Etching Damasteel

BrandantR

BrandantR

Well-Known Member
I recently acquired a beautiful piece of Damasteel which I decided to fashion into the bolsters on the latest folder I have on my bench. Since this is my first time using this particular product, I realized that I have a few questions on how to get the best finish. I figured that I would ask the experts before I mess up a beautiful and expensive piece of steel. I have done a fair amount of research on how to properly etch Damasteel, but I've found a lot of conflicting information. So, here are my questions:

1. How high of finish (i.e. what grit of abrasive) will give me the best finished look?
2. What is the best acid to use for etching Damasteel?
3. How long do I leave the steel in the acid for the best etch?
4. Where do I obtain the particular acid used for etching?

I've worked with stainless damascus before, but not this particular variety. Any information that you might be willing to share would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hi Brandant,
Not sure if I can help, but here it goes ! I have not used Damasteel, but I do use stainless Damascus. I had trouble etching with my ferric chloride, so a friend told me about using strait muratic acid. Easy to find at the hardware store. I store it in a tall glass container with a plastic lid. when i am ready to etch I use a double boiler " coffee can to hold water sitting on top of a hot plate" with glass container sitting in water. heat water to about 100 degrees. At this point the acid will be warm and ready to etch your blade. dip your blade and keep it moving back and forth to knock off the bubbles.Do this for about one minute then neutralize blade with baking soda and water. My blades get a 400 grit finish before I etch. This procedure can be done several times until you get results you want. Now about safety !!! Use Acid out doors or a very well ventilated area, acid vapors will kill your lungs. Acid vapors will rust anything steel in a large area where you etch! Wear the proper respirator for acid vapors! Wear long rubber gloves. With a few precautions this can be done safely, I was amazed how well this worked on stainless Damascus. Hope this helps ! Oh did I mention Safety First !!!!!!!!!!!
Clint
 
Clint, I appreciate your reply, and I agree wholeheartedly that safety comes first when using acid, or any other process or tool for that matter. I have etched several blades from Mike Norris damascus, which turned out really nice. From my readings about Damasteel, the normal methods used on other stainless damascus steels do not give the best finish. I hope someone with experience using Damasteel will chime in and share what works best as I'm getting ready to try etching my bolsters.
 
I think Bossdog sells Damasteel. Call up one of the nice folks at Midwest knife makers supply at the top and ask them.
 
Clint's method is exactly what I do on Damasteel. The only thing I do is give a very light buff after each etch to take the dullness away, then clean with alcohol and a paper towel. Make sure the blade is clean before going back into acid.
 
scherar said:
Clint's method is exactly what I do on Damasteel. The only thing I do is give a very light buff after each etch to take the dullness away, then clean with alcohol and a paper towel. Make sure the blade is clean before going back into acid.
Click to expand...

Thanks good friend, Your the one that taught me how to do this !
Clint
 
Thanks everybody for all your responses. I think I have enough info to give the etching a go. Wish me luck. I'll be sure to share the final results with you here.
 
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