A little etching discussion, Ed?

[Karl B. Andersen]

Are you still etching your selectively hardened blades, Ed, and if so,, what solution "recipe" and for how long?

[Bob Warner]

I know Ed is taking a leave of absence from the forums for a while.

I do the same thing and I etch using Ferric Chloride. Three parts water, one part FC.

I do this because a slow etch gives me better results in every situation.

Bob

[Karl B. Andersen]

The same here.
I'm mostly concerend with the amount of TIME! How deep do you like your etch?

[Bruce D Bump]

I like a very weak fe solution about 4-1 and only for a short 10 seconds at a time

[Karl B. Andersen]

Thanks, Bruce.
I guess I go a little extreme on my etch - I want it to last!
I sort of wondered where others draw the line.
Thanks.

[Raymond Richard]

I don't stop etching my blades till there perfect. What you do after the etch also determines what there going to look like. Chrome polish to the Old Dutch Girl. With or without steel wool also makes a difference.

[Jon Christensen]

I etch with ferric also, 4-5 parts water to 1 part ferric at approx. 80 deg.. I etch for 3 minutes then scrub the blade with a toothbrush and ajax powder. This gets the black oxides out and allows for an even etch. After I've etched a few times I also sand the high spots with 1200 grit paper each time to keep the 15n20 pit free.

I do this until I get the depth of etch that I want and then clean it one last time with comet and soap and then a final scrub with baking soda. I you want the black oxides for the background you can give it a last quick dunk in the ferric and then finish it up.

If you don't want the edge quench to show so much you can apply superblue to the blade and sand off the high spots with fine sand paper and wd40. I like a dark background on most of my blades so I usually apply the superblue. I also feel it's more durable than the black oxide.

hope this helps
Jon