Etching Stainless Issue

pwheeler

pwheeler

Joined
Dec 30, 2013
Messages
282
I am making a knife and fork set in Devin Thomas stainless damascus right now, and today is etch day. I did a test piece with a little bit of scrap that was left over, and it looked great, a few minutes of etch in 60/40 FeCl and warm water and good to go. The problem I'm having, is the blade had a row of hot spots along the spine from straightening (done at Peters). I sanded these until gone after heat treat and took the whole blade to 1200 grit. However, upon etching, these spots came back with a vengeance, etching must faster and darker than the rest of the blade. Clearly, the heat treatment state of the steel is effecting the etch. I'm having the same issue on the tips of the fork tines, which got hot while I'll has tapering them down post-HT (which I didn't worry about too much because, ya know, it's a fork). I have a picture of the spots post-HT, I will take one of the etched blade in a bit, I sanded it clean again and the fork is in the FeCl at the moment. What can I do?

Post Heat Treat
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On the third etch the fork came out looking great, the tips were still darker but after scrubbing it evened out. Hoping the blade spots to the same, they were notably more pronounced.
 
If my heat treater took a torch to my heat treated blade, that would be the last blade they ever heat treated for me.

Honestly that is just wrong. You have soft spots all along that blade now.

I am sorry that happened to your nice work.
 
AVigil said:
If my heat treater took a torch to my heat treated blade, that would be the last blade they ever heat treated for me.

Honestly that is just wrong. You have soft spots all along that blade now.

I am sorry that happened to your nice work.
Click to expand...

To be clear, that is my presumption, not sure that's the origin of the spots. They follow the pattern of the damascus, could just be an effect from heat treatment? The only damascus I've done before has been oil hardening and quenched myself.

I was able to get an etch I am happy with on both pieces.

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Looking good, that comes from straightening the blade after heat treating. You did a good job with the etch.

Hoss
 
They do take a torch to your post heat treated blade at Peters. That is how they straighten the blade. That issue has come up here before.
 
Devin, how soft are those areas ? What happens after sharpening a number of times ?.
 
Well, if the etch is any kind of a hardness indicator, as it appears to be, the effected area extended about 1/2" from the spine. As long as the heat at the edge stayed below the tempering point, in my understanding it shouldn't make a difference. You could always do this with the edge submerged, I can't speak for how it's done at Peter's, I can only report that I haven't noticed a performance issue on any of the 200+ knives I've had done there (except for the one I overheated the edge and ruined). That being said, on the oil hardening knives I've done in the shop, I've had very good luck straightening during temper, so I would recommend that method first to anyone. Here is the finished set for anyone that's curious, I'm quite happy with it, the etch is a littler deeper and darker than I would have gone for given my preference, but it's a minor quibble. Overall, I'll call it a success. Handles are ringed gidgee and stabilized black palm with copper corbys, stand and saya are curly maple.

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Your etch looks darker and better than some that I have seen on stainless damascus. Just tell the buyer that the dark spot is where the Damascus Cutting Effect Fairy sleeps at night. :D
 
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