Hamon Help

3

30-30 Cal.

Joined
Jan 1, 2004
Messages
243
Morning Guys,

Well, I got my three blades back from the HT last night. They turned out good. Since this was the first time I had got blades back, I was surprised to see a greasy substance on the ATS blades, what is that stuff anyway?

The 1075 blade also turned out good, although the clay used for the hamon was tough to get off. As I sanded the blade, the hamon disappeared. I've got it to 600 grit, and it's still fairly invisible. What am I doing wrong?

Also, I want to etch this blade with ferric cloride, what will that do to the hamon (assuming I ever get it to show). Can you guys help here?

Dave

P.S. I finally got my own shop. I'm renting a space in an old building for $75. a month. Not bad huh?
 
Dave...if you want to etch the blade you dont need to go higher than 600 grit. Eych that bad boy!!! You'll see hammon galore ;)~
 
You're doing it right. The hamon is a tricky little thing and without an etch it likes to hide unless you get one sweet polish on it (like Japanese polishers do it, traditionally). With 10xx, the finer your finish, the better your hamon. I used to go to 400 and they were nice, but I've been going to 1500 on the advice of Michael Burch and they're much better. But, until you etch them in the ferric chloride it'll be tough to see without getting the light to bounce off the blade at just the right angle.

I hand sand 220, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1500. Then wash the blade in soap really well and get it all cleaned off. Without drying the blade I shake the excess water off and put it right in my FC solution. In about 1 second you'll see the hamon, but I'll leave the blade in the acid for 5 minutes, at least. Maybe more, maybe less, depending on how it looks. When it's etched nicely (it will darken substantially when you rinse it, but lighten a little when you get to the next step) move it to a solution of water as TSP for a few miutes. TSP is a base and it will neutralize the acid. Then rinse in water really well and it probably won't look too hot. I then use 0000 steel wool and lightly and evenly start rubbing the finish out. It shouldn't take much, more than anything it sort of blends the finish. But, you should be left with a pretty sweet blade after all that. It sounds like a lot of work, but it's a labor of love and when you see that hamon it's a great experience every time! Pictures, please!
 
You dont need to do that much work to get to the etching. 400 is fine...I go to 600 just to be sure. Etch and 0000 steel whool. I can go from 400 to finished blade in 30 min easy. Dont add grits that will be etched away sort of like polishing the blade then sandblasting it...WHY?
 
Brian, you can etch a 100 grit blade and see the hamon, of course, but in my experience the ones I've done to 1500 grit look a lot better than the lower grit ones. Once I'm to 600 grit with sanding, anyway, I spend maybe 5 more minutes going to 1500. I'm sure it isn't a perfect 1500 grit finish, but it's somewhere in between. The finer finish gives more definition to the hamon and for lack of a better description the line itself just looks wispier, lighter, more "ghostly"... a little more ethereal. I can't say that I've gone to 600 and stopped there and compared, so maybe the 800 and 1500 are extra un-needed steps. I think Michael takes his to 2000 and they're sweet.
 
I have noticed that the hardness and after etch treatment is what effects the look the most, not the pre etch sanding.
 
Thanks Guys,

I'm pretty excited. This will be my first "finished" knife. I'll post a pic when I'm done.

Dave
 
If you've got a lot of activity, it'll look a lot better with a highter grit hand-rub. An easy way to make a decent-looking transition line on a blade stand out is to hand-rub up to 1000+ dip in FC for 30 seconds, wipe off, dip again, wipe off, (the wiping keeps some of the black oxides from building up too much on the hardend section), neutralize and use a mild abrasive such as Flitz, Simichrome, Mothers wheel paste, etc. to clean a lot of the oxidation off the blade. A little practice and "playing" around will give you the desired effect.
 
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