etching damasteel - still not working

[tito]

I've been experimenting over the past couple weeks to try to get a better etch in damasteel, and I can't get a high-contrast pattern. I'm using Muriatic Acid from Lowes as an etchant. The pattern comes out kind of gray-ish. I've tried anywhere from 400 grit on up to 1000, but still haven't found a very contrasting pattern.

I've tried etching anywhere from 5-20 minutes. The longer times etch the blade more deeply, but still the same gray color.

I've also tried "setting" the pattern in hot water after the etch. A little oil helps, too, but I'm more interested in making the pattern stand out.

The pattern is darkest down on the tang end where it's only finished about 60-120 grit.

Is there something I'm missing, or is this just as good as it gets? The only other damasteel blades I've seen have been in photos online, so it's hard to tell.

 

[Salem Straub]

I've used muriatic in a pinch, as well, but I never got very good color from it. Just topography. For good contrast color I use ferric chloride. Some people (me included) have had a tough time finding it for sale in our areas, but if you look online you can find the powdered form (anhydrous) for sale at pretty good prices. There is a lot of info out there on how to mix it to etch steel. I think it was Bob Engnath that recommended using muriatic for depth, then finishing for color with ferric. Maybe try that. I haven't yet. On some of those muriatic etched blades, I just gave a light buff over the blade with green compound after the etch, making it fairly shiny in appearance with damascus relief. I kind of liked that look.
Oh yeah, there is a thing called the "Edinburgh Etch" that you can make by adding a proportion of citric acid to your ferric, I think it's supposed to make your ferric more aggresive and cleaner etching. Try to Google that if you like, I'm still waiting to try it. Anyone else try that yet?

 

[george tichbourne]

In order to get a high contrast etch I mirror finish the damasteel then etch in Muriatic acid. The hard layer does not etch and the softer layer etches a frosted white.

In order to get a dark etch one must use Ferric chloride. Contrast in colour is not as dramatic as I would like though.

George

 

[bjalongi]

Are you doing this in a cold shop? Is your steel cold? What about your acid solution? Consider bringing it inside long enough to come up to room temperature, then try etching. Just a thought.

(edited 'cause I type faster than I think)

 

[tito]

I've used muriatic in a pinch, as well, but I never got very good color from it. Just topography. For good contrast color I use ferric chloride. Some people (me included) have had a tough time finding it for sale in our areas, but if you look online you can find the powdered form (anhydrous) for sale at pretty good prices. There is a lot of info out there on how to mix it to etch steel. I think it was Bob Engnath that recommended using muriatic for depth, then finishing for color with ferric. Maybe try that. I haven't yet. On some of those muriatic etched blades, I just gave a light buff over the blade with green compound after the etch, making it fairly shiny in appearance with damascus relief. I kind of liked that look.
Oh yeah, there is a thing called the "Edinburgh Etch" that you can make by adding a proportion of citric acid to your ferric, I think it's supposed to make your ferric more aggresive and cleaner etching. Try to Google that if you like, I'm still waiting to try it. Anyone else try that yet?

Thanks for the information. I was under the impression that FC was no good for stainless Damascus - but never thought to "color" with it after the muriatic etch. I also buffed the last one very lightly - it came out okay.

I'll look around for the Edinburgh idea.

 

[tito]

In order to get a high contrast etch I mirror finish the damasteel then etch in Muriatic acid. The hard layer does not etch and the softer layer etches a frosted white.

In order to get a dark etch one must use Ferric chloride. Contrast in colour is not as dramatic as I would like though.

George

Thanks George - that frosted look is exactly what I'm frustrated with. I'll try the FC.

 

[tito]

Are you doing this in a cold shop? Is your steel cold? What about your acid solution? Consider it all bringing inside long enough to come up to room temperature, then try etching. Just a thought.

No, it's all about 70F or so. I might try warming the steel some with a heat gun - nothing too drastic - and see what happens. Thanks.

 

[R.C.Reichert]

I read something on the internet that you can add muriatic acid to hydrogen peroxide and come up with an etchant that will work a lot like ferric chloride. Anyone ever heard of this before?


www.instructables.com/id/Stop-using-Ferric-Chloride-etchant!-

Don't know if the link will work, but look it up in Google and you should find what I am referring to.

 

[leroyk3]

has anyone tried sulfuric acid solution. I have been using it for about ten years. works good for me. not sure what the solution is but i think it is about 6 or 8 percent sulfuric and the rest water i keep it in a plastic water pipe and set a small heater behind it when etching. I like a deeper etch so i leave it in for at least an hour

 

[tito]

I read something on the internet that you can add muriatic acid to hydrogen peroxide and come up with an etchant that will work a lot like ferric chloride. Anyone ever heard of this before?

Does anyone know what's going on chemically here? I read the Instructables article, but not sure whether it will just make a milder acid, or increase oxidation and make the pattern darker. I'm going to give it a try if no one says otherwise...

 

[tito]

has anyone tried sulfuric acid solution. I have been using it for about ten years. works good for me. not sure what the solution is but i think it is about 6 or 8 percent sulfuric and the rest water i keep it in a plastic water pipe and set a small heater behind it when etching. I like a deeper etch so i leave it in for at least an hour

I haven't used sulfuric yet. I don't know where to buy it, and I'm not going to mess with getting it out of a battery. I used muriatic because it's cheap at Lowe's.

 

[R.C.Reichert]

Does anyone know what's going on chemically here? I read the Instructables article, but not sure whether it will just make a milder acid, or increase oxidation and make the pattern darker. I'm going to give it a try if no one says otherwise...

Let me know how it turns out for you, please and thank you. I have not been able to find any ferric chloride around where I live, and in my searches for a substitute, I stumbled across that Instructables article.

 

[sunshadow]

You can buy battery acid in boxes kinda like wine boxes from battery supply places. You start mxing acids and other stuff randomly and you will either end up with an explosion or hydrogen sulfide (the stuff the Nazis used in the death camps) Don't believe everything you read on the internet. Figure what is in your steel that is resisting your etch, or what you need for the color you are looking for. You may find out that if you are trying to get the nice black etch that you get in 1095 on stainless you're just SOL. You may be able to cheat with a deep topograhic etch, using a product like Brownell's Oxpho Blue cold bluing compound, then hand buffing the high spots.

Get a chemistry textbook and actually figure out what chemistry you have, and what will attack it, and if you are looking for a black 1095 etch color, get some 1095 (or maybe something with no chrome and a bunch of manganese)

-Page

 

[tito]

Thanks Page, appreciate your comment.

 

[leroyk3]

tito: one thing I need to add to my post. Never, Never add water to sulfuric acid, always add the acid to the water or you will be in deep doo, doo
I found my sulfuric acid at a drug st ore but it was a long time ago, so I don't know if any of htem still handle it. Leroy

 

[Jack O'Neill]

Does anyone know what's going on chemically here? I read the Instructables article, but not sure whether it will just make a milder acid, or increase oxidation and make the pattern darker. I'm going to give it a try if no one says otherwise...

the peroxide adds oxygen to the acid to help it be more aggressive .

 

[Sticktpoint]

I love working with Damasteel. I finish the blade with belts to 9 micron and then hand finish with 1500 grit wet/dry. Clean the blade (I use windex) Etch the blade in warm muriatic acid. (a deep etch takes about 10 minutes) The trick is to load a buff with no scratch pink and take a piece of nickel silver and push it into the buff (while the buffer is running) until the buff turns black. When you buff the blade the black from the nickel silver is deposited onto the etched portion of the blade. It will not wash off, I've used acetone on the blade and the color was unaffected. Do not overbuff or you will destroy the sharpness of the etch.