Ferric Chloride Etchant

[Shawn7656]

I remember awhile back I was told to use Ferric Chloride etchant on stainless steel in order to force a patina. I looked around and for bigger bottles I was looking at about $10. I figured it wasn't worth $10 just to mess around, so I put the idea behind me. Today, however, I found a new 6oz bottle of Archer brand etchant and Goodwill for 50 cents!

It says it's formulated to work best without dilution, but I'm still going to ask if I should dilute it with anything. Also, how should I neutralize the acid when I'm done? How long should I leave it in whatever container is suitable for this job?

Basically.... I need a mini tutorial on how use this stuff. I figure I've got about 58 knives and roughly 45 of them aren't worth more than $10, so I have some breathing room to mess up . That being said, I'll post pictures of the before and after, I just gotta know what to do and how to do it safely!!

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[camojoe]

Old thread, but plenty of info. Good luck. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/301669-Muriatic-Acid-or-Feric-chloride

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Here are a couple of old threads on etching damascus steel, with some input from folks using the Archer etchant specifically. Looks pretty informative.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/170118-Etching-Damascus

[url]http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/516504-Damascus-Bring-out-the-pattern
[/URL]

 

[Shawn7656]

Interesting. Thanks for the articles guys! These ones didn't turn up in my searches!

 

[Bill DeShivs]

You won't force a patina on stainless. You might discolor it, but why would you want to?
You can neutralize with household ammonia or baking soda and water. F/C can be dangerous. Use rubber gloves.