Mod'ing The CS Trail Hawk

pullrich said:
"How well does etching take to the polished look?"

Polishing could possibly compromise the etched design because the polishing involves taking off steel. But a good etch should stand up to polishing.
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So I should etch it before the big polish?

Also, I was thinking instead of stripping off paint, then taping off the pattern, re-painting, etching, then re-stripping off the paint, I could take a little paint off the outside eye, tape off design, etch, then do a full paint strip. Will the factory paint hold up to the etching process?

Thanks again,

Lazersnake

Still excited!
 
lazersnake said:
So I should etch it before the big polish?
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Hard to say, I've never aimed for a polsihed blade. I would say yes but only so long as your etch is deep and simple. Thing is, unless I misunderstand what goes on in a polish, your polishing could erase some of the detail of the etch. I guess your other option is to polish, re-paint blade and set etch design, etch, remove paint, but then you'd probably have to re-polish .

lazersnake said:
Will the factory paint hold up to the etching process?
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It's worth a try. However, when I etch I place 4-5 coats of spray paint on the blade to ensure that the acid will be resisted. I've always removed the factory paint because I want to grind out the pits and blemishes on the steel.
 
pullrich said:
It's worth a try. However, when I etch I place 4-5 coats of spray paint on the blade to ensure that the acid will be resisted. I've always removed the factory paint because I want to grind out the pits and blemishes on the steel.
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Sigh... THat's what I was worried about,too. So be it, full strip first!
 
lazersnake said:
Sigh... THat's what I was worried about,too. So be it, full strip first!
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Or, if youre okay with some pitting in the metal, just spray paint OVER the factory finish, a few coats, let it dry between coats and for at least 24 hours before etching, THEN proceed with making your design, carving off pain, and etching. And again, it may be that the factory finish is adequate resist for an etching session of an hour or so. I think it's worth a try. After all, if you dont like how it looks, you can grind it all off and start over. Would be an interesting experiment.
 
pullrich said:
Or, if youre okay with some pitting in the metal, just spray paint OVER the factory finish, a few coats, let it dry between coats and for at least 24 hours before etching, THEN proceed with making your design, carving off pain, and etching. And again, it may be that the factory finish is adequate resist for an etching session of an hour or so. I think it's worth a try. After all, if you dont like how it looks, you can grind it all off and start over. Would be an interesting experiment.
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I didn't think about that. That is interesting. Not a bad idea.

It seems like the Radio Shack circuit etching solution seems to be quite popular. How long does it normally need to soak for a decent etch to take place? And what kind of paint is normally used, water based?
 
lazersnake said:
It seems like the Radio Shack circuit etching solution seems to be quite popular. How long does it normally need to soak for a decent etch to take place? And what kind of paint is normally used, water based?
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In this thread you'll read various times used with success. I think I've normally gone with a couple of hours, brushing the etch area, rotating the steel, etc. That makes a solid etch and longer than that some of the paint edges may start eating away. I've used cheap spray paint, I think that's acrylic. Whatever it is it's dang hard to get off .... I drop the head in a zip lock bag with the stripper for 5-10 minutes and then massage the outside of the bag to run the paint off.
 
Zip-lock bag, another good idea.

I've read here about oiling it to keep it from rusting. What kind of oil do you use?
 
3-in-1 if anything. I dont like how it darkens the browning and takes away the best contrast between etched and non-etched surfaces on the axe.
 
My finished hawk I blued the head and did a kinda crappy carving on the handle.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-...AAAAAAAB0/p1jWyhHjvOw/s144-c/October62011.jpg
DSCF1488.JPG
 
foecutter what variety of wrap is that on the handle? thought paracord but it looks tighter than most wrap it
 
I ran a loop in front of the haft with the loop end at the top towards the head. Started winding at the bottom when I was done the wind i put the last 3 inches of cord through the loop and pulled the loop and end inside the winding. you need to leave an extra 18 inches of cord on the end of you loop to pull on. when you are done trim the extra cord . Makes a super tight wrapping
 
My modified Trail Hawk. I kept it simple as it will be a user.

Stripped, sanded, blued, and sharpened the head.

Hawk2.jpg


Sanded, stained, and wrapped the haft.

Hawk4.jpg
 
You got me I shamelessly got the design from the patriot tomahawk . The haft was so hard it was a B%#%# to carve
 
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