Origins of the etched blade

[2knife]

........

 

[Joss]

Is the etched blade a recent invention, or is it much older? I only know that Ed Fowler has been using an etching agent (ferric choride) since the late 80's, to show grain structure and transition areas w/ differentially hardened blades. I haven't seen any earlier makers (knives) that display temper lines.

Etching is a very old technique, but I don't know when it was re-introduced to show the lines of differential hardening. Most steels edge-quenched will produce some hardening line, and they can be more or less visible depending on how they're polished & etched.

Are "temper lines" and "hamons" the same thing?

Traditionally, the term hamon is reserved for the Japanese technique. That has 3 main components I can think of:
1 - Simple steel, without large amounts of alloying elements (like nickel or chromium).
2 - Blade is clay coated and quenched entirely rather than simply edge quenched. The subtle heat conductivity differences and gradients of the clay brings out much richer effects in the hamon than the edge quench method.
3 - Complicated polish process involving a wide variety of materials, from stones to charcoal, etc. Most modern makers also use modern materials, e.g., sandpapers and carbide powder. The hamon is traditionally revealed with a light etch of lemon juice or other.

... the Don Fogg dagger recently pictured here had a "hamon" on both sides of the blade, is that a purely decorative trick or does it indicate a differentially hardened blade?
David

It very much indicates a differentially hardened blade on both sides. This is one of the things that the clay-coating technique allows that the edge quenching doesn't. I recommend you read on Don Fogg's site to get more info. The book "Crafts of the Japanese Sword" by Kapp is great too.

 

[brownshoe]

David boye has been etching his dendritic blades for at least as long as fowler.

 

[Kohai999]

Is the etched blade a recent invention, or is it much older? I only know that Ed Fowler has been using an etching agent (ferric choride) since the late 80's, to show grain structure and transition areas w/ differentially hardened blades. I haven't seen any earlier makers (knives) that display temper lines.

Are "temper lines" and "hamons" the same thing?

... the Don Fogg dagger recently pictured here had a "hamon" on both sides of the blade, is that a purely decorative trick or does it indicate a differentially hardened blade?
David

The Chinese, Japanese, Indonesians and Indians have been etching blades in various forms for over 500 years.

The Javanese Kris uses an especially nasty mix of citrus juice and arsenic to reveal the patterned layers.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson