Fun reading 1904 blacksmith

[Gouge]

Found this while doing so research

Modern blacksmith 1904

[MongoForge]

Anybody ever try this?

AKE of nitric acid 4 ozs.; muriatic acid, ? oz. Mix togetner. Now cover the place you wish to write on with beeswax, the beeswax to be warm when applied. When it is cold, write your name with a sharp instrument. Be sure to write so that the steel is discernible in the name. Now apply the mixture with a feather, well filling each letter. Let the mixture remain about five minutes or more, according to the depth desired; then wash off the acid; water will stop the process of the same. When the wax is removed, the inscription is plain.

[Sweany]

Don't use something that will scratch the steel. Like an exacto knife. Use a sharpened brass rod or a leather modeling tool.

The scratches in the steel get etched to and look like crap.

I used this method with ferric chloride.
Nitric is kinda nasty from what I remember.

David Boye has a section is his book devoted to etching.

I etch customer intials on blades with those vinyl stick on letters from the office supply store.

I surround the letters with a cut out from a piece of clear plastic laminate. Apply all to a throughly cleaned , and warmed blade. I use ammonia, and a light bulb.

Make a little "pond"around the template with modelling clay and fill with ferric chloride. 5 to ten minutes depending on depth of etch required.



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[Gouge]

TO MAKE STEEL AND IRON AS WHITE AS SILVER
Take 1 pound of ashes from white ash bark, dissolve in soft water. Heat your iron red, and cool in this solution, and the iron will turn white as silver.

[Crex]

Tried it yet Chicken Toes? Old techniques are pretty neat and sometimes so simple.

Mongo - been using the technique for over 30 years. It's the only way I've found to mark my miniatures cleanly. Yeah nitric is pretty nasty stuff. You must use great care. I usually use a fine tipped ball point pen to mark through the wax. Just lightly heat the metal to be etched with a heatgun or hairdryer and melt a thin layer of clarified beeswax on it. Thinner the better. I always
"killed" the etch with ammonia bleach just to be sure. Work a little cold blue in and rewarm the metal and remove the wax with a rag. Quite easy.

Crex

[Dana Acker]

Great article--those old guys knew a lot. I'm glad someone had the sense to preserve the knowledge. Thanks for posting that.