18th Centuary Ottoman Kard.

[mariusgmioc]

Restauration of antique oriental Damascus / Wootz blades

1. always wear protective vinyl gloves
2. clean the blade thoroughly with White Spirit
(3.) if the surface is rusty, remove all rust with Picreator’s Renaissance Metal De-Corroder, by either completely immersing the blade in the liquid or applying the liquid locally where needed
(4.) if the surface is badly pitted, polish the surface with sandpaper up to grit 2000-5000 (be careful that polishing is removing material from the blade, thus, it is an invasive procedure and should be applied with restraint; wootz is highly susceptible to pitting but slight pitting does not affect the end result too badly)
5. clean thoroughly the blade with White Spirit
6. etch the blade with Nital (solution of nitric acid 3-5% in alcohol) or with ferric chloride (20%)
6.1. protect the areas that do not need to be etched with polyethylene foil (cling film) and/or with Renaissance Wax
6.2. immerse the blade in the etchant solution, or apply the solution with cotton swabs, in quick moves in order to distribute the etchant evenly over the whole surface
6.3. the time for etchant to work should be very short, around 3-7 seconds, depending on the quality of the steel and the quality of the etchant (longer times tend to cause a golden oxidation and can completely mask the watering patterns of the Wootz)
6.4. remove all the etchant by flushing it generously with running water (some suggest to neutralize the etchant by using water with baking soda but I did not try it)
6.5. dry thoroughly the blade with soft, absorbent tissue, and if necessary use a hot air blower (but make sure the air is not too hot since differential dilatation of the components of the weapon can cause major damage)
(6.6.) wipe very gently the blade with cotton swabs and Picreator’s Pre-Lim polishing paste (I use this to remove the golden oxidation that appears occasionally)
6.7. clean the blade thoroughly with White Spirit
(6.8.) repeat steps 6.2-6.7 two or three times
7. protect the whole blade with Picreator’s Renaissance Wax for long term conservation

Observations:
a. The quality of the end result depends mainly on
the quality of the Wootz
the heat treatment of the blade
the quality of the etchant.
b. I had situations where I got very different results, varying from a very high contrast, dark pattern similar to Kara Taban, to low contrast silvery-grey watering pattern over the length of the very same blade. I assume this was caused by the different heat treatment the blade was exposed to.

Any suggestions or comments that would help improve this technique would be welcomed.

[Miguel]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

Restauration of antique oriental Damascus / Wootz blades

1. always wear protective vinyl gloves
2. clean the blade thoroughly with White Spirit
(3.) if the surface is rusty, remove all rust with Picreator’s Renaissance Metal De-Corroder, by either completely immersing the blade in the liquid or applying the liquid locally where needed
(4.) if the surface is badly pitted, polish the surface with sandpaper up to grit 2000-5000 (be careful that polishing is removing material from the blade, thus, it is an invasive procedure and should be applied with restraint; wootz is highly susceptible to pitting but slight pitting does not affect the end result too badly)
5. clean thoroughly the blade with White Spirit
6. etch the blade with Nital (solution of nitric acid 3-5% in alcohol) or with ferric chloride (20%)
6.1. protect the areas that do not need to be etched with polyethylene foil (cling film) and/or with Renaissance Wax
6.2. immerse the blade in the etchant solution, or apply the solution with cotton swabs, in quick moves in order to distribute the etchant evenly over the whole surface
6.3. the time for etchant to work should be very short, around 3-7 seconds, depending on the quality of the steel and the quality of the etchant (longer times tend to cause a golden oxidation and can completely mask the watering patterns of the Wootz)
6.4. remove all the etchant by flushing it generously with running water (some suggest to neutralize the etchant by using water with baking soda but I did not try it)
6.5. dry thoroughly the blade with soft, absorbent tissue, and if necessary use a hot air blower (but make sure the air is not too hot since differential dilatation of the components of the weapon can cause major damage)
(6.6.) wipe very gently the blade with cotton swabs and Picreator’s Pre-Lim polishing paste (I use this to remove the golden oxidation that appears occasionally)
6.7. clean the blade thoroughly with White Spirit
(6.8.) repeat steps 6.2-6.7 two or three times
7. protect the whole blade with Picreator’s Renaissance Wax for long term conservation

Observations:
a. The quality of the end result depends mainly on
the quality of the Wootz
the heat treatment of the blade
the quality of the etchant.
b. I had situations where I got very different results, varying from a very high contrast, dark pattern similar to Kara Taban, to low contrast silvery-grey watering pattern over the length of the very same blade. I assume this was caused by the different heat treatment the blade was exposed to.

Any suggestions or comments that would help improve this technique would be welcomed.

Thanks for this info but I would be reluctant to clean and etch this blade in case I damaged it, however I do have some helmets with chain mail around the bottom which is rusted and would be like to know if Picreator’s Renaissance Metal De-Corroder would be suitable for removing the rust?
Regards
Miguel

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Miguel

Thanks for this info but I would be reluctant to clean and etch this blade in case I damaged it, however I do have some helmets with chain mail around the bottom which is rusted and would be like to know if Picreator’s Renaissance Metal De-Corroder would be suitable for removing the rust?
Regards
Miguel

What country are you in?

[mariusgmioc]

Picreator's Metal De-corroder is specifically designed to remove the rust but, it is rather expensive.

Here is the link to Pireator's website where you can find more information on their products.

http://www.picreator.co.uk/articles/1_about_us.htm

As with regards to cleaning and etching the blade, is always better safe than sorry.

PS: I don't really believe that is relevant whether the hilt is Jadeite, Nephrite (these two are known under the generic name of Jade), Serpentine or Onyx as they are very similar and sometimes it is very difficult even for connoisseurs to distinguish them. Yet, for your hilt my bet would be Onyx (it is a Turkish knife and they have some beautiful green Onyx deposits in Central Anatolia).
Just be aware that much of what is called "Jade" is not Jade (namely Jadeite or Nephrite) but Serpentine, Onyx and other similar minerals and sometimes even glass (most of the Chinese "jade" figures you can buy on the net are actually glass).

[Miguel]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

Picreator's Metal De-corroder is specifically designed to remove the rust but, it is rather expensive.

Here is the link to Pireator's website where you can find more information on their products.

http://www.picreator.co.uk/articles/1_about_us.htm

As with regards to cleaning and etching the blade, is always better safe than sorry.

PS: I don't really believe that is relevant whether the hilt is Jadeite, Nephrite (these two are known under the generic name of Jade), Serpentine or Onyx as they are very similar and sometimes it is very difficult even for connoisseurs to distinguish them. Yet, for your hilt my bet would be Onyx (it is a Turkish knife and they have some beautiful green Onyx deposits in Central Anatolia).
Just be aware that much of what is called "Jade" is not Jade (namely Jadeite or Nephrite) but Serpentine, Onyx and other similar minerals and sometimes even glass (most of the Chinese "jade" figures you can buy on the net are actually glass).

Thank you for the information.

[Miguel]

Originally Posted by estcrh

What country are you in?

Why do you ask ?

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Miguel

Why do you ask ?

Miquel, some derusters are only available in certain regions, there are some very good ones available in North America which you can not get in other areas and vice versa.

[Miguel]

Originally Posted by estcrh

Miquel, some derusters are only available in certain regions, there are some very good ones available in North America which you can not get on other areas and vice versa.

I see why you asked, I am in the UK.
Regards
Miguel

[estcrh]

Here is another small Ottoman kard.