Hamon Etching Questions

Stark Knives

Stark Knives

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Mar 19, 2010
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I'm making a couple of knives that may have hamons and was a bit concerned about the etching process. I know that hand sanding is the way to go before etching, however, I was planning on hollow grinding the knives and don't have sanding blocks to sand the hollows.

That leads me to a couple questions...

1. Is it possible to get a good etch on a machine satin finish? I have belts going into very fine grits so I should be able to get a nice polish on the blades.

2. Will the hamon be noticeable and look bad if I can't get a solid etch on it? Or would I be better off not bothering trying to get a hamon if I am unable to hand sand the blades?

Thanks in advance for the help!
 
There are 1000 questions with another 1000 variables in your post :)


The best surface to etch for a hamon is hand sanded to over 400 grit ... preferably around 1000. Proper hand finishing and subsequent etching is how the fine details get developed.

Yes, you can grind the blade to a clean 400 grit finish(or higher) and etch and the hamon will show if it is there. The fine details may get "rubbed out" in the machine finishing to some detail. One way to get a bit of the best of both worlds is to finish to a very good finish pre-HT. Post HT do a clean up grind at 220 and 400, then switch to hand sanding. Give a good etch before you start the hand sanding. Etch with shorter etches occasionally to keep track of what you haven't brought out clearly. You should not need shaped sanding blocks for the hollows at 400 and higher to hand sand them. At the last steps, you can hand apply ( gloves are recommended) the etchant. Use lemon juice, vinegar, 100:1 HCl. 30:1 FC, etc. to get the etch clean and crisp. At the final steps it is closer to painting than sanding.
 
Okay, thanks for your help Stacy! I realize it's not the easiest question to answer haha!

So I guess my plan will be then to grind as clean of a high grit finish as I can, then etch and then hand sand it up and etch. Do you think the hamon would give the knife an odd look if I left it unetched, but polished? I just want to make sure the knife won't be ruined if I'm unable to get a good etch. :)
 
If the hamon is there, it can be machine finished and left as a "ghost", polished and left as something that is crisp in the right light and angle, or etched to stand out clear all the time.

It is mainly a matter of how much work you want to put into it and how important the hamon is to the final blade. On a katana it is very important. On a hunter it is a nice attribute, but somewhat inconsequential, and on a kitchen knife it really is just there to show what type steel you used.

I do clay coated HT on white and blue paper steel kitchen knives and leave them with a Scotch-bright belt finish. It still shows up reasonably well even through the satin surface.
 
Sounds good! These are for straight razors by the way. I think I'll just go ahead and try for a hamon. Thanks again, I appreciate it!
 
Stark Knives said:
Sounds good! These are for straight razors by the way. I think I'll just go ahead and try for a hamon. Thanks again, I appreciate it!
Click to expand...
You do know that one of the more common hand sanding "blocks" used for razors are wine corks, right? ;)
 
I added a Hamon page to the HT sticky. The thread link Willie gave is on it. If you chaps have any hamon info links ( doesn't have to be BF) or old BF threads that you want there, post them here or PM me with them and I'll add them.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
I added a Hamon page to the HT sticky. The thread link Willie gave is on it. If you chaps have any hamon info links ( doesn't have to be BF) or old BF threads that you want there, post them here or PM me with them and I'll add them.
Click to expand...

Are my pics working for you in that thread? They don't show up for me anymore.
 
Warren, unfortunately they're not showing up since the forum's upgrade. You can still click on them and see the results though.
 
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