Poor mans way of polishing Damascus?

Mark Barone

Mark Barone

Well-Known Member
I get a really good etch so I am able to sand the top layer nicely with a high grit. It’s nice but I was hoping to get a bit more shine to it. I don’t have access to conditions belts for my 1x42. Anyway to do it on a buffing wheel or other process.

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That blade is way over etched. So much so, that I suspect it will break along one of the layer lines with minimal force applied.

When prepping a Damascus blade for etch, go to 600-1200 by hand (NO POLISHING OR BUFFING!), then then etch. At the very most, you just want to BARELY be able to feel the topography with a fingernail.

If you don't want to resand/re etch that blade, I would suggest a hard backer, and sand with 600 to smooth it out. That's not gona save it from the possibility of breaking from the depth of etch, but will make is look better.
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
That blade is way over etched. So much so, that I suspect it will break along one of the layer lines with minimal force applied.

When prepping a Damascus blade for etch, go to 600-1200 by hand (NO POLISHING OR BUFFING!), then then etch. At the very most, you just want to BARELY be able to feel the topography with a fingernail.

If you don't want to resand/re etch that blade, I would suggest a hard backer, and sand with 600 to smooth it out. That's not gona save it from the possibility of breaking from the depth of etch, but will make is look better.
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Thanks for telling that. Yes the etch is way more than feeling with my fingernail. I thought there would be more of a problem with rusting but did not know the splitting issue. Is it like scoring plaster board with a knife type of effect?
 
Is it like scoring plaster board with a knife type of effect?
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Perfect example..... and right on point.

I suspect that close to the edge, some of the areas between layers is eaten all the way through. The telltale will be when you sharpen it, and if there are very fine lines that don't seem to come out..... that follow the layer lines, then there's problems.
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
Perfect example..... and right on point.

I suspect that close to the edge, some of the areas between layers is eaten all the way through. The telltale will be when you sharpen it, and if there are very fine lines that don't seem to come out..... that follow the layer lines, then there's problems.
Click to expand...
Wasn’t thinking how much it could eat through near the edge. Ed... I appreciate you sharing your knowledge.on a different subject. I don’t know if you remember when I had difficulty with my acid solution not lasting. I would make one knife and then a month later I would dip a knife in and nothing would happen. I bought new acid. Again one knife and later it wouldn’t etch another knife. I had the solution in a metal container. It was ruined by eating away the container. What was I thinking. You would think when I discolored my stainless steel kitchen sink a while back with that crap I would have realized that acid doesn’t know if it’s a knife or not.
 
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OH Wow! Sometimes the simplest things are the solution! And often times I don't even think to mention something like that....but from now on I will! :)

I've been at this so long, sometimes I forget that something I take for granted (like only using glass or plastic/PVC for etchants) is something "big" to someone else..... thanks for pointing out my failure in that area!
 
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