10inchsixnhalfkgsolja 31 Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 I have some damascus blanks the pattern seems faded what type of acid will bring it out? Also what do you lad polish them up with thanks in advance Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sjt657 191 Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 You need midnight ....... He's the expert...!!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
the big chief 3,099 Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 yep midnight's ya man buddy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Youngun 8 Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 ferric choloride is what you need mate mix abit in with some water and soak your blade in it until you get the desired effect you want. many thanks Alex Quote Link to post Share on other sites
10inchsixnhalfkgsolja 31 Posted June 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 Cheers mate, where can u get that from, can u just buy it or is it specalist item , if so is ther anything else to substitute that ie car battrey acid ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
midnight 657 Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 ferric choloride granuals is what you want from ebay cheap enough , other things will do it but nothing as good as the ferric . lime juice , vinagur etc all have an effect but if you use ferric it will be uniform and you have a control over the etch , ie stronger solution for deeper bite etc . some things you need to know before tho is ... the peice needs to be really clean no finger prints grease dirt or anything else can be on it or you will get areas that dont etch or minimum will be uneven . so use alcohol or something similar to deep clean it before you think about emersing it . you can do a 10 second test dip to see if you have it clean , if its not etched all over , take it out nuaturalise the acid on the blade with bleach and clean running water , deep clean again then put it back in . differant materials and patterns will need differant etches , things like o1 will etch almost black and will etch deep . where as cs60 will go as dark but stand the acid better and takes alot longer to etch as deep , so there is some experimenting to do to get the best from it !! i find a deep etch on a working blade is better as it remains visible after use , where as quick flash etch to reveal the pattern but not bite into the steel will just wear away with minimal use . ferric is not dangerouse to work with but does give off fumes , i dont think you want to drink it or get it in your eyes but its not imidiatly harmfull. it dont last long once you mix it . i use glass jars to do my etching so that i can see to progress and remove when im happy , the big coffe jars work well but if its a big knife its not going to all fit in . its not UV tolerant either and goes cloudy and loses its strength if left in sunlight so use it and pure it away ! a weeker solution of feric and water is better than a strong solution as you have the choice to leave it longer so a more of a gental amnd controlled etch that you can time perfectly also strong acid tends to discolour the bright shine contrast metal i find . so you have your jar everything is really really clean you have put one level table spoon of granuals in the jar and added clean tap water , sturr the solution until its all desolved , then you can add your peice . keep and eye on it and take it to a point that the whole thing has gone either black or grey , dont panic its ment to do that !!! after how ever long you want remove it dip it into another jar with clean tap water and a squirt of bleach , that will stop the acid from working , rince it under the tap and wipe with clean kitchen roll to get the black film off of it . dry it and inspect for flaws . when you happy `clamp it down in the vice or what ever and use 600grt wet and dry paper and gently sand in one direction to remove any discoloration and expose clean bright contrast steel ( the pure carbon will be reccesed so the sand paper will not touch it leaving it dark ) . a light buff with a buffer or 000 wire wool . spray with WD40 or cilicon spray and your done , the edge may need a tickle as the acid will have made it slightly surrated . have fun and take your time . all the best , matt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
midnight 657 Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 just thought , you dont really want to be putting whol knives into etch handle material , brass copper what ever is on the finnished knife will also etch /discolour . even a small blob of glue will block the acid and ruin the look . finnished knives that need a re etch need to be done with reall care and some experiance or it could go horribly wrong . all the best , matt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
10inchsixnhalfkgsolja 31 Posted June 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 thanks matt what dose ooo wire wool look like a brilo pad ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
midnight 657 Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 no problem i hope it makes sence i just read it all again and my spelling is terrible !! you could use a brillo pad but its harsh and will go into the little reccess the carbon steel has shrunk back into , and might leave you with a blade all one colour (shiney) but with the pattern , it wont look good . 000 wire wool is super fine steel wool i think you can get it from B&Q when i had less tools i used and still do , the very fine wet and dry sand papers , beleave it or not halfords sell it in a massive grit range, very reasonably and its really good quality paper !! you can get a little polishing mop that is drill mountable to from there !! after its been etched get a flat peice of wood and wrap the paper round it once ! this gives it a backing and stops it from touching the reccessed carbon in the pattern , it will give you the most effect with the dark and light portion, a real contrast . maybe best just to invest in a full range of grits from halfords and only use that , when you get to 1200 grit it will be mirror on the bright and be beautiful . forget the polishing mop for now , and master the basics , like etch medium , control and its effect , then to hand finnishing with the fine grit paper , its a great art and one you need to master to keep improving the finnish of you work and value !! one last thing use the fine grit DRY in this part and only move in one direction or yopu will have a haorrible finnish !! knife making is all about details and cant be rushed , which is crap if like me you need it to be to make a few ££ from it . once you have got this lot covered you will never buy a £6 chineese stainles knive again , simply because you will know you can not make quality knife for that little money . all the best , matt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
10inchsixnhalfkgsolja 31 Posted June 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Thanks matt, trial and error I have been working with, just trying diffrent things out i don't have the ferric chlouride yet so still playing with the handles thanks for takin the time to write it will deffinatley help me out I been taking my time and trying to perfect a few things and seem to be getting better evryday I grinded a big damascus blade down to a smaller size and shape it fits my hand perfect and i can apreciate and feel the quality u can just see its a handy knife and will last for eva its not perfect yett but I will be keeping it to keep working on as I get better I will add a picture of it soon thanks again pal Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NIckinSurrey 6 Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 I posted this link in another thread but it is equally relevant here. Ferric Chloride solution is also used to make electronic printed circuit boards. Maplin Electronics stock packets of the crystals. See http://www.maplin.co.uk/ferric-chloride-crystals-2097 Nick Quote Link to post Share on other sites
midnight 657 Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 granuals are still the first choice tho nick as the solution is basicly what you will make with the granuals , and once you begin to use it , it will become laden with rust and loose its strength , at that point you need to add more granuals or buy some more solution ... its available stuff tho and not to expensive . i bought 500g a year ago and still have some left and i use it every week !! experimentation is the way forward , i would guess that you have bought the pakistani damascus blanks from ebay or the states? the metals in them are unknown to everyone ha ha , there not top quality but good to practice on and if the heat treatment is right will be useable knives im sure . a friend of mine bought a tomahawk from the same place , its damascus of sorts , when the handle snapped he asked me to work on it for me and to my total amazment it was not even heat treated !!! a re grind heat threat and temper laster he has it back and you can shave with it and it does hold that edge for a long time !! the big three with any knife are quality of materials accuracy with heat treat and temper and quality of build everything else can be what ever we want it to be , shape style size etc there all able to be manipulated to great effect with out compromising the finnished blade (with in reason ) grinding heat treated and tempered blades is something to be carful with . as soon as the tempreture of the steel is high through friction from the abrasive you are effecting the temper , making it softer and softer , a heat treated blade should be very very difficult to grind as its in the hardened state and will need quenching every 20 30 maybe more like 5 to 10 seconds to keep from effecting the temper . and colours like blues and purples are the structure of the steel changing and tempering below the stage you want in your knife as it will loose the ability to maintain a lasting edge !!! straw colours and bronze are good , but when and if you see the colour change get it in cold water and let it totaly cool !! you can allways re heat treat the blanks its no difficalt and will actualy inhance the pattern as the carbon portion tends to oxidise faster than the bright contrast steel , you can really see the pattern before you even take the soot of it . remember that onlt damascus in the heat treated stage will show strong patteration . its visible before that but will be so much more vivid once done ... im happy to heat treat for you guys if you think you ever need it , il do it for free if you cover the postage there and back , hows that ? all the best , matt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NIckinSurrey 6 Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 The link is for the crystals, not the ready-made solution. If anyone is local to Farnham we have quite a bit left over since moving over to machining circuit boards rather than chemical etching. Nick Quote Link to post Share on other sites
midnight 657 Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 my apoligies nick !! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NIckinSurrey 6 Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 my apoligies nick !! No problem Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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