Nitric Acid

G

GLDOYLE

Joined
Feb 15, 2001
Messages
25
WOULD ANYONE HAVE AN IDEA ON WHERE TO FIND
NITRIC ACID IN A SMALL QUANTITY? I WANT TO
TRY A PROCESS CALLED BROWNING A BLADE [ I
THINK ] AND YOU NEED A SMALL QUANTITY [AS
IN A FEW DROPS ] OF NITRIC ACID . I TRIED
HOME DEPOT AND A DO IT YOURSELF CHEMICAL
STORE TO NO AVAIL .I DON`T KNOW WHERE TO
TRY TO LOOK NEXT . ANY IDEAS ? THANKS FOR
ANY REPLIES .
LARRY
 
The only place I found that I could buy a small quantity from is a gold mining/dive shop in my area- but I'm in Sacramento in the gold country and you might not have a gold mining supply near you.
I paid 6 bucks or so for a 4 oz. bottle (I believe it was labled as 67%). You can order nitric over the internet, but there are huge haz-mat fees. Good luck- my advice is to use Google (it's a search engine) and keep at it. Eventually you can find anything on the net when you get the hang of it and persevere.
 
Nitric Acid has a huge amount of uses that are watched for by authorities. I would suggest finding some other way of doing it. I know my normal chem supply places that crry just about anything don't have nitric acid. Can get it from a few of them but again, huge haz mat, and any purchase of nitric acid will be watched closely. And frankly, it's probalby not worth it.
 
I purchased the acid through a chemical supply for labs. Smallest amount I could get was one liter. Had to give them a copy of my business license and a signed statement as to what I was using the acid for. They don't just let anyone have the acid as it is nasty stuff.
 
Take a drive up to beautiful western Washington and I'll give ya a couple of gallons to take home and play with.
 
THANKS GUYS ,
LOOKS LIKE I MAY HAVE TO TRY SOMETHING
ELSE . NOT WORTH THE HASSLE.

PLAIN OL BILL
THANKS FOR THE OFFER . I WOULD LOVE TO
SEE THE COUNTRY UP THERE . WILL BE GOING
TO COLORADO IN ABOUT 3 WEEKS , MAYBE I
COULD......
NAW , MY WIFE WOULD PROBABLELY DIVORCE ME
IF I EXTENDED MY HUNTING TRIP ANOTHER WEEK
OR TWO.
THANKS ,
LARRY
 
I have heard of people picking up chemicals of such nature at pool supply stores. I myself haven't tried, but I guess it's worth placing a phone call to see if they carry these items.

Ric

www.knifesupplies.com
 
I believe Birchwood Casey's sells a browning agent in a small bottle. Jerry Fisk wrote an excellent article about browning, including the heat box; it was in Blade about a year, or so, ago. I'll look for it to see what he used, but I think he used a product such as is mentioned above.
 
Concentrated nitric acid (about 70%) is serious stuff. Fuming nitric acid ( 90% ) is very serious stuff.

If you aren't familiar with it's properties or can't obtain the assistance of someone who is, please find an alternative.

And in this environment, it's purchase may well attract interest similar to that accorded a large fertilizer (ammonium nitrate) purchase, since it can, with other ingredients, be used to produce a variety of explosives. Not to mention the ever-present suspicion of clandestine drug manufacture. How many federal agencies can be attracted with one purchase?

The dangers common to concentrated mineral acids are of course also present, and concentrated nitric acid is probably one of the more hazardous. People have been crippled by not getting it washed off of areas like the ankle fast enough. The glass containers are properly stored in appropriate outer containers to minimize any chance of breakage/spillage. Can you neutalize a spill of a liter of nitric acid in your workshop? That's a LOT of household ammonia solution or baking soda. If you don't know how much, don't mess about with it in concentrated form.

Dilute solutions may be available and used for some common or mundane application, I dont' know.


I suspect that quite dilute solutions would be adequate, and probably required for controlled blade treatment. For example, concentrated nitric acid will react very vigorously with some Monel alloys, generating much heat and creating deep pits within seconds.

Sorry if I butted in...I don't know how to make knives, but I do know some chemistry.
 
Larry and all,
I faced the same problem in obtaining nitric acid to make "aqua rega" for marking blades. I finally found a frendly high school teacher that gave me what he had left over at the end of the year.
Carefully, Lynn
 
This is an acidic reagent to use on maple.
1 part hydrochloric acid
1/2 part nitric acid
10 parts water

Brush on a light coat of acid and let soak into the wood. Then heat the wood by moving a piece of hot iron a couple of inches over the wood. This brings out the super colors in the maple wood. The acid reacts with the sugar in the wood to bring out the colors. This is how the black-powder gunsmiths get the color in the maple rifle stocks. The acid mix is explained on page 137 in "The Master Bladesmith" by Jim Hrisoulas. The acid finish is also explained in a video "Williamsburg Gunsmith" not sure of exact title.
 
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