hello to y'all

[ChILd_ReBoRn]

OK. First of all, let me apologize for my not so perfect english. It's not my native language.

I'm new to forge and anvil. I only made one sword, but I had a friend to forge the blade. I made the handle and scabbard.

I'm starting a new JACK project, and I have a question. I red alot about full vs edge quench, and I came to the conclusion, that for the heavier knives that will take some abuse, the edge quench is the way to go.

Now finally, the question. I'm familiar with the edge quench concept, put the edge in for about 10 secs, then dunk the whole blade.

Would the same effect be made if I cover the spine of the blade with thin layer of clay? I know I'll get a hamon, But wiould the fully quenched clayed knife give the same result as the edge/full quench.

Hope I made the question clear enough....


And another thing.. what is the best home product to etche the blade? I don't have any specialized shops near by, and don't have tons of money. I was thinking about the toilet cleaners. They say to contain HCL and H2SO4 acid. along with some other stuff. Would that work?

Thanks in advance

Renato

 

[i4Marc]

You can etch with products found at the supermarket. White vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice will work.

 

[ChILd_ReBoRn]

You can etch with products found at the supermarket. White vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice will work.

White vinegar should be alcoholic vinegar, right? we have apple vinegar which is yellowish, and alcoholic vinegar which is clear. How long does it take to etch in vinegar?

 

[i4Marc]

I think any variety of vinegar will work. It is the acid in the vinegar that does the work. You can use anything acidic. Even ketchup will work. Here are some threads discussing hamon. Many of them discuss different etching mediums and concentrations. Keep in mind that a lot of people use combinations of etchants. For instance, someone might do an etch cycle with FeCl then a cycle with lemon juice and alternate between the two. Different types of etchants can bring out different kinds of activity in the hamon. Revealing the hamon usually takes multiple cycles of etching and polishing. Everybody experiments to find out what is most effective for the look they are seeking and the type of steel they have.


http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/18516-polishing-a-clay-hardened-knife-blade/

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/997744-My-Hamon-Process

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/301669-Muriatic-Acid-or-Feric-chloride

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/383758-Hamon-Etching-vs-polishing

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...u-don-t-have-anymore-activity-or-whispy-stuff

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/712415-Hamon-Formation

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/720029-Help-with-hamon

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/827831-first-hamon

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/640876-Hamon-and-Differential-Hardening-Theory

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/914634-Whats-happening-to-create-a-hamon

http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/index.php?/topic/429-hamons-topic-for-november-2011/

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/663988-Clay-Quench-Question

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/552059-Clay-coating-blades

http://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?showtopic=3308

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/876093-Question-on-applying-clay-on-blades

 

[ChILd_ReBoRn]

great, thanks. I think I'll stick to edge quench for starters..... and see where it gets me