Magnetized blade?

Oh, and before you etch, clean the blade throughly using alcohol or something and then handle it carefully so as not to leave any oils or anything on the blade as that can result in blotch etching.
 
Got the stuff! Going to eat then try it out, I'll post pictures if my camera batteries hold out.
 
Holy crap, this stuff works fast!!!

I didn't tape off this time, but I think I may polish it up and tape off some designs! Thanks so much guys, this rocks!

Here's a picture, my cam just died so it sucks but I think you can see that it darkened the blade but not handle. It etched very well, in fact it smoothed out sanding marks and scratches. I can't believe how well this works. It looks kind of uhm tactical? now...

etch.jpg
 
Hey, that blade looks good. I bet that, the longer you leave the blade in the etchant, the darker the blade will become. Also, if you give the blade a stiff rub with a wet rag under running hot water, you may get some of the surface gunk off, which will allow for a more permanent darkening. You can achieve somewhat of the same effect using a vinegar and water mixture... although, it's not as nice-looking.
 
Picture looks blotchy because I oiled it up afterward, didn't wipe the oil off good enough I suppose. It looks real good in person and I'm actually thinking about buying a couple more lower cost knives to do this treatment to. I was thinking maybe a Spyderco Endura.
 
Be careful with lockbacks you can't disassemble, if the ferric gets trapped between the blade and handle/pivot you could seriously compromise the knife. it might be interesting to mask off parts of the blade and only etch parts of it, being careful not to dip the lock into the solution.
 
I wonder if using etching patterns that people use for etched glass would work on blades? Could put some cool designs are, or maybe go for a peace symbol or flowers to make a 'tactical' knife more sheeple friendly.
 
AlonzoMosely said:
I wonder if using etching patterns that people use for etched glass would work on blades? Could put some cool designs are, or maybe go for a peace symbol or flowers to make a 'tactical' knife more sheeple friendly.
Click to expand...

Haha that's great, good idea there lol. I would think those patterns, stencils would work just like if you were marking off with black tape, plastic is plastic I guess.
 
I just did a re-etching to a custom damascus blade, and to find out how to do it went under google search, and found some good info.
It said using the etchant from Radio Shack to put the blade in a plastic dish for 15 minutes, dip in ammonia(excess flakes off) for a few seconds, and 3rd dip in some hot water, dry, and then oil the blade, and let sit overnight. I tried this, and my blade came out great, and all I did to finish was give the blade a light rubbing with a cloth and Flitz to even out the pattern.
Just my .02 cents.

Larry
 
Amonia being household cleaning Amonia? Straight from the bottle or diluted? Did you dilute the FC solution at all?
 
Larry, what do you mean by a re-etching? Did you put tape on in a damascus pattern? Or do you mean that just dipping the whole thing in acid brings out the pattern on a damascus blade?
 
Gollnick said:
Amonia being household cleaning Amonia? Straight from the bottle or diluted? Did you dilute the FC solution at all?
Click to expand...

I diluted the FC like told, 4 parts "HOT" water and 1 part FC. Worked pretty dang good. As for the amonia, I would have used a 1 to 1, that stuff is too strong for my nose.
 
It suggests you delute both the etchant, and the ammonia 1 part chemical to 4 parts water, and the ammonia being what you buy at the grocery store in the cleaning products section. But I did not follow there suggestion, and used 3 plastic containers, and poured enough of the etchant, ammonia, and water in all 3 to cover the blade completely under. Did follow the 15 minute time of the etchant, and dipped in the ammonia, and hot water I had heated in the micro oven. As soon as I put the blade in the ammonia the excess started flaking off, and after a few seconds dip in the hot water for a few seconds then took it out, and dried it. Oiled it, let it sit overnight, and Flitz coated, and wiped off excess.
I think I might mention I remember that dipping it in the ammonia like neutralized it, and stops the process for darkening the blade the way they expalined.
I am no chemist so I am just explaining what the info said, and how well it worked for me.
One last thing MAKE SURE you are in a well ventilated room, as the fumes are toxic, and very strong.
Hope this helps.

Larry
 
heat for some reason will demagnetize mildly magnetic items. I used to keep a magnetic clip on a live steam line for posting notes to my relief crew and had to replace it after about six months it just would not stay there any longer. Never did research why.

I know that some magnetism can be induced into a ferrous object by hammering it in a pattern of end to end. It does not create much magnetism but you will notice it. Does not work on all steels either.
 
Heat treatment for the most simple dummies around: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325595 .

I believe that temp you gave in Kelvin is A1. What you can do (haven't tried it yet), is stick a magnet to the blade. Assuming that it won't melt in the fire, at exactly A1 temperature (1410 fahrenheit or something) the magnet will fall off for general steel. Get it below this temperature and you can restick the magnet to it.


But I'll see if I can sum up heat treatment from memory from what I've been told. You heat a knife up to A1 and bang out the shape you want. Reheat it up to A1 and then cool it quickly. Then you stick it in the oven at 400 Fahrenheit (somewhere around there, different for each kind of metal) and cool it down. Repeat the oven thing once or twice more and you have a heat treated knife. Of course the process and the numbers are different for each kind of metal.
 
I must have been posting the same time you asked me the question, and yes I was re-etching, and dipping the blade into the solution to bring out the damascus pattern darker, then putting Flitz on it brought out the nickle in the blade, and made it more high lighted. Like I said worked well the way I did it but YMMV.

Larry
 
My old boss made a degausser for a stubborn screen out of a 1000' box of 4 pair wire. He connected each of the 8 wires in series so that there was a coil 8000' long. He plugged this directly into the wall outlet. For 24 guage wire this limits the current to under 1/2 amp. It demagnetized just about anything.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top