How do I make the blade black and not rub off?

I keep the dark grey colour after etching when I want it by leaving the item overnight in a supersaturated solution of plain household baking soda works very well. That's just all that will dissolve in an amount of water you can soak the item in. After taking the item out give it several coatings of a thin oil. Frank
 
I think Page posted this a while back (its no secret I just got it from his post). Once etched or whatever boil the blade in the baking soda water mix for a good 20 minutes or more. I think his recipe had a couple more steps in it. Once it has boiled rinse and oil the blade. I do this for the few damascus blades I have done and it works pretty well.
 
The traditional way is to coat the blade with mustard. Leave it on overnight, or as long as you want, a week or so even. Mix up a combination of bleach and water (the more bleach, the deeper the etch, so take it out frequently and check it), heat to boiling and boil the blade for 10 minutes or so. Wear a good mask, it's strong stuff. Take it out and scrub it with course steel wool, then repeat the process three or four times until it looks like you want. Then mix up some baking soda and water, and boil it for another 8-10 minutes, this stops the rusting. Wax the blade and you will have a ole time, deep finish. You'll have a blade that is deep gray or black, with a finish that doesn't need much attention and will last forever.
 
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