remember when I etched it before it only took 15 or 20 minutes to get that deep dark etch. Thanks for any help.
 
Get some more FeCl. It is the only thing I have seen that gives the dark etch. No need to throw it away after you are done it stores fine in a plastic bottle. There might be something else out there that works as well, but, FeCl is cheap and easy to get.
 
Sorry to hijack this thread but where do you get the Feric Chloride? I'm working on a Damascus blank that needs etching.

Thanks,

Charlie
 
In a pinch, radio shack sells it as circuit board etchant (has some small ammount of HCl in it)
Adam
 
Rusty McDonald said:
FeCl at a ratio of 4 parts distilled water and 1 part FeCl.
Click to expand...

This is the formula I used today and got the results I was looking for. Thanks Rusty. And everyone else.:thumbup:

I was able to still find the etchant at radio shack.
 
This isn't a joke.You can use instant coffee.Add 12 tbl to a glass of hot water.Works on SS damascus too.
 
Frank it takes about 10 minutes.I got this tip from British Blades.I have a knife in the custom knife section that was done with coffee.Coffee is very acidic and a lot less dangerous than FC and other acids.
 
plain vinigar works as well you just have to leave it for hours, or overnight. it takes forever, but it will get decently deep.
 
Thanks much, McAhron!!!
I am going to give that a try soon and will open a new post so it's visible. Frank
 
I get my Ferric Chloride from Fry's Electronics since Radio Shack no longer sells it in CA.
 
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