Etching Blades

[Rick]

I don't think there's really a set ratio as different steels react in different times and ways with fecl .
I always start out with 20% fecl or less .
I always mix only with distilled water .
You can always boost the ratio from there .

Just keep the solution moving on the blade surface .

The only piece I have let stand in a solution was a contemporary Indian kanjar with a bird's eye damascus pattern , I was looking to make a topographical etch and it worked in about 30 minutes .

[Federico]

I use the brush method myself, though usually cheap tooth brushes. Always helps the solution find those little gaps, and stick better if its agitated just a bit.

Heating the blade also really helps the etch to take hold. You can use a blow dryer, or if its hot and sunny out leave it in the sun a bit. Ideally heating the solution would help too, but that is more a factor with weaker acids, like vinegar.

As for concentrations, I use powdered FeCL and mix my own solution. I normally cut it to a 50/50 solution. If its too strong, then the blade builds a thin layer of oxides extremely quick eg. turns black, but I stress its a thin layer, and ironically the quick build up of oxides prevents further etching as the etchant will sit on top of the oxide layer and not go further in. Anyways, try different acids out, as different blades sometimes react better to different acids. I usually switch between lemon juice and FeCL. Lemon juice may surprise you if you havent tried it, as it is a very strong etchant, but sometimes tends for a more whitish color. I use it for initial cleaning etches, particularly if the blade is rusty (it can eat the rust without leaving large oxide deposits like FeCL). FeCL tends to be more black, and I really only use it if lemon juice doesnt give me the right color. Naval Jelly gives a grayish look. Etc... experiment.

I also recommend multiple short etches (let the blade soak 2-5 minutes), followed by light oxide removal (I usually remove with 2500 grit paper lubricated with a fragrant oil). Sometimes one etch is just perfect, but if not multiple etches are safer than one real long soak as it allows you to fix things in case something goes wrong. It also allows you to adjust the coloring, darker or light as your taste.

If you are really worried about damaging an inlay, or plated fittings, you can always seal them with a little clear lacquer or epoxy (crazy glue works). Easily removed with acetone.

Hmm...oh yeah dont forget make sure it is absolutely grease free. I normally wash the blade with dishwashing soap, then wipe it down with Isopropyl.

[Spunjer]

thanks for the reply, federico. another confusing aspect of etching that's been bugging me is this; do i polish the blade before etching, or do i polish it later? on the last kris i acquired, this is basically what i did:

• sprayed the blade with wd40 and scrubbed with 0000 steel wool

• washed with diswashing soap and water, then scrubbed it some more with 0000 steel wool

• thouroughly dried the blade with blow dryer, esp. where the metal and wood meet

• polished the blade with metal-glo, using cotton balls and small circles

• applied rennaisance wax

so if i want to etch it, do i remove the wax (by heat and rubbing alcohol) and etch it at this point? btw, i'm just using this blade as an example. i'm actually hesitant etching this particular sword due to its 'tiger' pattern...

[Federico]

Make sure when etching there is absolutely nothing on the blade. It should be raw steel contacting etchant. So no Ren wax.

Typically, if the blade is in good condition, you should not have to polish it at all before etching. Just clean it, degrease it, and go.

However, if for some reason it need polishing (lets say the steel grain was sealed because a previous owner had used a buffer on it, or the surface is too un-even for an etch to be applied), I would start with the same grit sandpaper as whatever blemish needs to be removed (eg. if someone had ground the blade with a 220 grit stone, and hence it was too uneven to etch, I would start with 220 grit paper). However, if its just sealed, the about 400-600 grit should be coarse enough to open the pores back up. The you will need to go through the grits till you get a nice even finish. I normally stop at 2500 grit. I do not recommend polishing the blade with a polishing agent, as some contain chemicals that will stick to the steel, and mess up the etch. Also, you are trying to open the grain of the steel, polishing with an agent may close them again.

Anyways, for all new blades that I get that lets say have been stored with bad owners (meaning they are in rough shape). I always clean the blade with acetone. This removes any old oil, cosmoline, dirt, etc... I also recommend washing wood and other natural materials with warm lightly soapy water, dont soak it, just lightly with a sponge. That gives a good base from which to decide what restoration work if any needs to be done.

[Spunjer]

i have couple blades coming my way and one of them might be a good experimental piece. thanks a lot for your feedback...

[ariel]

An acquaintance of mine told me that the best way to polish swords (even Japanese!) is to use an electrically-powered contraption (lsuch as a a drill) fitted with a felt wheel and jewellers Rouge. he showed me some of the final results and they looked very good.
Does anybody have an opinion?
Also, would one use an etchant on the Japanese blade to accentuate the hamon?

[Rivkin]

No, afaik, you don't use an etchant on japanese blades. Polishing them is a royal pain.