Damascus knife scratched blade

F

Frankb119

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Oct 23, 2014
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I recently purchased a neglently used Parker Damascus folder. It was a mess, which I cleaned up. It is a beautiful bone handled knife, but I am not that impressed with the Damascus pattern ( not vivid ) . The main clip blade has pretty severe scratches from poor sharpening skills. How do I remove the scratches? Any comments would be greatly appreciated. THANKS..........FRANK
 
You would really need to refinish (hand sand) the blade and etch it again. That would be a fair amount of work and probably not worth it on a user. You could always just etch the blade and see if that masks the scratches to your satisfaction.
 
Frankb119 said:
I guess I'm not that we'll versed. How do you etch the blade .
THANKS..........FRANK
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To etch the blade you would need to use something like ferric chloride. You would also have to sand it back afterwards to bring out the etch with some 1200 or so grit paper.
If you don't know what to do then I would suggest you don't tackle the task yourself. It would be well worth finding someone local to do that for you if possible. It is a simple process as long as you know what needs doing. :)
 
basically take it apart if you can, sand it with 800 grit sand paper until you get all the scratches out and sand up to 1200 to 2000 making sure to get all of the scratches out from the last grit then git some ferric chloride from radioshack or the like mix it with 5 parts water to one part ferric and degrease the blade really well then soak the blade in it for 2-3 min and check it every few minutes until you like what you see then spray the heck out of it with windex and wipe down with a paper towel and then oil it a resemble. or send it to the maker or a professional.
 
Thank you. I just may try, how else can you learn. I wanted it as a keeper, but will use it as an EDC if all else fails. It has a great bone handle. I appreciate the answers, it is the first question I've ever asked. Just watch, mostly & try to gain some knowledge.

THANKS..........FRANK
 
if it is true Damascus and not the newer lookalike stuff, after u sand the blade 600 to 800 finish then you can try vinegar and lemon juice soak, 2hrs, check etch. lightly rub it on some 2k w/d sandpaper. if not dark enough, repeat. sometimes it take two or three times to bring it dark enough sometimes one will do it. ferric chloride is another ballgame, I warn you is messy stuff, any metal it touches it will discolor, and I literally mean any metal. this stuff is for etching pc boards in electronics and will attack and eat copper. the lemon juice 25% and 75% vinegar is a better and more environmentally friendly approach. the Damascus I make is 1n520,52100, 1095 mix and always etches well with this method. I do use a bubble chamber too, nothing real fancy it is a 4 inch pvc capped pipe at one end with a hole drilled in the cap and aquarium airline tubing sealed with silicone and a airstone inside the tube with a small air pump to keep the solution agitated. I have left knife blades submerged for 6 hrs with no real damage. either way you go the edge will have to be redone after it is re-etched.now if it is only acid etched Damascus lookalike you can do nothing as these have a laser type or sandblasted etch, they are not folded steel.
 
My Damascus is Parker Edwards, it not nearly as vivid or sculpted as some of the custom knives I have seen. Is it real Damascus or a quick knock off? How do you rate Parker Damascus. I bought it to collect, it is a beautiful knife. If all else fails, I will put it on my EDC rotation. Thank you for your instructions. I will probably try it, then I will tackle the sharpening, another ??task??. As a collector for 50+ years, I have never tackled Damascus I thought the really good ones were out of my financial league. I cannot understand why someone would take Damascus to a grinder ?? Thank You again.
 
if it is the one from the Alabama factory it is true Damascus, but when you work it by sanding you remove layers and the pattern will not likely be exactly the same. the lemon juice vinegar will work but it will take at least two hours submersed in the solution. it should come out fine. I can do it for you but it would require shipping. pm me and I can show you some of the ones I make. the folds are the secret to the patterns. been making knives since I was 14, the local deer hunters snap them up faster than I can make them. I did a searles in 5160 a while back, not Damascus but carbon a one of for myself and have been plagued with requests. but it aint happening I casted silver .999 for all the fittings and used the blackest ebony I could find for the handle block. I call it my texas steak knife.i cant post pics but I can email them.
 
It is Alabama, so I do have a chance. Buy the way, for my own education, what is the story with the Japan Damascus, I thought they had this down pat??. Thanks for the offer, you learned at 14, I will learn at 70??? I would like to see some of your artwork, and may be interested. Sometimes better to buy one great knife than ten good ones. I am retired and do not have the cash I used to, but knives are my addiction.
THANKS..........FRANK
 
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