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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

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  #1  
Old 05-24-2005, 01:49 PM
Frank J Warner Frank J Warner is offline
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How to etch damascus guard?

I've a knife in progress that has a damascus guard and butt cap. Both were shaped on the knife and permanently attached with pins & solder, so I couldn't etch them before putting them on the knife.

Question is, now, how do I etch them without affecting the blade & handle grips with the acid? I might be able to soak the butt cap in acid without getting it all over the wood grips, but how do I etch the guard without getting acid where I don't want it?

Masking the entire blade and handle with nail polish or bitumen just doesn't seem like the answer. There must be a more elegant way of doing this, like making a paste of acid and DE or flour and painting it on the guard.

What's the usual way?

-Frank


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  #2  
Old 05-24-2005, 03:30 PM
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Andries Olivier Andries Olivier is offline
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In my humble opinion you should have shaped and etched the guard or bolster before fitting it. Whatever you do now you run the risk of destroying your solder with the acid. You might also find that some acid will penetrate around the pins and this will almost certainly cause rusting because it will be difficult to neutralize. If you want to do it this way I recomend that you do not pin at all and use Pratley steel instead of solder to seal off the gaps between the blade and guard.( See "fitting of guards/bolsters" by Des Horn in workshop page of this site).

Next time try to shape the guard first and etch before fitting and then pin carefully without damageing the guard. Then carefully file the pins to almost flush with the surface without touching the guard. If you damage the etched surface you can touch it up with a little acid on an earbud. You can also etch the pins in this way, or you can use copper pins with rounded heads as part of your design.

To solve the problem you are experiencing now I would suggest that you mask the blade completely using shellack or nail polish as you suggested . You could try using a permanent marker to mask in tight spots but make sure it is indeed PERMANENT. Try to apply small quantities of acid evenly with an earbud or small paintbrush. Rinse and inspect frequently. Mistakes are easier to correct before they get to big. Neutralize acid afterwards by rinsing thoroughly in Bicarbonate of soda solution and then cover the piece in a silicon-free penetrating oil.

The handle can be protected by first masking the guard and pommel and then covering the handlematerial with a good quality spray-on sanding sealer, but check the acid resistance of the particular product first. This can be removed afterwards with thinners or acetone.

Good luck.

Last edited by Andries Olivier; 05-24-2005 at 03:44 PM. Reason: Incomplete
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  #3  
Old 05-24-2005, 08:53 PM
Frank J Warner Frank J Warner is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Andries Olivier
Next time try to shape the guard first . . . .
Thanks, Andries. But the design of this knife doesn't lend itself to that method. Especially if I hope to achieve the flawless fit I'm looking for.

I'm still looking at ways to successfully mask the guard, including an email suggestion from another KNet member to use all the nail polish I want. I've already tried using "ear buds" (we call them Q-tips -- a brand name -- in the U.S.). This brings out the pattern, slowly, but takes a long, long time and lots of Q-tips (my acids are nitric and sulfuric).

I was hoping someone had a magic formula for a paintable etch solution; something that goes on thick and stays where you put it until it's time to wipe it off.

-Frank


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  #4  
Old 05-24-2005, 10:08 PM
fitzo fitzo is offline
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Two people I know, Bill Buxton and Ron Duncan, coat the heck out of the parts to be protected with nail polish and dump it in the ferric chloride all the time, Frank. Take it off afterwards with acetone. Works well for them.
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  #5  
Old 05-27-2005, 07:16 PM
simmonsk simmonsk is offline
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Somewhere I heard that you can seal it up with superglue gel.
Let us know what you ended up with.
Thanks, Ken


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  #6  
Old 05-28-2005, 12:10 AM
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TexasJack TexasJack is offline
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The problem with using a paste is that it will be hard to get consistent etching. Etchants work best when they are relatively dilute. The iron that's being removed from the surface needs water to go into solution so that it doesn't "block" that same area from being exposed to the etchant.

Nail polish seems a bit more than you need. Wax should work fine - as long as you are careful at the edges of the waxed area. Take a piece of scrap steel and try it.


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  #7  
Old 05-28-2005, 12:41 AM
dudeinthehut dudeinthehut is offline
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It seems like a general etching ground which is available from a variety online sources would be perfect and a bit easier to remove. You just brush it on. It is thin and should get into tight spots to protect pins and solder.

I get my stuff from Graphic Chemical and Ink. Just a few bucks.

Andy


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  #8  
Old 05-28-2005, 07:59 AM
B. Buxton B. Buxton is offline
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Frank, do like Fitzo said, I'm not a big fan of gluing a guard on, so most everything I do is soldered. Hard to solder and clean up a etched damascus guard without messing up the etch. Just go to wal-mart and get some express nail polish, it dries so much faster and red, pink or blue adds so much more color to the shop. LOL Just kidding but it does make it easier to see where you applied it. Carefully apply the polish to everything you don't want etched. Now you can dunk that area into your etchant or you can keep applyng the etchant with q-tips, takes a while but it will do the job. I use ferric chloride mixed 4water -1 acid and etch 10 minutes at a time until I get the desired depth. Lightly sand with 2000 grit paper between etch sessions and be careful not the sand into your nail polish anywhere. When I've reached the desired depth I spray down good with ammonia windex and then wash good with a baking soda solution. It won't hurt your solder joint, it will turn the surface a bit dark but you can brighten that back up when you clean up the guard after the last etch. Works for me.
I forgot to add, just wipe the nail polish off with acetone when your finished.
Good luck,

Bill


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Last edited by B. Buxton; 05-28-2005 at 08:01 AM.
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