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Originally Posted by kai
I agree that the etch seems perfectly ok - you often see these crystalline structures once the polish is done nicely and the etching accentuates the details of the clean metal surface.
I prefer to use industrial acetic acid because its strength is exactly known and can be diluted for routine use (more reproducible). The advantage of AA being volatile is that it can be completely removed via heating the blade and that it tends to also work on rust in crevices (it helps long-term preservation to remove all active rust). This can lead to some porosity of the blade and you start to see this with the narrow pamor band on each side. IMHO this is not a problem but I'd avoid to etch more (repolishing and re-etching are always an option if the surface gets too rough from over-etching). After a thorough oiling, you can go for sealing with microcristalline wax (which can also be used to close the larger pores if deemed preferable).
Regards,
Kai
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Thanks for the tips, Kai. I will keep them in mind next time I etch a blade. Much appreciated!
Regards,
F. de Luzon