The ol' vinegar etching trick

B

bbulat

Joined
Jan 22, 2007
Messages
88
Okay, so I'm attempting my first etching. Read all the threads on using vinegar. So far so splotchy after an hour. Then there is the bile-colored substance that seems to gather along the blade during this process. Yeeeech. Any idea what that stuff is?
 
ive never done a vinegar patina but from my understanding you need to let it sit in the vinegar overnight... not just for an hour :confused:
 
I have done only Lemon etches, but I assume it is similar. A Lemon etch only takes about 15 minutes from start to finish for me. Depends on how dark you want it. Make sure the blade was cleaned off all oils with a good dish soap. It also helps to rinse off the blade with warm water and then apply your etchant. Remember to use something to counteract the vinegar when you are done, like an ammonia based cleaner (I use Windex).

Also, are you etching a villager blade or one of the standard mirror polished ones? It is hard to get a clean hamon on the mirror polished blade. I usually take some 600 grit sandpaper to dull the finish so the etchant can penetrate better.
 
I definitely will leave this thing soaking overnight. I started with papertowels, then went to a soaked washcloth, then decided to fill a jug and dunk it for the night.

Regarding the finish, the blade is not a superbly made HI. But it did have a polished finish. Notice I say polished, not mirrored finish. I wanted to use a blade of different origin lest I mess it up...
 
I etched my 20" Siru by cleaning/degreasing the blade. then ran it under hot water until the blade was hot. then used white vinegar with a few drops of dish soap. I would continually wipe the vinegar on until the blade cooled then ran it under the hot water again. i repeated this until i got the color i wanted. pics are in the pic thread.
 
To obtain this patina I wet sanded with cider viniger and 1500 G paper, while still wet I applied mustard rubbing it in well, it formed rapidly, when it was correct I rinsed and oiled the blade. Repeated several times. It will get several more. The photo does not do it justice, this method really brings out the blues and violet spectrum. Wet sanding with vinigar seems to smooth out almost all of the blotching.

Leon Pugh
 

Attachments

  • patina.jpg
    patina.jpg
    36.9 KB · Views: 162
Bbulat, make sure you post some pics. I've got a CR that I think I'm going to blue- or black, or gray, as the case may be.

Seems like a good way to have a nice looking blade that won't demand a lot of care to maintain appearance if used. I really like how Leon's looks :D
 
Make sure you clean and degrease the blade. I use rubbing alcohol, works well. I then put the knife into a glass or pitcher to make sure the entire blade is submerged. I heat the vineger in the microwave until it is almost too hot to keep my finger in, then I put the blade in and leave it until the vineger has cooled. If I don't like the etch, I just do it again, heating the vineger and putting the blade in until it cools.

Andy
 
Is the etching just for appearance or does it actually form a barrier that prevents further rusting?
 
I'll post a photo of the result from approx. 17 hrs in a white distilled vinegar solution. The result is not what I expected. I think I'll try wetsanding to see if the splotches will come out.
 
Here's the result so far

Okay, that image didn't post. Anyone tell me how to post photos please?
 
you need to upload the image somewhere like imageshack, and then link to it using the
 
bbulat said:
I'll post a photo of the result from approx. 17 hrs in a white distilled vinegar solution. The result is not what I expected. I think I'll try wetsanding to see if the splotches will come out.
Click to expand...

it wont be nice and pretty straight out of the vinegar solution....
you going to have to wipe it down and possibly go over it with very find sandpaper or a very very mild abrasive so you do not remove the hamon :thumbup:
 
Just in case, I ran out and purchased some FeCL from Radioshack. The guy there said I was the first person to ever buy the stuff from him. Then I had to tell him I wasn't going to etch circuit boards, but didn't elaborate.

Thanks for the info fellas.
 
Wash the khuk with soap and hot water.
Degrease with alcohol, just to be sure.
Dilute the FeCL 3:1 or 4:1 with water
Wear gloves or your hands will be yellow.

Rub the FeCL on with sopping wet rag or paper towel.
It works fast.
Rinse with water and neutralize with something containing ammonia, like windex.

Oil. Oil again.

Dave Rishar had an excellent method here.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=415325&highlight=ferric

Steve
 
Thanks again, Steve. I've read your instructions several times, that's what prompted me to buy the FeCl. You wipe the solution on until it turns the color you like right? So you could wipe many times with the saturated rag? And that's why you coat the entire side evenly, so it turns evenly?

I'll try it tonight. And when I can do the picture thing I'll post.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top