Sealing a makers mark etch??

T

Terry_Dodson

Joined
Jul 10, 2002
Messages
839
i have a blade that i had pretty much finished with a near mirror finish. my wife wanted me to put my name on it, so i got my homemade etcher and stencil out. I put the stencil on the blade (using electrical tape) and etched my makers mark into the blad then used the AC to blacken it. I took off the tape and it had that hazy look, musta used to damp a pad. Now my question is how can i seal in the black so i can take it to the buffer and get the mirrir shine back, or can i?
 
Terry,

I usually hit the etch area with 2500 grit or higher paper and then lightly buff with a loose wheel. Never had any problems removing the black.

Bill
 
No, as soon as I get my mark on, I wash good with soap and water, then sand and buff.

Bill
 
I've had trouble from time to time keeping my mark as dark as I would like using my homemade etcher. To solve this problem, I've started putting a little Cold Blue on a q-tip and putting it on the mark. I also do this for my nail nicks. Then I hand rub the Cold Blue and haze from the etch with sand paper. You can get Cold Blue from the gun section at Wal-Mart or most any sporting store.

-chris
__________________
Chris Crawford Knives

 
In my lmitied experience there has been three different things causing an 'out-of-focus' or not sharp in appearence etch: not having the stencil taped securely enough so that a slight sliding of the pad can cause stencil to slip while DC etching, etching too deep, and/or AC etching too long.

RL
 
I've never sealed the dark letters but I don't think anything is going to hold up to buffing. And if it does, it won't be evenly. You can redarken the letters by using rustolium flat black paint if they buff dark etch out.
 
Tracey, your advise helps me too. I have tried buffing after maker mark etch and have found it very touchy to keep a uniform contrast. On a final finish of 200 to 600 grit I can, if careful enough, go over it lightly with the belt one or two passes and keep it sharp and if done well enough sharpen it more. Too much though and its heart break city (for me anyhow).

RL
 
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