How to etch a mark WITHOUT having be dark?

K

kbog

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Apr 11, 2004
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I am still practicing on etching my makers mark. I am only so-so at this. I certainly appreciate the nice dark, clean marks I see others doing, but, in fact, I am looking to make a mark that is deep, but with no blackness at all. Basically, the mark is simply removed steel with a nice, clean bottom to all the letters. Sometimes I get some white looking stuff and sometimes black. I want none of it. How might I do this? I am using CPM154 steel, primarily.

Thanks,

Keith
 
Hey Keith, I've never tried it because I like the blackened look. If I wanted the bare steel look I would just etch on the "etch" side and not switch over to the "mark" side. If I had any black in there after that I would clean it out with a small wire wheel chucked in my Dremel tool. After I got it all cleaned up I would refinish any damage that was done to the blade finish. Thats the best way I can think of to do it. Maybe someone who has actually tried it will chime in.

Still waiting on those pics of the "3 Brothers" knives.;)
 
Just do not switch over to "Mark" and leave it on "Etch"
 
Also, take a loose buffing wheel to it (dremel works great) after you etch to remove any darkening.

--nathan
 
Thanks for the replies. I am only using etch, but some unpleasant junk still stays at the bottom of the valley of some letters. I did not try the loose buff or dremel idea so I will try that next.

The brothers three are post glue up. I am rough sanding the third handle this morning and might get them all to final shape today but not final finish. Well see how much the family let's me work! It tough because I only get a few minutes here and there during the week. It took me all last week just get all of them glued! They are looking good though and I'm anxious to show you, Darrin.

Thanks all and I'll try the loose buff.
 
This may be of some help or no help at all but a knife making friend of mine etches his knife blades very deeply with etching machine that goes up to 36 volts but he never uses anywhere near the maximum voltage but rather etches his blades for a long time in total like 45 seconds to a minute. He gets a deep sharp etch that looks nice to me. Here's the best part... he says to me ":how do you get the black stuff in your etches?" I use a machine called a "Personalyser Plus" and I etch at about 16 volts for two passes of about 4 seconds each and then switch to "mark" for about 5 seconds. I get a sharp black mark that is not very thick and could be buffed off with some aggressive compound but looks clean and professional in my opinion. . He liked my etch and I liked his but I doubt either of us will lose sleep over our marks. I am going out on a limb to think maybe you try another etching solution. I have had great success with solution called #94 from IMG in Utica, New York. I used to get good but not great etches and several pro knife makers suggested this product as well as a few others. It's a long shot but why not experiment with another etching solution and vary the times for etch and mark on some scrap steel. You could practice on the tangs of some of your knives before you heat treat them and mount scales. Just my opinion but the dremel-wire brush idea sounds dangerous to me. Clean your steel and try some different etchant and different amounts of etch and mark times and I bet you will find just the right mark for you.
 
Although others may find the wire brush dangerous, I've used it a lot on stamped blades. Its great for cleaning the oil & crud out of the stamp on oil hardening steels and removing the "rainbow" colors out of stamps on air hardening/stainless steels. I just run the Dremel at the slowest speed and take my time and have never had a problem.
 
You can also take the gunk out of an etch with a little polishing compound on a cloth. I use JB Bore Paste, but I figure Flitz would work just as well. I shoot for a dark crisp mark, but when it doesn't work right, I use JB to pull the oxides out and go with the deep frosted mark.
 
Using a 9v battery instead will produce a cleaner etch without creating the oxides left over by the low level AC current created by using the standard rectifier diode. If you use a multimeter to check the AC voltage of the etcher, it will likely measure double the DC voltage. AC current marks, even with the small current. Using a battery prevents this.
 
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