How to leave hamon etch darker

S

skillgannon

Joined
Apr 27, 2009
Messages
991
Just playing with a new blade. It's 1084 and I finished it with A30 Trizac. I wasn't trying for much detail just a line and a dark edge. My first etch gave me a really nice dark edge but there wasn't a great line so I scrubbed it with a kitchen scotchbrite. (I might be in trouble with the wife. Lol) the line is looking better and I like the satin finish from the acid scrub but now the edge isn't as dark. Ideas?
 
The line is oxide. Any abrasive after the etch will remove some of the oxide. The oxide comes from the base metal, and repeatedly etching will erode a deeper fissure, until you get to a point where the line you are trying to preserve isn't removed because it's lower than the surfaces of the rest of the blade for the abrasive you're cleaning the rest of the blade with to reach.

Scotch Brite however will make this hard to do because of how it conforms to the surface.

But the answer is to etch again and try not to polish the line you want to preserve as hard as you polish the rest of the blade.
 
I have read it and it's awesome. All I was wanting though is the hardened part of the blade to be darker. I see some pics and it's near black.
I know that a course finish should be darker and it was the first time I etched but it got lighter as I polished and re-etched
 
Are you possibly confusing a hamon with San Mai? San Mai has more contrast, and the hardened steel is often very dark.
 
I had to grind the blade a bit more last night. After I repolished the blade the color was right. Maybe there was something on the dish pad. LOL.
This time I heated the blade between etched and it looks nicer than I expected. My expectations for myself are quite low though. I will try to post a picture if I can remember my password for photos.
I wouldn't mind knowing how to do a darker etch though I assume that you have to leave the oxides on the blade. Is there a way to do that and polish it a little bit?
 
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It just has a temporary handle on it. Got a long way to go but it was fun.

Think I found out how to do what I want from Salems post on the San Mai thread.
 
skillgannon said:
I had to grind the blade a bit more last night. After I repolished the blade the color was right. Maybe there was something on the dish pad. LOL.
This time I heated the blade between etched and it looks nicer than I expected. My expectations for myself are quite low though. I will try to post a picture if I can remember my password for photos.
I wouldn't mind knowing how to do a darker etch though I assume that you have to leave the oxides on the blade. Is there a way to do that and polish it a little bit?
Click to expand...

Use ferric chloride for a dark etch. It won't look like San Mai though.
 
No I don't need it to look like San Mai . I was just looking for that typical color of a ferric chloride on 1084. My first polish I was getting a hamon line and having the hardened etch kinda skinned over. When I cleaned it there wasn't a color change like there is now. Other than heating the blade for the etch everything else was the same. I guess the answer was to just trying it again the next day.
 
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