How to etch a hamon

E

Everglade Blade

Joined
Apr 5, 2013
Messages
63
Ok so I need some help. I clay coated a blade did the ht and now I want to see if it has a good hamon. Hoe do I etch it to get the hamon to show? What are some of y'all's secrets?
 
Well have you tried doing any research on this? There are a ton of threads here on the forums with this exact subject.

There are several ways from the very long process of the traditional method of bringing out a hamon like many of the Japanese swords demonstrate. This takes a very long time and is something I have not attempted to learn yet.

Then there are hybrid ways which are just about as numerous as types of blades that could have a hamon.

My way and it changes with each blade, once your tempered properly, I usually grind to final thickness and what not going up to about 300 grit or so. You need to get rid of all the decard but be very careful to not overheat your blade. Then I start working with hand sanding. Starting with 220 grit and going up from there. You can usually see the hamon once you do your initial grind and it gets more developed as you progress up usually. I personally will take it to about 1500 or 2000 grit. Then I clean the blade very very well. I usually will dip the blade in ferric chloride mix for something like 5sec-remove wipe down with a clean paper towel-redip and repeat a few times. Then I go back to the hand sanding but I dont sand the whole blade. I use a mix of polishers to bring out the area above the hamon line but will usually hit below with 1500 grit. It all depends on the look of it and how its turning out.

Some other guys wont dip it, they take little cotton pads and dip those in vinegar and rub that on the blade to start bringing it out. This works pretty good too.
 
If you go the vinegar route, sand to 2000grit before starting to etch. I tried to get a working hamon on a user with an 800g finish, and it was a failure. Ferric Chloride etches much deeper, and will bring the hamon out at lower grits.
 
Radio shack, electronics repair supply place like frys or something like that.
 
Also if you do not get the results you want from ferric chloride, try lemon juice concentrate for couple min then, white vinegar for a couple min. You will find different acids will eat different steels/ht combos differently. I found lemon juice and white vinegar works better for me on 1095.

i learned this from artistblade1972. you can google him and his vids =)
 
Thanks for the mention Adam. :)

You probably don't want to etch a hamon.... It's a slippery slope to go down. ;)

Since doing the thread that Adam put the link up for, I have done a lot more experimenting/playing around with different abrasives (I think I had been experimenting about 10 years when I did that thread ;) ).

I have found I can do a really nice finish on a differentially hardened blade by starting my etch process after a 500X foundation polish. BUT, it has to be a PRISTINE finish. And it won't show the detail the way that a 1500, or 2000, or especially a 2500X foundation will.


Bottom line is---- powdered abrasives are required to bring out the most activity, if you use Vinegar or Lemon juice as an etchant you have to add a few drops of dish soap as a surfactant, warming the etchant and/or the blade will speed up the etching process, and every blade will require some trial and error to make it look its best. There's no exact formula/recipe for bringing a hamon out of the steel.

Best of luck with it! :)
 
finally, Nick posted..! I was waiting for him ta say something cause he's one of the best there is man, listen to what he says! B) I also don'y really have that good of results with ferric chloride, it tends to make it have too much of a matt and darker finish in areas of the blade. Leethal Cutlery also has it right, hybrid polishing is the way ta go! :D not saying ferric is bad, just not "my" taste .

What you want/ need * get some 1500 grit silicone carbide powder off of ebay and use it mixed in some 3 in 1 oil to apply with w/e
* Also get some flitz polish, the runny green type is better than the paste for for hamons from what I've heard but all I have right now is the paste and it still works nicely..
This all just my opinion of course.. some people use FC with very cool results however they tend to look a bit less traditional as opposed to rubbing with white vinegar or lemon juice technique. I like to alternate between the vinegar and lemon juice sometimes. And put a lil dish soap in the etchants to reduce surface tention to make it cover the blade better.

Of course all of this mostly came from the knowledge I gained from Nick Wheelerls thread, and a tiny bit from other places :D

Good luck man, and show some pictures so we can try ta help you out even more incase you're not satisfied with your results...
Take care!
-Paul
__________________
(some of my knives etc. www.youtube.com/Lsubslimed)
 
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