Logo marking help needed!

EdCaffreyMS said:

I agree with said above....of course I think everybody does it slightly differently. Windex is what made all the difference in the world for me, and I do about 10 "touches", holding the pad on for a quick 5 second count each time. First is the "etch" setting, then I do the same thing for the "mark" setting.

In your case, the blade's finish is going to force you to "change" how it's done, versus a "clean" finished blade.


OK, I've just gotta ask the question..... is that "picture" what you are marking your blades with? Anything else? Unless you have your NAME on there somewhere, I think you're making a mistake. I can't count the number of people who have walked into my shop over the years, with a knife that had either initials or some strange logo on it, asking me if I knew, or could help them find who made it....so they could order another. While a logo might have a special meaning to the knifemaker, you have to think about what it will mean to someone who's never seen it before. Just by viewing the information on the "mark", will an individual be able to immediately identify who made it? Will they be able to locate you by a quick internet search? See where I'm going here? If your intent is to EVER sell a knife, its in your own best interest to ensure that anybody who sees the "mark", can identify who made the knife, and at least give them a direction to find/contact you.

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taylormadeknives said:

Use the etch cycle first. Try 6 to 8 touches to the steel. You need to remove the metal before you try to darken it with the mark setting. Try the same sequence for the mark setting to darken the mark after etching.

You want your pad moist, not wet. Some steels etch differently. Carbon steel etches much faster than stainless steel in my experience. You'll need to play with the amount of time and such with different steels. Once you find a good process, right it down. Say 6 touches on etch setting and 8 touches on mark setting for 0-1 tool steel at 3 on the power setting. 154 cm may be 10 and 10.

I cut my pad down to just a touch bigger than my mark. It's way to big the way it is. At least for me.

Here's my etched mark

Hope this helps

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Ed, the Windex you are speaking of are you using the new formula of the old one that has ammonia in it???

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EdCaffreyMS said:

The "windex" I use is basically a homemade thing..... I buy the jugs of "window cleaner" from Big Lots, along with the jugs of "ammonia". and then mix then in the spray bottle approx 2/3 window cleaner, and 1/3 ammonia.

I'm not using the "windex" to clean anything, but rather tape the stencil in place, then wet it down with "windex" before I start etching the mark... doing so gives me a much cleaner/darker mark without any "shadows" versus not wetting the stencil down with "windex".

That's different then the etchant.....I wet the etcher pad then dab it on a paper towel a couple of times (like you mentioned) to get the excess off before putting the pad to the stencil.

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Darrin Sanders said:

When I acid etch a blade, I don't use the marking side of the switch on the etcher because the acid will etch everything and turn it black anyway. I just go as deep as the etcher will go before I etch.
In order for us to be able to help, you need to do an etch on some plain hardened steel to see what that type of etch looks like. That way we will have a better idea of the problem. Oh, BTW, I suggest starting with a new stencil to eliminate that variable.

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Grussing_Custom_Knives said:

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John Wilson said:

etching stencils are just like screenprinting stencils. It's a screen covered in a coating and then the image blocks the coating from curing, and is washed away. Voila, a solid sheet with holes in the shape of your mark. That hole pattern is what you are etching/marking through. (you can't see holes unless you look through high magnification. But your mark is passing through a screen mesh.)

Just like with screenprinting stencils, those holes get loaded up with debris, especially if you are etching/marking really dark. Those dark particles clog up the holes and some of your mark may come out looking faded because those holes in the screen mesh were clogged and blocking the current flow/etchant during the process.

I have found it to be a good practice to clean my stencils with the cleaner solution after each use. Lay the stencil on a clean paper towel and wipe the stencil with a paper towel wetted with cleaner. Do both sides. You'll see heavy black debris from your mark holes collect on the paper towel. Now you know you just saved your next etch by getting that blocking crud out of the stencil.

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Bill Hubbell said:

Just a thought-
Have you had the same results with more than one stencil? The reason I ask is awhile back I was etching a knife that I wanted to have the absolute best etch I could do. The stencil I had been using had probably been used about a dozen times. So, I grabbed a fresh stencil. That stencil was defective. About half of my makers mark was missing (from the knife). What was there looked great- but the rest did nothing. Come to find out, the stencil was defective. Fortunately, I was etching the spine of a pretty large knife and could go back to the grinder and take off enough to remove the defective etch, and then work back through the grits. When I went back to the older stencil, everything worked great. I now keep a scrap of mild steel in my etch box. I will always try a new stencil on scrap stock now before risking a botched etch job on a knife that I have countless hours invested in.
-Might not be the problem with yours, but something to think about.
I apologize- I just saw a post stating that the stencil worked great on another knife. I have edited this and will leave this post, just as a reminder that stencils can be faulty.

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