Damascus ( acid bath)

[bcpayne]

I'm starting my first damascus blade( finally got the balls to either make a beautiful knife or through all that money away for the damascus) anyway after final blade griding what kind of acid do i soak it in to bring the pattern back out. Also whlie I'm here what kind of finish to do (220,320,600,etc.)

[Robert Mayo]

Personaly i like to finnish to 600 before doing any etching or i find that the grind lines show up after. Ferric cloride is a good etchant mixed 1/2 with distilled water if it is warmed it will work faster.

Bob

[AwP]

I like ferric chloride best too, though I mix it 4/1 water/fc. Pretty much any acid will work though, whether the safest ones like vinager and lemon juice to nasty scary ones like hydrochloric and sulphuric. They all give slightly different results.

[Ray Rogers]

Especially for a Newbie I would say Ferric Chloride. It's reasonably safe, easy to get, cheap, and easy to use. It's probably the most popular etchant. It can be purchased from Radio Shack as circuit board etchant.

As for the finish, that can depend on the damascus. Some works best with a relatively low finish like 600 grit but others work better when mirror polished first but these are in the minority. It may not be possible for anyone to give you specific directions (except the manufacturer of your damascus) because so much can depend on the etchant you use, the dilution of the etchant, temperature, and the etching process you use as well as the initial finish.

The safest way to proceed is mix you FC 4/1 with distilled water and etch your 600 grit blade for 15 seconds, and rinse in cool running water rubbing lightly with your fingers (some prefer 0000 or finer steel wool). Repeat that process until your etch is as developed as you want it to be - usually a maximum of 3 or 4 times. After the etch, pat the steel dry and let it set for at least an hour. Then, if you wish, you can use steel wool or very fine (1500 - 2000) sandpaper to hit just the high spots and increase the contrast.

Practicing on a scrap piece would be a good idea....

[SVanderkolff]

First, I assume you arre using a carbon damascus, in which case the ferric chloride as suggested is your best bet. If on the other hand you are using stainless damascus then you need to go to some muriatic acid. As far as finishing, I orefer to take all of them to 1200 grit before etching, that way I am absolutely sure there will not be any grind lines to blur the clarity of the etched damascus. I also like to put my steel after etch into some baking soda. this nutrlalizes any acid that may be left over in the little crevices after washing. Not sure if it is the reason but it does seem t halp the dark etch be a little more permanent.
BTW if you ask any 6 maker how to do this you will get 7 answers.
Steve

[bcpayne]

Where can I find muratic acid

[Jakedog]

They sell muratic acid at lowes/home depot. This stuff is also handy for cleaning concrete off of stone work.