Remove Patina, Leave Etch?

[ArchiveMoto]

After an unproductive search I'm throwing this up here to see if anyone has applicable experience. I've used metal polishes and cleaners to clean up patina before, but I was wondering if there are any products or techniques that will remove general patina on carbon steel while leaving the blade etching alone. I can't really imagine unless it is some type of a liquid solution that doesn't require vigorous rubbing, but perhaps there is a product that will allow for carefully removing around an etch.

 

[traumkommode]

No. The way you remove patina, which is oxidized metal, is to polish that layer off. Doing so also polishes off the top layer of etch. You'll still be able to see some faint etch on the blade, but it won't have it's color anymore.

I would suggest using a QTip and just being very careful/slow to polish around the etch if you really want the patina off. Etches are often casualties of user knives.

 

[brownshoe]

Etching usually means the writing or figure is etched in and thus recessed in the metal. It should take years to remove the surrounding metal, unless it is not very deep. Some of what looks like an etch, isn't really an etch but some type of print or colorization that's on the surface. These come off reasy.

The most gentle product I use is Flitz. I don't rub hard and the "real" etchings (think Boker) are fine. Other etchings that are colored but not deep (think Douk Douk) it takes some or most of the color away but leaves the etched metal.

 

[mrknife]

ive once purchased a spear tc from a fellow member that he had used, and ive gently flitzed. the etch was intact but not all the patina was gone. cant go too hard otherwise it rub off.

 

[Hickory n steel]

I don't think there is any way to do this, but I think most people would rather have the patina and not the etch so I'm not sure anyone has ever tried.
I am lrepre positive it can't be done though.

 

[Nature Boy]

If you’re talkin’ GEC, specifically, I seem to remember someone saying they had them reapply the etch while having some other work done?

 

[jsdistin]

I think on a GEC etch the color of the etch is already gone from use, at least on mine, before not too long. I don’t think it is a situation where the coloring of the etch is covered up by the patina. They are also not very deep either and it doesn’t take long before the actual depth of the etch itself is either gone or blended into the surrounding metal.