etch go, bye bye

J. Neilson

J. Neilson

Joined
Feb 6, 2001
Messages
3,621
I just got some semi-chrome polish recently from Pop's. I've never used it before but, heard it was good stuff. It's good alright. I wiped the black right out of my blade etch(logo). :eek:
Is this normal? Sould I just drop this stuff?
 
I am new to etching so my statement may not carry very much merit.
I thought that the etching was the last thing you do to your blade :confused: :confused:
 
I agree, etching and sharpening are the last things I do to my knives but, I do prefer to clean the knives before putting them on the table. :D The semichrome polish is the cleaning (in the tube type) polish, just to avoid confusion.
 
How deep are your etches? Are you sure it's not just polish in the etch? Maybe try a toothbrush and see if it doesn't come out. I just clean mine with hot water and dish detergent.
 
If the etch is deep it doesnt matter about the black getting polished away. I dont like the black anyway. A good etch is .010" deep.
 
I read with interest your post about the trouble you
had with the etch .

the fact is, that I have yet to understand how to pull
off an etched temper line without just messing the
whole thing up with my buffer.

Here is what I do,,,(or what I do wrong atleast)

after the blade steel is done, and its all nice
looking, sanded with up to 2,000 grit sand paper (the last by
hand) at the end and then buffed like a mirror...I
clean it real good, then dump it into the etch.

I have no idea what strength the etch is,,,oh I know
that Ed Fowler said to make it 4 to 1,,,but the
trouble is at the time, I thought he ment for it to be
4 parts etch to one part water.

after I burned the crap out of my first knife, I cut
the etch with water for the next knife. Again after
ten min the knife blade was totally black, (too strong
again)

so I mixed up more water in a new glass jar. had it
about right to my eye, then today I dumped that jar
onto the floor (that room will be known as the "brown
floor room" from now on by the way),

so, I took what mixed etch i had left and added enough
water to cover the blade.

today i did a ten min etch with a new blade, after the
ten min i placed the blade in TSP then I washed it
with soap and water..

the blade had a cool temper line, but it was very easy
to scratch the finish, so I went out to my buffer to
just slightly clean off the crap.

well,,before I was done, I had no sign of a temper
line anymore

what to do?

what to do?
 
J Neilson, Are we talking about your logo or temperline? Semi chrome is good stuff in either case.
 
J. Neilson said in his post that it was his logo. I'll just agree with what was previously said...that the logo etch should have physical depth...so that the oxides that you remove with the polish do not force it to completely disappear.

DaQo'tah: When you buff steel, you are burnishing the surface of the blade, which is pretty much just smearing the steel over itself. A hamon (temperline, transition zone, whatever you prefer) is seen clearest when the surface of the steel is "open." When you etch, the darkening of the blade is a result of oxides forming on the surface. When removing the oxides, it is important to be very gentle. Flitz, Simichrome or other very mild polishing compounds used manually are probably better-suited to cleaning off the oxides than a buffer by far! However even with these you need to be careful not to rub too much, or your efforts will not pay off! Also when you are working up in grit, be sure to sand using liberal amounts of fluid, as dry-sanding at high grit has a buffing/burnishing effect to it as well.

Also, remember you can etch, clean, and repeat the process again and again until you are satisfied with the results. Many people have different preferences for etchant...though a more popular one with Japanese-style blade polishing is vinegar. Diluted FeCl can work well but not everybody likes it for their blades, because it is harsh and some blades end up with slight pitting from the etch.

Sorry for the ramble :)
 
The logo was what I meant. I've got no problem etching temper lines. Bruce, I use a Personalizer Plus etching machine. It has a mark setting and an etch setting. Everytime it try the etch setting it comes out very fuzzy. I've tried several different things (had this machine for over 2 yrs. now) but, it hasn't changed things. So, I use the mark setting, I think the dfference is just a lower current. They say on the etch to leave it on for 1-1 1/2 min, the mark setting only 3 sec. I've been using the mark setting and leaving it on the blade for about 10 sec. I've always had a nice clean logo (my name) without it being easily wiped out. I guess the semichrome is just too tough for it. I tried useing the same mark setting on a scrap piece of 1095 last night but, left the pad on for 30 sec. The logo came out very nice, again. Then when I went to use the polish, it still wiped the black out but, the logo was easier to see. I guess I just need to go deeper, it's just finding that fine line between deep enough and pre-fuzzy. it's a shame, I kinda liked the black.
 
You may know all this but just in case.
Your machine is a good one and can do good, sharp etching.
The (deep)etch setting is DC, it takes off metal. The black mark setting is AC, it takes off metal and puts it back 60 times a second.
Just using a black mark is almost certain to wear off in a relatively short time compared to a deep etch.

Some possible causes of fuzzy deep etch is:
-Too long total time. 3 seconds contact, lift for a second, repeat 10 to 15 times.
-The stencil is worn out. Can you see light pin holes anywhere they shouldn't be?
-Too much etch solution. Just enough to be wet, not dripping. If I get too much on, I'll wipe some away from the stencil and dap the contact on a paper towel.
-The stencil is moving around. I've taken to using vinyl electrical tape to hold my stencils in place. Good-n-sticky, can be stretched into place and acts as a good mask.
-Wrong etch solution. Some just work better than others with different types of steel.

Hope you get it solved. Have a good one...
 
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