Help etching Damasteel

[Zulu Bravo]

Before Christmas, I was finishing a couple of knives for a customer from Damasteel (Bifrost pattern). This was my first time using it. Everything was going fine until I went to etch. Both knives eventually etched, but took much longer than expected.

I used muriatic acid, 100% solution. Knives were washed (with rubber gloves) with dish soap, then wiped down with acetone, then wiped down with rubbing alcohol. Once dry, I dipped them (one at a time). Damasteel’s recommended time for 100% is 5 minutes, and every knifemaker I consulted with advised that it should just take a few minutes, and I could basically watch the pattern develop.

5 minutes had no discernible effect on the steel. At 10 minutes, no effect. At around 12 minutes there was a light pattern on the flats, but not the bevels. It took 20 minutes to produce a nice etch that looked the way I expected it to.

Any suggestions on why it took so long to etch? I took it to 400 grit, which while not as high as is usually recommended, shouldn’t haven’t mattered that much. I’ve seen several deep, contrasting etches at 220 from a couple of different makers. The steel was HT’d by JT to 61HRC. I have more damasteel to use, and don’t particularly want to give it a 20 minute soak.

 

[REK Knives]

Heat the acid to about 160f

 

[Horsewright]

Yeah I was gonna suggest your etchant being too cool. I've had really good luck with new/fresh ferric chloride at about 50/50 with water. None of the hassles of the stronger acid. But it does need to be fresh. Seems to work well on all the stainless dammys I've used. Even on high carbon dammy's a cold solution will slow down your etch. I know muriatic acid will give a more contrasty etch than the FC and water but most of my customers that have spent the extra $$$ for a stainless dammy, were pretty educated in what they wanted and asked for the less contrasty etch.

 

[HSC ///]

See the Todd begg YouTube video or the Damasteel one.

 

[PEU]

I use a sousvide circulator to reach 70C (158F) and use it to heat a glass container with muriatic acid diluted at 20% (80%water/20%HCl).
Below 50C (122F) you see almost no activity at all.

Check this instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/BueHWDXh7Na/


Pablo

 

[Cushing H.]

I use a sousvide circulator to reach 70C (158F) and use it to heat a glass container with muriatic acid diluted at 20% (80%water/20%HCl).
Below 50C (122F) you see almost no activity at all.
Pablo

I was wondering how you would heat the etchant. Does not the solution take a toll (i.e. etching and damaging) on the sousvide circulator??

Slightly off-topic - but I have also been wondering how you would go about pre-heating heat treating quenchant (Parks, canola oil, whatever......)

 

[HSC ///]

When I did some Damasteel folder blades i used a glass jar for the muriatic acid. Place the jar in an old pot of water. Heat the pan/pot on a portable electric range.

u can see on my Instagram highlights- Damasteel

https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGx...3h982i60bq&story_media_id=1946163695592079800

quench oil u can heat by heating up a bar of mild steel in the forge and quenching the bar....

 

[PEU]

I was wondering how you would heat the etchant. Does not the solution take a toll (i.e. etching and damaging) on the sousvide circulator??
Slightly off-topic - but I have also been wondering how you would go about pre-heating heat treating quenchant (Parks, canola oil, whatever......)

The circulator heats plain water in a large container, the acid is inside a glass jar in the water bath, there is no interaction between the heater and the acid other than the fumes, and I use a fan to move them quickly.

For heating quenchant I put a couple of heavy rods in the oven and then dip them in the oil when orange, nothing fancy. I got a submersible heater time ago for this purpose, but never used it.


Pablo

 

[Zulu Bravo]

Thanks! I think heat is my issue.

 

[Cushing H.]

Thank you pablo

 

[SBuzek]

I use a lot of Damasteel, for the best possible etch it should be taken close to a mirror finish, etch in muratic acid heated to about 150 deg.I use a glass jar placed in a pot of hot water. Takes about 5 minutes.

 

[Hankins]

Try adding a bit of water to break the surface tension and then heat the etchant

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I find that a 50/50 water/acid mix etches better than 100% acid. As said, it needs to be good and warm.

Whenever possible, I use my FC tank to etch damasteel instead of muriatic, because the HCl gasses coming off muriatic will corrode everything in your shop. Even a tightly sealed container of Muriatic will corrode things sitting near it.

Another thing I have noticed is that if you are trying to get a fine finish using a belt grinder you can "smear" the metal over the pattern. Hand sanding above 400 grit seems to get a better result.