I Have a blade I picked up from jantz. Question is if I could get more of a contrast in it by etching it more or would the etch just get deeper? I have some pcb etch from radio shack. http://www.knifemaking.com/mobile/Product.aspx?ProductCode=HD502
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Etching question?
- Thread starter dluxhvac
- Start date
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
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It takes some finess to determine how long to etch and how many etch cycles to do.
Tips:
Multiple etches are far better than a long etch. Clean the blade with steel wool, wash, rinse, and return to the tank as many times as needed.
Boiling the blade for about 15 minutes in a pot of water with some baking soda will help "set" the dark etch a bit. Remove, wash well, dry, and oil.
4/0 Steel wool is very good for clean up and brightening the etch.
Take the etch a bit deeper than you want the final effect. After cleanup and neutralizing, put a fine grit paper (800-1000 grit) and back it with a hard wood block. Gently work the surface to brighten the high spots and "lower" the topography. To restore the black, quick dips followed by the block may be needed once you get it where you want.
Power buffing is the enemy of a good damascus finish. If you buff your blades to get out all the scratches, hand sand back to 400 grit before etching.
Recently I had a maker call me and ask what was wrong with the damascus he was using. It was from a popular commercial maker, and should have etched well, but he could get little to show, even with very long etches. I suggested he clean really well and mix a new batch of FC. He did and the results were the same. I asked if he power buffed his blades, and he said, "Oh, yeah! I buff them to a mirror polish before etching. " Bingo!, that was it. He was glazing his blade surface. I told him to hand sand them back to 400 grit fully, and to degrease well. The next day he said the change in results was amazing. A few seconds in the FC and the blade pattern showed perfect.
Biggest tip:
People seem to love the sliver/black look of damascus way too much.
Realize that the black color is only a surface oxide effect. While it looks good, it will rub/wear of. Try for an etch that is just deep enough for the damascus pattern to show even without the dark background. Careful hand sanding and buffing up to 8000 grit can make the pattern amazing. Sometimes it seems to disappear at 400-800 grit only to come back showing the pattern in the steel surface at 2000 and higher. I find this is the best way to finish twist pattern and other fine patterns. It should be subtle, like the hada on a Japanese sword. You turn the blade a bit and "WOW", look at that pattern in the steel.
Tips:
Multiple etches are far better than a long etch. Clean the blade with steel wool, wash, rinse, and return to the tank as many times as needed.
Boiling the blade for about 15 minutes in a pot of water with some baking soda will help "set" the dark etch a bit. Remove, wash well, dry, and oil.
4/0 Steel wool is very good for clean up and brightening the etch.
Take the etch a bit deeper than you want the final effect. After cleanup and neutralizing, put a fine grit paper (800-1000 grit) and back it with a hard wood block. Gently work the surface to brighten the high spots and "lower" the topography. To restore the black, quick dips followed by the block may be needed once you get it where you want.
Power buffing is the enemy of a good damascus finish. If you buff your blades to get out all the scratches, hand sand back to 400 grit before etching.
Recently I had a maker call me and ask what was wrong with the damascus he was using. It was from a popular commercial maker, and should have etched well, but he could get little to show, even with very long etches. I suggested he clean really well and mix a new batch of FC. He did and the results were the same. I asked if he power buffed his blades, and he said, "Oh, yeah! I buff them to a mirror polish before etching. " Bingo!, that was it. He was glazing his blade surface. I told him to hand sand them back to 400 grit fully, and to degrease well. The next day he said the change in results was amazing. A few seconds in the FC and the blade pattern showed perfect.
Biggest tip:
People seem to love the sliver/black look of damascus way too much.
Realize that the black color is only a surface oxide effect. While it looks good, it will rub/wear of. Try for an etch that is just deep enough for the damascus pattern to show even without the dark background. Careful hand sanding and buffing up to 8000 grit can make the pattern amazing. Sometimes it seems to disappear at 400-800 grit only to come back showing the pattern in the steel surface at 2000 and higher. I find this is the best way to finish twist pattern and other fine patterns. It should be subtle, like the hada on a Japanese sword. You turn the blade a bit and "WOW", look at that pattern in the steel.
I should have went back to catalog and read the full description - you're right, it's got 33 layers of 410 SS over the VG-10 core. Interesting about the Damascus pattern- I thought with a typical Damascus blend of high carbon and high nickel the etching made the carbon dark to contrast with the bright of high nickel. Here it's got a stainless 410 on stainless 410 pattern. Interesting - I wonder how they make that pattern stand out?
Tracy, is the last part of your post about "Careful hand sanding and buffing up to 8000 grit" the trick to making this stainless on stainless pattern stand out? I would like that type pattern MUCH more than the typical black contrast. I've never been a big fan of that type pattern - seems to "artificial" to me..... just my feeling. Some folks really like it, and for those feather patterns, it does look amazing.
Ken H>
Tracy, is the last part of your post about "Careful hand sanding and buffing up to 8000 grit" the trick to making this stainless on stainless pattern stand out? I would like that type pattern MUCH more than the typical black contrast. I've never been a big fan of that type pattern - seems to "artificial" to me..... just my feeling. Some folks really like it, and for those feather patterns, it does look amazing.
Ken H>