Etching

[Wazukie]

My first attempt at etching a blade, Elk Tracks. It didn't work out so well so its back to the drawing board on the next one.

[jmccustomknives]

What's the blade made of, why are you etching it. That will effect procedures and chemicals.

[Wazukie]

The blade is 1084. My idea is to put the elk track on with a resistant and then etch in boiling vinegar. The plan was to have the tracks shiny and the blade the etched look. I have the ability to cut out any stencil I need, I just have to find the right resistant is my guess.

[Crex]

"etch in boiling vinegar" - is your main problem. The boiling action is too much agitation and is lifting your resist from the steel. Warm your vinegar with a spot lamp and 40 watt bulb. Just needs to be warm, not boiling. The slower etch will give much better results.

[graveyard]

i have not tried yet i have read ferric will etch pretty will

[Ray Rogers]

Butch,

No need to wait for the next one, just refinish this blade - a regrind with a fresh 400 grit belt should remove what you have there. As the others suggested, slightly warm vinegar would be much better than boiling vinegar...

[GHEzell]

Ferric chloride would work. Enamel paint or lacquer makes a good resist with it.

[Crex]

FeCl does work well, but is a different animal from white vinegar. You would be best served to practice a bit with the FeCl before trying it on a blade. It is faster but requires closer attention and a bit harder to "kill" - neutralize - completely on some steels. Also it's waste is considered a bio-waste by the EPA (but then we knifemakers' tend to use a lot of "hazardous" materials). White vinegar is not. Plus you can use the expended vinegar"roon" to blacken leather and wood safely.
Not trying to scare you off the ferric, just letting you know, you need to practice first.

[Wazukie]

Ok, I took your advice Ray. Re-ground with a 400gtir belt and re-etched. I used FeCl this time and used vinyl for my resistant. It worked pretty well. Next time I will do a 15 min soak, rinse and clean and then another 15 min soak.

I am happy with this and will put handle material on tomorrow.

[Crex]

That's a lot better, good job.
Why didn't you put your name/initials/mark on the blade while you were at it?

[Wazukie]

Crex, my vinyl cutter has a real hard time cutting small things. I did try using a shapie as a resistant but it lifted off quite easily. I will put my mark on it after it is completed. I do have an idea for the next one I etch though.

Thanks

[GHEzell]

That looks good!
Time, etchant strength, agitation, and temperature will all affect the depth of the etch. I etch at room temperature, mix my etchant with water (3 parts water to one part etchant), and it takes about 1 1/2 hours to get the depth that I want without agitation. I could use a stronger mix but I use the same mix to etch my damascus...

[Crex]

If you warm your etchant gently from beneath you will create movement or subtle agitation that will not lift your resist but still keep contact with the steel surface refreshed. I use a 60wt spot lamp aimed at the base of my etchant vessel (large glass pasta storage container). Gets it warm to the touch but not hot. I also suspend my blades so that they don't touch sides, bottom, or other blades.
Had one of those micro coffee cup warmers, like a mini-hotplate, but it finally got tired of working and I haven't bothered to find another. Worked great. Spot lamp works just as well and it was handy.

[Wazukie]

Done and mailed. It was given away on Hunting-Washington.com for a New Year giveaway.

[Crex]

Turned out very nice.