Would dipping a stainless blade in etchant give a dark finish to the steel?

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GrizzlyBear

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Dec 5, 2009
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Is there an etchant solution that will give a dark finish to stainless when it is dipped into the solution?

I've got the go ahead on the boot knife order and was asked if there was a coated blade option. Since I cant find an inexpensive method of coating the blade with a durable finish, I was thinking that maybe dipping the blade in etchant would darken it up to not be as flashy.

Just an idea. Would it work? If so, what etching solution works well for stainless?
 
I accidently got some ferric Chloride (PCB etchant) on some 440C and it left a verrry dark spot on the blade.
 
The Caswell stuff works on the principle you're describing. Scroll down the page for the version suitable for stainless steels. I haven't tried it and don't know anyone who has, so if it works please let us know.
 
Hmmm, where can I find that Ferric Chloride etchant locally? I may have to give it a shot first before trying the Caswell, especially if it left a dark spot on 440C (which is the steel used in the boot knife I'm going to be doing).

James...if the ferric chloride doesn't work, I may get the Caswell stuff. Thanks for the link!
 
GrizzlyBear said:
Hmmm, where can I find that Ferric Chloride etchant locally? I may have to give it a shot first before trying the Caswell, especially if it left a dark spot on 440C (which is the steel used in the boot knife I'm going to be doing).

James...if the ferric chloride doesn't work, I may get the Caswell stuff. Thanks for the link!
Click to expand...

Radio Shack sells it. It is used for etching circuit boards.
 
GrizzlyBear said:
Hmmm, where can I find that Ferric Chloride etchant locally? I may have to give it a shot first before trying the Caswell, especially if it left a dark spot on 440C (which is the steel used in the boot knife I'm going to be doing).
Click to expand...

Check the yellow pages for a local chemical supply house too. Report back if you try it, I too have a 440C blade the client wants blackened and I'm not crazy about powder coating...
 
Agreed. I would rather chemically alter the surface of the steel vs top coating it. Even if it doesn't go all the way black, a dark grey would be nicer than shiny stainless.

Going to give my local Radio Shack a call shortly.

What about muriatic acid? I think I read somewhere that it can be used to darken stainless?
 
I just looked at the bottle and it says "PCB etchant solution" on it.

I remember asking for ferric and they didn't know what it was but they did know about it being a pcb board etchant.
 
The blade on this knife is 154CM and was etched in Ferric. I then satin finished the flats.
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Very nice! Some of the blades I get are Aus-6 which has nickel and vanadium added to the metal. Would the addition of these 2 elements affect the etching of the steel?
 
Ah, so probably will require a longer dip into the solution. Thanks. Just called Radio Shack and they have 16oz bottles for $10. Not bad I'd say.

I figure I will try things found locally first and if that doesn't work the Caswell for stainless looks to be a viable option.
 
The Caswell stuff is a lot pricier. I think I'll give my local RS a jingle too.
 
I didn't think the smaller amounts were that pricey to be honest. $19.99 for 4oz gel or 8oz liquid. And, I think you can rebottle it when you're done (seperate bottle of course) and it will hold for a while.

But, $10 for 16oz of etchant...that's not bad either. Wonder how much muriatic acid is at Lowe's?
 
GrizzlyBear said:
I didn't think the smaller amounts were that pricey to be honest. $19.99 for 4oz gel or 8oz liquid. And, I think you can rebottle it when you're done (seperate bottle of course) and it will hold for a while.
Click to expand...

Right, but for best results you're supposed to use their sealer which is listed at $55/qt. Maybe it works fine without the sealer, I don't know.
 
crap I didn't see that lol. wonder what's in the sealer that makes it so 'special' ? surely theres an MSDS sheet on it...
 
The MSDS is exceptionally vague.
<79% Stoddard Solvent
<8% Mineral oil
13% water, non-listed, or non-reportable material...
Edit: Googling the # says it's water...
 
Hey,

I have used Sulphuric Acid and Ferric Chloride ( If you have trouble sourcing this try looking for its 'chemical name' which is iron (iii) chloride)


5ml concentrated sulphuric acid in 20ml water mixed with a good pinch of the chloride should give you a nice dark etch that wont come off easy, I left mine to sit in the solution for about an hour. Ive used this recently on a stainless blade, (unknown steel Im afraid, most likely 440A)

I used nail varsish to protect the areas I didnt want etched.

Let us know how it turns out
 
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