Using Pumice to Bring out Hamons! Pics

The pumice counter polishes the Hamon and really gives it a white whispy look. But it only enhances it as it is mostly a good sanding job the brings it out. Here another pic.
E312E332-EB3E-4F75-9D99-679F150BDF64-6766-000005989AF028A6_zpsc2981cfb.jpg
 
"hand sanded " may have been much more important than you think !! The beautiful details in the hamon can easily be lost with less than gentle treatment .Pumice is not a very harsh abrasive and that makes a difference too.
So going through the process grit size by grit size ,all by hand ,with an abrasive like pumice is the answer.How else do you think the Japanese sword polisher takes so long to finish ?
 
mete said:
"hand sanded " may have been much more important than you think !! The beautiful details in the hamon can easily be lost with less than gentle treatment .Pumice is not a very harsh abrasive and that makes a difference too.
So going through the process grit size by grit size ,all by hand ,with an abrasive like pumice is the answer.How else do you think the Japanese sword polisher takes so long to finish ?
Click to expand...

I don't have an answer to your question, Mete. All I know is when I've used pumice all I had to do was wipe the blade down with water, and that white wispy look created by the pumice simply went away. I concluded the pumice "sinks" into the steel, filling the open grain spaces, but can simply be washed away.
 
My understanding is that the pumice, being of a certain hardness not that much harder than the steel, abrades the softer steel faster, and with a micro scratch pattern that causes light to refract off of it differently- more white. That's what I got from the "hadori" step at the end of the polishing sequence shown in "Craft of the Japanese Sword." I believe the pumice or rottenstone approximates the "hadori" or whitening step. I find that if I overdo it, I get a real white yakiba with actually less detail in the habuchi. It can be left that way with a dark ji for a very high contrast, lower detail finish.

I like to use it for the whole hamon area, and do the ji up to the spine with tripoli dissolved in oil for a darker matte finish. I don't think I've ever done two quite the same way, though. I'm saving iron oxide flakes in a can near the forge for kanahada, so I can try to make some nugui.
 
Last edited:
David Stifle said:
I don't have an answer to your question, Mete. All I know is when I've used pumice all I had to do was wipe the blade down with water, and that white wispy look created by the pumice simply went away. I concluded the pumice "sinks" into the steel, filling the open grain spaces, but can simply be washed away.
Click to expand...

I don't think you stayed at it long enough. I always wash my blades after I'm finished and I've never had that happen.
 
Maybe I didn't. How long do you need to work at it to get good results? I do think you have some very cool hamons there. Looks good!
 
Those are amazing!! How important do you guys find it is to use the multiple different etching solutions to bring out this kind of detail? I have been doing a similar process with only ferric chloride but don't get results like that.
 
Great results! I will have to give Pumice a try... thanks for posting.
 
Where would I find the pumice you guys are using for this? I would love to try this and maybe get some more pop from my Hamons.
 
lratclif said:
Those are amazing!! How important do you guys find it is to use the multiple different etching solutions to bring out this kind of detail? I have been doing a similar process with only ferric chloride but don't get results like that.
Click to expand...

It really isn't that big of a deal to use multiple. It's just what I do. I could have got similar results with just lemon juice or vinegar. It's like Nick said, there are a billion ways to do it and everybody has their own way. I was just exploring the different ways
 
I should add that the last two pics I posted are a laminated blade that was quenched at just the right time and temp to add all the activity below the lamination line.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top