Re-etch dlc dama blade

L

logie_t

Joined
Aug 14, 2021
Messages
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Hello everyone,
I am at the very beginning of learning how to do some work on my knives beyond basic maintenance. I picked up this dama j-cape in a trade a little while back and someone has added dlc to the blade making the pattern more difficult to see. I was wondering if I could simply re-etch it with something like gator piss or if something else needs to happen first so I can get the pattern to pop.

Thanks,
Logie
https://imgur.com/a/srB56Js
 
You would want to clean the blade well with acetone and then soap and water to remove all oils/dirt. Then give it a light sanding with 400 grit paper. Wash again and etch in dilute Fc or gator-piss.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
You would want to clean the blade well with acetone and then soap and water to remove all oils/dirt. Then give it a light sanding with 400 grit paper. Wash again and etch in dilute Fc or gator-piss.
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Thank you so much for the response! What kind of results can I expect? Do I need to put nail polish around the pivot like I’ve seen others do?
 
Put a resist (nail polish is good) any place you don't want etched. Etching removes a small amount of metal, so it is important to protect the surfaces around a pivot and any holes.
 
If that’s a liner lock be sure to also put your resist on the track that the detent ball rides on, if it gets etched it will feel like grit every time you open and close it.
 
You’ll see the track once you take it apart, put nail polish or whatever resist your going to use on it but be careful not to over do the area so that when the knife is opened or closed the blade doesn’t show an area that hasn’t been etched.
 
bladegrinder said:
You’ll see the track once you take it apart, put nail polish or whatever resist your going to use on it but be careful not to over do the area so that when the knife is opened or closed the blade doesn’t show an area that hasn’t been etched.
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gotcha, I realized what you were saying as soon as I replied 🤦🏻. Thank you so much for the advice. I’m really looking forward to learning more of this craft.
 
I'm not a DLC expert but I highly doubt that etching in Fc will produce any result. I imagine that it will resist the etchant all together. Frankly I am surprised that the entire blade isn't just black if it was truly DLC coated. The scales appear to be DLC coated.
 
I missed the DLC part. It would need some serious work to remove it. I would not try.
 
I think bead blasting would be the best option for removing it but you would be back to step one on getting a good etch.

I'm still not convinced the blade it actually DLC coated though.
 
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