Etching Damascus

William Schrade

William Schrade

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jul 30, 2012
Messages
615
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Good evening knife makers. I was given a Damascus billet as a gift. It's been ground and hardened. I'm ready to solder the guard on but not sure about when to etch the blade. Do I etch before or after I solder the guard? Also what's the best way to etch it? Thanks in advance. Bill Schrade
 
Hello Hoss,

Not exactly sure but the guy that does my heat treating thinks it's a stainless steel. I thought it was high carbon steel. It was given to me by the owner of Alabama Damascus at Blade 2018.
 
William Schrade said:
Hello Hoss,

Not exactly sure but the guy that does my heat treating thinks it's a stainless steel. I thought it was high carbon steel. It was given to me by the owner of Alabama Damascus at Blade 2018.
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I don’t believe they make stainless damascus.

Most makers try for a seamless fit and don’t solder.

You can solder a guard on before etching as long as you paint a resist like fingernail polish on the guard. Etch in diluted ferric chloride.

Etching before soldering will result in some discoloration around the joint.

I would love to hear more about your history and heritage in knives.

Hoss
 
I would ask the guy who did the HT'ing how he HT'd it - what temperature since he thought it was SS. That would require a totally different HT than would Alabama Damascus which is normally a high carbon steel. If there's any doubt about the billet, you might contact Alabama Damascus explaining you got the billet from them at 2018 Blade and ask if it could possibly be SS, or would it be their normal high carbon steel.

That is a good looking Bowie for sure.
 
I was not aware of Brad making any stainless damascus. What did the billet look like before grinding - dark with a wavy pattern all over it?
A short test dip in FC would tell a lot.
Call Brad and ask him.

Aside:
Brad Vice is a great guy. We first met at Blade around 25 years ago when he and Lacy showed up with a trailer load of huge oval shape billets. No one knew what to make of them. He was set up behind me. I bought a lot of that first batch. We kept in touch as his business grew. A year or so later there was a devastating storm and flooding in NC and VA. Power was out to millions, and whole small towns were under water. There were so many trees down entire neighborhoods could not be reached. Brad called me up right after the storm was over and offered to put his generator and chainsaws in the back of his truck and drive to Norfolk, VA to help me out. Luckily, I had a generator and chain saws and was OK (spent 10 days with no power and cut up probably 50 trees to get out to refill gas cans). It really touched me that he was willing to drop running his business and come to the aid of a casual friend. That is what good people do when there is a crisis. I have many other good things to say about Brad and his company, but I'll leave that for another thread.
 
DevinT said:
I don’t believe they make stainless damascus.

Most makers try for a seamless fit and don’t solder.

You can solder a guard on before etching as long as you paint a resist like fingernail polish on the guard. Etch in diluted ferric chloride.

Etching before soldering will result in some discoloration around the joint.

I would love to hear more about your history and heritage in knives.

Hoss
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Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
I was not aware of Brad making any stainless damascus. What did the billet look like before grinding - dark with a wavy pattern all over it?
A short test dip in FC would tell a lot.
Call Brad and ask him.

Aside:
Brad Vice is a great guy. We first met at Blade around 25 years ago when he and Lacy showed up with a trailer load of huge oval shape billets. No one knew what to make of them. He was set up behind me. I bought a lot of that first batch. We kept in touch as his business grew. A year or so later there was a devastating storm and flooding in NC and VA. Power was out to millions, and whole small towns were under water. There were so many trees down entire neighborhoods could not be reached. Brad called me up right after the storm was over and offered to put his generator and chainsaws in the back of his truck and drive to Norfolk, VA to help me out. Luckily, I had a generator and chain saws and was OK (spent 10 days with no power and cut up probably 50 trees to get out to refill gas cans). It really touched me that he was willing to drop running his business and come to the aid of a casual friend. That is what good people do when there is a crisis. I have many other good things to say about Brad and his company, but I'll leave that for another thread.
Click to expand...
Yea, I’ve never heard of Brad making stainless Damascus. He is a great guy, funny too. I talked with him before the Blade show and he offered to put me and the wife up at a house he rented for the show but we already had a hotel. I’m sure that’s carbon Damascus, I’d dip the tang in some ferric and see what happens. It’s odd because I’ve never seen him sell blades like that that weren’t already etched.
 
Just for those who don't remember him, Bill is the great Grandson of Geoge Schrade. Bill has been making knives in his small shop since 2012. Same name, but not the old company.
 
DevinT said:
I don’t believe they make stainless damascus.

Most makers try for a seamless fit and don’t solder.

You can solder a guard on before etching as long as you paint a resist like fingernail polish on the guard. Etch in diluted ferric chloride.

Etching before soldering will result in some discoloration around the joint.

I would love to hear more about your history and heritage in knives.

Hoss
Click to expand...
 
Mystery solved. I found a piece in my scrap bucket and gave it the spark test. Sparks everywhere. I solder to retard corrosion. I have a mill so I can get a tight fit. What do you guys do about that? Thanks.
 
DevinT said:
I don’t believe they make stainless damascus.

Most makers try for a seamless fit and don’t solder.

You can solder a guard on before etching as long as you paint a resist like fingernail polish on the guard. Etch in diluted ferric chloride.

Etching before soldering will result in some discoloration around the joint.

I would love to hear more about your history and heritage in knives.

Hoss
Click to expand...
 

Here's the story Hoss. American Outdoor Brands bought the name in 2017 from Stewart Taylor for 85 million dollars. Taylor paid 2.4 million in the bankruptcy auction in 2004 and manufactured in China. I don't understand why AOB's never advertise nor set up at major knife shows. They came to my home for the interview and the next day i took them to Walden and Ellenville. Eric Albers opened the Wawarsing knife museum for a private tour.
 
I also solder guards to make a watertight seal. The fitting is already tight. The solder merely fills the microscopic void and assures no water wicking up under the scales.

The spark test you described implies carbon steel. not stainless. Have you asked the HT person what temps and ties he used? If he did the HT as stainless, that would be really bad.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
I also solder guards to make a watertight seal. The fitting is already tight. The solder merely fills the microscopic void and assures no water wicking up under the scales.

The spark test you described implies carbon steel. not stainless. Have you asked the HT person what temps and ties he used? If he did the HT as stainless, that would be really bad.
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It was treated 4-5 years ago and as I recall brought it to him with other stainless blades. I'm sure he wouldn't remember but he said he had to treat it by itself. Thanks for your input.
bladegrinder said:
Yea, I’ve never heard of Brad making stainless Damascus. He is a great guy, funny too. I talked with him before the Blade show and he offered to put me and the wife up at a house he rented for the show but we already had a hotel. I’m sure that’s carbon Damascus, I’d dip the tang in some ferric and see what happens. It’s odd because I’ve never seen him sell blades like that that weren’t already etched.
Click to expand...
He gave me a billet. I ground the blade and use a local heat treater.
 
William Schrade said:
It was treated 4-5 years ago and as I recall brought it to him with other stainless blades. I'm sure he wouldn't remember but he said he had to treat it by itself. Thanks for your input.
Click to expand...
Based on that, I'd bet he HT'd as high carbon, since all the other blades were SS, and he had to HT by itself.... Sounds like you're in luck.

Thanks for the info on the history lesson - interesting.
 
I would give the tang a quick test etch in FC to make sure of the pattern and how it etches. If it etches as it should for carbon steel, fit the guard, mask it and the tang off with a resist, and etch the blade as needed. The blade must be surgically cleaned before etching.
Once done with etching and neutralizing the blade, remove the resist and finish the blade and install the handle.
For a resist anything like model paint, nail polish, or black Sharpie will work. Paint pens are good for getting in tight spots at the guard. To remove the resist, use acetone, followed by denatured alcohol, followed by hot soapy water.
 
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