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

Will do. I don't really want to mess with sulphuric acid if I don't have to...I'm leary enough wanting to try muriatic acid.
 
Fellhoelter said:
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...
Click to expand...

BTW, I just googled Stoddard Solvent and went to it's wikipedia page.

Sounds an awful lot like Mineral Spirits and even has a "See Also: Mineral Sprits, WD-40, etc." at the bottom of the page.

So, it seems that the 'sealer' is nothing but a can of glorified mineral spirits and WD-40, mixed with mineral oil and water. Certainly not worth $55/qt hahaha.
 
GrizzlyBear said:
So, it seems that the 'sealer' is nothing but a can of glorified mineral spirits and WD-40, mixed with mineral oil and water. Certainly not worth $55/qt hahaha.
Click to expand...

You're reading a lot into it, but then again you may be right. Is there a chemist in the house?
 
In any case I just re-read the description and noticed this:
Now also available in a Gel formula kit. Blackener stays where you put it. Simply apply with a brush or swab, allow to sit on the part for 1-2 minutes and rinse off. Then seal with the included Caswell Sealer.
Stainless Steel Blackener Gel Kit Includes:

&#8226;4 fl oz Stainless Steel Blackener Gel (covers approx 2 sq ft)
&#8226;4 fl oz Caswell Sealer
&#8226;Disposable Vinyl Gloves
Click to expand...

So $20 for the gel kit with a small bottle of both the blackener and the sealer is looking a lot more reasonable. Two square feet is several blades' worth. Sorry for the confusion :o

As a side note, here's a helpful article I found on surface treatments for SS. Not so much for blackening, but to remove scale and "free" iron and thereby make the most of its corrosion-resistant properties.
 
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HA I missed that part in the gel kit! I would think that kit would be great for doing logos and makers marks. And 2 sq-ft is quite a few blades, for sure.
 
Me too and I swear I've looked at it a dozen times.:foot: I think I'll go ahead and give that a shot.
 
HCl works well for etching stainless damascus. I would guess it will also work for this application, though I haven't tried it.

Don't store it in your shop. I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but it's an expensive lesson to learn on your own.
 
Honestly, I've tried Muratic acid on stainless, and it didn't give much of anything compared to the ferric chloride. This was on a cheapo china made "ka-bar" style knife someone gave me. I presume it was 440A or 420, not sure but the knife takes a beating and barely gets dull.

I tried this because I was as curious about it as you... lol
 
THanks again for the continued responses. I have an unhandled blade made be the company SHARP that I've had for probably 17 years that my mom bought me at Kmart. The rubber handle dryrotted away a few years ago. It's marked 440 (probably A). Think I'm going to use it as a test pilot for the Ferric Chloride.
 
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