Makers Mark

[duck26]

I'm using a Etch o matic to try and etch some 0-1 tool steel after heat treat. I've experimented quite a bit and almost always end up with a slight rusty cloud around the mark.
Best results are 3 applications of 10 secs, then rub on a baking soda mixture followed by wd-40. Within a day or 2 rust appears in and around the mark. Any ideas on what I an missing?
Thanks.

[Ray Rogers]

I use the same etcher on O1 all the time but my method is slightly different. You have 3 applications of 10 seconds each, I use one application of 20 seconds BUT I hold the etcher down for 3 seconds and raise it for 2 seconds four times. I still get a brown cloud which I easily remove with a light application of Semi-Chrome metal polish applied over the entire blade. The brown doesn't come back, the blade doesn't rust and no WD-40 is involved.

Aside from that, I use the 'general use' etchant that comes with the Etch-O-Matic for my carbon blades. For stainless I use their stainless etchant and increase the time to 25 seconds ...

[Bob Hatfield]

I threw the instructions away that came with the Etch-O-Matic and do the following. I grind the blade to a 400 or 600 grit on my Bader 2"X72" grinder. then etch the blade as following. On the etch cycle I touch the pad to the stencil 20 times for 1 second each time. This gives a deep 3-4 thousand etch into the steel. I switch then to the "mark" cycle and repeat the 1 second intervals for about 12-15 times.
I then go back to the grinder and do a very light polish using the 400 or 600 grit that I had polished the blade too before the etching process. It cleans up the "brown cloud" and leaves a sharp crisp logo on the blade.