EASY< CHEAP way to etch logo??

[Brett Holmes]

edit: ignore that arrow in the title, typo.

hi guys,
i was wanting to put my name to a few blades, im no longer ashamed to admit their mine and i want the absolute simplest way for the moment. i plan on building an electro etcher sometime soon but i have a few that need doing in the next couple of days so i was hoping for some advise.

i was wondering wether i can put a resist, nail polish? and scribe my name in that, then put a little battery acid(from a car battery, yes i do meen used) on it and let that etch it for a few minutes. what do you think?
has any one done this? got any pic's?
any one see any problems?

my curent problem is location, i'm living in a small coastal town with very few shops, so anything thats not really comon i cant get, and the nearest town is about an hour away and i dont have the time or money for petrol to get there, so i just need a short term solution. I was going to get it engraved at the local hardware store but then i found out they dont do engraving. so i'm stuck looking for an alternative.

thanks

Brett

[Ed Fowler]

One of the most beautiful art pieces I ever bought was a pot by Maria the Potter of San Ildefanso, bought it in 1954 for $30.00. Today it is worth around $10,000. It was signed on the bottom with a pencil.

I suggest you sign your knives any way you wish, wax and etchant have signed many great knives. I sign my knives with an electric vibrating engraver and am proud of it.

[dan adams1953]

I tape the surrounding area then paint the area to be etched with auto primer and allow to fully dry.write my name and scratch the ink off(with a pointed brass rod) down to metal. the etcher is a small clip light
with an appliance bulb(25 watt). I split one side of the electric cord and put alligator clips on.
clip one end to the tang and one end to the shaft of a screw driver with a good insulated handle. wrap the bussiness end of the screwdriver with a piece of cloth. I keep mine attached with two small cable ties. dip in a brine and roll across the area to be etched. you will have to experiment.
AND ABOVE ALL UNPLUG THE THING UNLESS YOU ARE ACTUALLY ETCHING.
like everything else we do this can kill you.
be safe.

[Andrew Garrett]

I think a wax or nail polish resist would work, though the nail polish might chip away as you try to scribe in you mark. Just make sure that you mask off a large area to prevent any acid from going where you don't want it. Any acid/etchant that will mark steel should work. Even vinegar will etch carbon steel (very slowly). Perhaps heating it would accelerate the process.

Good luck! Post your results!

[DiamondG Knives]

Brett

David Boye's book offers a lot of information on this topic.

I belive he used a compound call asphaltum (sp?) and as an acid used aqua fortis (sp?)

Its been a while since I read it.

Have you considered an electro etch type machine? Ron Claiborne sells them, as well as most of the knife suppliers. I have used one for years and love it. A stamp is also an option, lots of folks use them.

God Bless
Mike

[SharpByCoop]

Mike and the others called it. Hill Pearce told me that's how he did his marks on many of his knives. Here is a sample. He used a tar-based mix. Probably a simple roof cement. Then an acid of some form. Scribe with a pointer of some form, even a toothpick. It's been done.

Coop

[orvet]

Wow,
I didn't realize that there were other ways to etch than electro-chem etch. I just ordered a Personalizer Plus from Jantz this week. Should get it next week.
If I had known there were other ways I might have tried them first! Does the wax/acid method work on stainless steel?

Has anyone used the Personalizer? Any tips? I have made a lot of knives, but have not etched them before.

Thanks,
Dale

[Andrew Garrett]

Boye's method was the old and very hazardous royal water method. This uses nitric and muratic acid blends. The resist is asphaltum and bee's wax, which he blended.

Today the same resist can be bought ready to use. I have some, and get it from Graphic Chemical and Ink. They call it 'soft ball ground'.

However, you were wanting to work with local materials from a nearby source, so you may be limited to nail polish and whatever acid is at hand. Just make sure you have some baking soda or other base to nuetralize it, and of course, some acetone (nail polish remover).

[Brett Holmes]

ahhhhhhhh, i cant even buy nail polish in thi bloody town!
thanks for all your help guys, and thanks for that photo coop, is that knife in your colection? it would seem you have a thing for push daggers.

i wonder if white out, correction fluid would work?

brett

[Brett Holmes]

you have mentioned wax, do you meen just normal candle wax will work as a resist?

brett

[Brett Holmes]

well guys i've decided to atack this l;ike a year 7 science project, with a number of tests.

also does anyone think it would matter pre or post heat treat??




TEST 1

etchant: battery acid
Resist: Correction fluid
Method: apply corection fluid, allow to dry. scribe initials in to fluid to expose metal. put 2 drops acid on area. wait 10 minutes. rinse. remove corection fluid.

rersults: area where acid was aplied turned dark grey which showed up against silver steel background moderately well. corection fluid lifted up by acid so no design present just grey blob, no visible depth to etching just colour change.

conclusion: Need beter resist, corection fluid useless. need to etch deeper.

summary: FAILURE


notes:
Next time try replacing acid every few minutes to make sure it always has cutting power, apply for longer.

[Ed Fowler]

Way to go Brett!!! I love to see guys try different stuff and report what they learned. This is the soul of the current in the world of knives.
Thank You

[SharpByCoop]

Originally Posted by holmsy2000

and thanks for that photo coop, is that knife in your colection? it would seem you have a thing for push daggers.

I little bit longer than a push dagger....

Keep posting! I wanna know.

Coop

[Ed Fowler]

One thing to remember: All stress risers (internal faults excepted) start on the surface so watch where you put it and test to make sure.

[Thad Buchanan]

Years ago I used to etch my blades using the bee's wax/asphaltum resist and Ferric Chloride as the etching fluid. The process went like this:

Heat the blade enough to melt the wax.
Apply the wax with an even stroke across the blade and let it cool
Write you name in the wax with something sharp...I used a drill bit sharpened like a stylus.
Drip more wax around the signature to form a little dam to retain the Ferric Chloride.
Cover the area with a puddle of Ferric Chloride and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes.
Wash off the Ferric Chloride and let things nuetralize in baking soda/water for a few minutes.
Reheat the blade and wipe off the excess wax.....you can chip off the built up area then melt and wipe the rest.
Clean the blade up and you should have a nice deep etch that's very presentable.......unless you have a sloppy signature like I do.

You may have to make substitutions if these things aren't available, but I know this method works......it's just time consuming compared to eltro-chem.