Gold etching and engraving on blade how to?

That's not hand engraving, it's either chemically etched or cut with a laser. Looks more like acid etch. The gold can be plated either by coating the non-gold areas with resist and plating the piece in a tank, or, using plating solution and a "plating pen". Not knowing the knife, it might even be some kind of gold powder coat. If it's stainless steel, the gold is likely the latter.
 
The procedure that you see is done by acid etching.
The blade is covered with a "resist"-usually an asphaltum varnish. The resist is removed, leaving the background and lines exposed and the piece is treated with acid. The acid eats the exposed areas to the proper depth, depending on the length of exposure. Once the etching is done, and before the resist is removed the etched area is gold plated.
 
Thanks for clarifying, Bill. I got my words twisted with the asphaltum/when. I've done the etching, but not the plating. I wonder how easy knife SS is to plate? Is it the acid etch that makes the steel accept the gold ("activation "), or is there an intermediate metal such as in chrome plating?
 
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I think that design is either CNC milled or laser cut. The gold looks more like anodizing.

Not directly related to the artwork, but it looks like a highly modified Puma White Hunter. Sadly, a lot of those are cheap Chinese copies. I'm no expert on factory knives and Puma, but that one seems all wrong to me. I've seen a fair number of White Hunters at shows and never saw one like that.
 
fitzo- if the stainless etched, it can be plated immediately after. You are correct, the acid "activates" the stainless.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
I think that design is either CNC milled or laser cut. The gold looks more like anodizing.

Not directly related to the artwork, but it looks like a highly modified Puma White Hunter. Sadly, a lot of those are cheap Chinese copies. I'm no expert on factory knives and Puma, but that one seems all wrong to me. I've seen a fair number of White Hunters at shows and never saw one like that.
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Indeed this Knife is one of a kind. An official modified Puma Waidblatt. Its called "Ehren Waidblatt" which translates to "honorable Waidblatt".

You can look it up e.x. on the homepage of germans biggest puma collector pumahunter.

Thanks you all for the input
 
Bivonese said:
Hello,

is there anyone who know how to make a gold etching and engraving on a knifes blade like in this picture?


What is the procedure?

Thanks
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I was in the Wilkinson Sword factory in the 80's and saw them doing this first hand on commemorative FS knives and dress swords for the British military and others. The factory is now long gone.

They had an entire room dedicated to it with multiple processes to etch the blades and then apply the gold plate.
Puma (at that time) would have had the same. I don't believe I have ever seen it done by a private individual or small factory.
At Wilkinson's just creating the artwork required a full time artist (although this was long before computers)

Laser etching is now the common way of doing intricate art work on steel without the huge costs of a dedicated engraving studio.

Nice Puma.......I'm a huge fan and I always wanted a Waidblatt....... ;)
 
Procedure:
1. make a stencil with artwork to be used as a resist
2. chemically or electro etch. Chemically is safer for the workpiece but unsafe for the environment (if one cares). Electro is safer for the environment but if current and voltage is missed it could create deep invisible crack propagation site in the steel.
3. nickel plate as the base layer for gold. Thickness related to surface imperfections. Polish per need as the gold will look better.
4. gold plate.
There are available solutions for it so no need for complex homework to make the electrolytes.
 
There is no real need for any underplate for gold plating on steel.
I would think that a resist can be applied, the pattern laser engraved, and then the engraving plated with a pen type plater.
 
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