Quick question to anyone that knows a fix or a reason. I re-etched an older damascus pocket knife. Sanded it down with 600grit.Did it in muriatic acid. Steel wooled it and cleaned it after each cycle. Sanded the last time with 1500 n 2000. Soaked it in wd40. Next day,it turned brown. Did it all over again n sprayed it down with Rem oil. Next day,a little bit longer,but the silver in the damascus are the high spots,n yet again some more brown. Starting to freak out.
Something's not jiving
- Thread starter Kribbsy
- Start date
Jon Buescher
Well-Known Member
Did you neutralize the acid immediately following the etch?
Jon Buescher
Well-Known Member
@EdCaffreyMS recommends waxing the steel with an automotive wax
believerjoe
Well-Known Member
This is the problem. Mix baking soda in water and dip it in there.
Austin Thrasher
Well-Known Member
I use windex brand window cleaner to neutralize with and have had good luck with it. The baking soda and water will also work fine.
EdCaffreyMS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
Absolutely must neutralize any etch!
Kevin R. Cashen
Super Moderator
Two words- muriatic acid. This is basically a really cheap form of HCL. I will not allow a container of this stuff to be opened anywhere within the four walls of my shop, or I will be cleaning rust off from anything iron based at surprising distances from the acid. FeCl is essentially very diluted muriatic that has been supersaturated with dissolved iron, but is much easier to neutralize. I don't believe I have ever used muriatic when I didn't have some level of your problem. Here is the real issue with HCL based etchants- yes they are an acid, so you must neutralize them with a strong base solution, but this does not deal with the residual chlorine atoms still covering your blade, and that is why heavy rinsing and cleansing is necessary as well.
If you are using muriatic, which I have never gotten a consistent etch from without pitting or spotting, you will need to rinse well and then neutralize, then rinse and clean some more. I have used muriatic for topography and texturing of the steel, to be followed with coloring or patination for the final finish. When I do, I take it from the acid (which is outside) and immediately rinse. I then will scrub with baking soda or ammonia, and then clean with TSP, followed with water. I would wait until you see that it no longer wants to turn brown on you before sealing the problem in with oils or waxes, that way you can "rinse and repeat" again with more ease.
If you are using muriatic, which I have never gotten a consistent etch from without pitting or spotting, you will need to rinse well and then neutralize, then rinse and clean some more. I have used muriatic for topography and texturing of the steel, to be followed with coloring or patination for the final finish. When I do, I take it from the acid (which is outside) and immediately rinse. I then will scrub with baking soda or ammonia, and then clean with TSP, followed with water. I would wait until you see that it no longer wants to turn brown on you before sealing the problem in with oils or waxes, that way you can "rinse and repeat" again with more ease.
I neutralized after every etch with baking soda and water and windex for the last one. Sanded, soaked in wd40,the first day. Repeat the very next day,but Rem oil. Then the other day I sanded it again. Washed in soap n water with a toothbrush,then put canning wax on it n hit with a lighter real quick.
Ya man. Its nasty. I was doing it outside. I think I got it figured out. Im thinkin its from the copper or copperish coating thats on the outside of the coat hanger. Ill bet thats the problem
Ya man. Its nasty. I was doing it outside. I think I got it figured out. Im thinkin its from the copper or copperish coating thats on the outside of the coat hanger. Ill bet thats the
Absolutely. 3 of the 4 times with baking soda n water n the very last time with Windex. Im thinking it was the brownish outside of the coat hangar that kinda tried to copper plate itself.
I still have fingertips so I mustve neutralized. 3 of the 4 times with baking soda n the last with Windex. I think it was the copper or bronze on the outside of the coat hangar. Or hangars made of solid copperish colored stuff. Its silver now tho
EdCaffreyMS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
When you're etching something...think SURGICAL clean. That means not only the blade, but also anything that touches the etchant, including using ONLY stainless steel wire for holding whatever you're etching. In this instance, my money is on the coat hanger being the culprit/issue. That etchant/acid is now contaminated, and it's likely that the same thing will happen to anything you try to etch in the future.
Here's an older video that I did on etching.....
Kevin R. Cashen
Super Moderator
Metallic contamination will not show up later, it will appear in the etch and if it is Cu based it will be pink. Metallically contaminated etchant is essentially a very weak electroplating process, in this case with copper atoms in the solution being deposited in the surface of the steel. Pure Copper is pink in color, so your blade will turn pink. Copper, being most most receptive to the action, will take precedence. For example, if you put a brass rod in the solution along with your blade, you will not get a gold colored blade, it too will be pink, because zinc is not as friendly to the process as copper and it is being done atom by atom rather than the alloy.
While pink damascus is really annoying, I have found nonmetallic contamination to be an uglier death of an etchant, giving you pitting and nasty deposits and discoloration. It took a while, but I eventually learned my lesson about using my well water to cut my FeCl. When I made a rule to use only distilled water, things got much more consistent and predictable, and my etchant lasted longer.
If you really don't want to switch to FeCl, which would give you contrast to your damascus that muriatic will not, I would try cutting your HCL with distilled water and going for a longer etch, this will make the surface less porous afterwards. You could also give apple cider vinegar at try, it adds color without much bite, it takes more time, but there is no Cl involved.