etch brainstorm, need to know please!

mattd

mattd

Joined
Oct 6, 2003
Messages
252
I have a personalizer, bran spanken new and am working (kind of) on logo. I am making some knives for some friends in the cattle business. I think it would really be great to etch their brands on the knives. They are simple designs I thought I might be able to do it with the wax method I read about. What I'm asking is what kind of wax and what kind of acid. can I use the acid that I assume comes with the personalizer? To get greedy, I'm looking for things that can be picked up at the local hardware store. I'm using 01 if it matters.
 
I have a personalizer and use it to etch my logo on my knifes.
I am going to use mine to etch or mark initials on 4 knifes I am making for a friend.
I am using asphaltum varnish for the mask so I don't have to pay set-up fees for stencils.
Should be available from knife supply or lapidary stores.
Take Care
TJ
 
An acid and wax etch is a whole different beast from the personalizer.
You can probably use the wax w/your personalizer and the electrolyte that came with it or just a strong solution of salt water. Word of warning. Practice on something you dont care about much first. Personalizers can destroy many hours of hard work. I always mask the whole blade because I learned the hard way that the pad has a way of touching things where you least expect it.
 
My logo is a sea turle. Everybody thinks it is a penguin but that is another story.

I got a sheet of logos cut at the local sign righter. There are guys that cut out letters for sign. They can make them as large as you like but are limited to about 1/4 inch for my logos. They use a sheet of plastic adhisive sheet. It is like electrical insulation tape.
If I want to make the logo stand abouve the surface I pull the turtle out of the backing square and stick it to the surface. Use a copper sulphate solution. It can be bought in blue cristals from the garden shop. It is used to improve soil around citrus trees. Just mix the crystals in water and dunk the blade in the saturated sollution and soak for about an hour. For you cold climate guys it may take longer.
The blade will get covered in the most horrible looking coat of crud. It just washes off.

The tape will not lift off if you use coper sulphate. If you use acid it will peel the tape off.

If you want to etch in I use a 12 volt or lower car battery with a block of carbon. use the backing sheet from aroud the outside and
put a drop of salt water on the exposed metal. Try etching for a few seconds with the polarity one way then the other you will find by reversing the wires one way the etch will work better than the other/.

Have a couple of goes on scarp untill you get the hang of it.

The sin writer will probably charge a heap to load in the logo but I got him to make up a couple of sheets. and keep the logo on disc.

Back to the cheap way get some electrical insulation tape and cut the brand out with a scalple or similar.
 
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