Acid etching damascus

[KiltLad]

Hi All,

I have a Tanto Damascus blade that has been high polished. The shine hides all of the Damascus pattern on the blade. How can I bring back the pattern? I've heard talk of acid etching. Would this do it?

I'm new to this form. This is one of many projects that I have on-the-shelve.

Cheers...Kilt Lad

[mete]

Yes . You have to experiment to get the contrast you want. Ferric chloride, hydrochloric acid,acetic acid etc .Variables are the acid type, concentration, temperature ,time .

[KiltLad]

So...


1. Do I use a Q-tip, wipe the acid where I want it and wipe it off?


2. Do I use a moderate to stop the etching after I wipe the acid off?


3. I read somewhere that acid will ruin a Damascus blade. True/Untrue???


4. There are a few imperfections on the spline (?) of the blade. What type of file
would I use for "file" work and where is a source?


Cheers All... Kilt Lad

[Ed Caffrey]

The best way to etch is to immerse the entire blade into a bath of ferric chloride, which has been diluted 3 to 1 (1 part ferric chloride to 3 parts distilled water). The blade MUST be scratch free, and absolutely clean! (ANY scratches what so ever will be magnified by the etch, creating ugly lines.) You need to be wearing latex gloves of something similar to prevent fingerprints, then using a clean paper towel, widex the heck outta the blade, then using another clean paper towel ensure it completely dry. If there is ANYTHING on the blade it will cause spotting on the blade, and if you don't wear the latex gloves and get a finger print somewhere, it will be etch into the blade.

With the ratio of etchant I indicated, it should take 3-5 mins. for the etch. Once etching is done, you can use either TSP, baking soda solution, or windex to neutralize the etchant. I also scrub the blades with #0000 steel wool and water to get all the dark "sludge" off. Then dry the blade, and either oil or wax it.

If you have areas that need to be masked off, you can use fingernail polish, or at the very least petroleum jelly (which can get pretty messy).


Using a Q-tip won't do the job. You'll get dark uneven streaks and thats about it.

[DiamondG Knives]

Kilt

Just had a thought here. Is this Tanto a new blade, or possibly an antique Japanese blade, if so please reconsider etching it yourself, as it will greatly devalue the piece.

God Bless
Mike