Help with Muriatic Acid

Pittknife

Pittknife

Joined
Oct 1, 2013
Messages
901
Hi Guys,

I'm experimenting with some San Mai and having a tough time with the fingernail polish coming off using Muriatic. Does anyone have a better sealant for the protected areas? I've heard of using copper paste but haven't tried it. Thanks
 
I am trying to imagine what you would be doing with concentrated hydrochloric acid and san-mai. It does not need an etch, and certainly not one that severe. If using muriatic acid, it must be highly diluted. I only use it on stainless damascus and at 10:1 concentration for etching a hamon.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
I am trying to imagine what you would be doing with concentrated hydrochloric acid and san-mai. It does not need an etch, and certainly not one that severe. If using muriatic acid, it must be highly diluted. I only use it on stainless damascus and at 10:1 concentration for etching a hamon.
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The San Mai has a cts-xhp core. FC will blacken the core, but the muriatic actually doesn't etch it if left for u see a couple of minutes while etching the outer skin. I've tried diluting it and it has very little effect on the outer skin while taking so long that the nail polish wears off. using 100% blackens it much faster, but I do get a little seepage in it.
 
I used nail polish for a while, but now I use my blue Dykem. It's easier to see if you got a good heavy coat on, and that makes it easier for me to apply with a little brush. Plus, it seems to hold up well. I know it's basically lacquer as well, and I have no clue about how it would hold up to string muriatic. I use it with 4:1 FC.
 
Salem Straub said:
I used nail polish for a while, but now I use my blue Dykem. It's easier to see if you got a good heavy coat on, and that makes it easier for me to apply with a little brush. Plus, it seems to hold up well. I know it's basically lacquer as well, and I have no clue about how it would hold up to string muriatic. I use it with 4:1 FC.
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That's a great idea man, I'll try it tomorrow and see if it works better than the fingernail, thanks
 
I went through some headaches with muriatic acid myself a while back. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1321216-Can-superglue-resist-Muriatic-Acid-(etching-stainless-damascus)?highlight=possum

After that I learned that some companies make a "hard ground" masking agent that is supposed to resist full strength muriatic, but I did not get to try it out personally. It's not too expensive, so maybe it would be worth a try.
http://www.dickblick.com/products/charbonnel-lamour-black-satin-hard-ground/

If ya find something that works, please report back & let us know. I'll likely need the info again in the future.
 
the possum said:
I went through some headaches with muriatic acid myself a while back. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1321216-Can-superglue-resist-Muriatic-Acid-(etching-stainless-damascus)?highlight=possum

After that I learned that some companies make a "hard ground" masking agent that is supposed to resist full strength muriatic, but I did not get to try it out personally. It's not too expensive, so maybe it would be worth a try.
http://www.dickblick.com/products/charbonnel-lamour-black-satin-hard-ground/

If ya find something that works, please report back & let us know. I'll likely need the info again in the future.
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Thanks bro,

I'm trying the dykem, sharpie and copper paste methods this week and will report back.
 
Two of the old resists were asphaltum and wax. The waxes came in several types from ones like beeswax to hard waxes similar to sealing wax. Plain pitch was used, too.
 
Just to make that clear, the asphaltum and the wax are two separate resists. They aren't used together.
 
Oh yeah, look at David Boye's old book "Step by Step Knifemaking (You Can Do It)" for lots about wax resists and acid etching. For a while you could find a PDF of that book on the net, but your library might have it. Don't know if it's currently available for sale.
 
BTW- when everything in your shop starts to rust or corrode-remember that you have muriatic acid on hand. Then get rid of it.
Or, do as I do and store it outside.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
BTW- when everything in your shop starts to rust or corrode-remember that you have muriatic acid on hand. Then get rid of it.
Or, do as I do and store it outside.
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Maybe I like rust on all my equipment :). I've had it for months now and always store it in a sealed container, and then I have a sealed plastic bag around that.
 
Be careful, or you might have to change your name to "Pittedknife!"
 
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