--Coloring steel-- questions for Ed,,

[Geno]

Jeremy,
That green color was an experiment in colors.
I knew that heat would cause a color change, this was the opposite.
I used CO2 and etchant to create that spectrum of colors.
Flash freeze the blade as it comes out of the etchant, and it evaporates at different temps, leaving an unusual color signature. That green came out on the third dip process.
I can't really give you the specifics other than this info.

For every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction. I thought if heat effects the color, why not cold?
Pure cold didn't work, but freezing the etchant onto the blade did.Evaporation and oxidization did the rest.

Somebody has to be a pioneer

(I'm just glad to see someone noticed)

[Geno]

If you want to try something a little different still, add some brass powder to your etchant.
It will give a gold tint to your work.(you can not get the brass back out of solution though)

Blades with pure nickel can be gold plated as well, just the nickel stripes turn gold.Again, this is only on the surface. I usually blue the blade, then plate it for this effect, more contrast.

Colors are kewl!

The types of steel used governs the colors just as much as the processes used to color.
Different steels turn at different rates, temps,ect... :confused:

All these colors(except gold plating)are results of oxidizations.Many variables can alter the results.

The rules for coloring are not etched in stone, but rather in steel and how it turns.
Be blessed!

[Jeremy Krammes]

Thanks Gene...
I really liked that green, it gave me an idea for a knife. I guess now I have to experiment.
So you sprayed the blade with compressed CO2 right when you pulled the blade out of the etchant?

Jeremy

[Geno]

Yep, and I popped one blade doing that very same thing.
A surface freeze is plenty, a couple seconds worth.
Any longer and you might hear that POP, esspecially if you heat your etchant.
"The things we learn along the way"!

[walker]

That is great info Ed. I have some questions though. First, I'm using 1095 and wondered how you 'etch'. The only etching I know is with my personalizer. I wanted to make a mirror finish blue-black. Is that possible? I'm guessing that this is all done after HT,right? THANKS, WALKER

[Ed Caffrey]

When I spoke of etching, I was talking about etching damascus. For "straight" steel blades it's just a matter of applying the finish (satin, mirror, etc.) and then bluing. To get the blue/black your talking about, it's going to take something like Brownell's Oxynate 7 salts, or some of the Black Magic salts from Jantz Supply. The "sheen" of the finish will depend on how you prep the blade. Satin finished blades will produce a satin blue, and mirror polished blades will produce a brillant tone that appears to go deep within the material. Keep in mind the temps you use for coloring a blade. If the required temp is higher than the tempering temp of the steel, then you run the risk of ruining the cutting ability of the blade.