Acid Etching, Vinegar/Mustard & Bleach Patinas

[Moin.]

No Summer Holidays, just the khujli to try something out

The ITCH to ETCH, eh??

Seriously sir, the commitment you show and the way you shell out time for doing all this stuff is amazing!!

And needless to mention, that khujli of yours is seriously contagious!! I have dipped my Meula M5161 in a thick milky solution of bleaching powder over-the-night and the blade didn't quiver. I guess the Inox SS is to blame. Will try it out on a cheaper blade today.

Waiting for an update on Khuk mod.

Thank you AK27, from what I've read any steel with a chromium content (corrosion resistance) of more than 13% qualifies for Stainless Steel. 440C which my Nieto, Rough Rider etc is made of has 17.5% Chromium content and hence the resisitance to corrosion even after dipping in Conc.HCL for 3 Hours. 1095 of the Kabar's has 0% Chromium and guess therefore corrodes easily in Bleach.

Back to teh office grind, will work on the Khuk over the week ends and as and when time permits on office days, got some new ideas as well that I want to try out.

Regards
Moin.

[ak27]

Moinji, I remember reading somewhere that 10-11% Chromium content is appropriate to call a steel stainless. That overwhelming content of Chromium is the fundamental reason why the Muelas do not hold an edge very-well. Same is the reason why the 1095 carbon steel holds an excellent edge. But, then again the Ka Bar is primarily used as a trench knife and hence is prone to high extents of rusting. This can be partially tackled with the matte black coating though.

[essdee1972]

Moin bhai, "POOJA" is what is scratched on the blade of your "cheap folder" - the first knife you showed. So I wondered.......

Yeah, Home Town is a good place to shop for tools, etc. Unless you prefer the gullies of Lohar Chawl (where, IMHO, you can get a better selection, but the distance and the searching part do it for me). Also provided you can tolerate the level of knowledge (or lack of it) of the floor staff of a modern trade outlet!! And no, I don't work for Future Group (and will never). Just a bit of advice - don't take ladies along, esp ladies who have a penchant for home decor!!

For HNO3, check out anyone you know who works in a school / college. Even someone who works in a testing lab (in a steel industry QA, for instance) might be able to help. Maybe "pilfer" a small bottle for you Good stuff, lab grade.

Stainless Steel: (from Wikipedia, since I have lost all my Metallurgical Engg books!!) "High oxidation-resistance in air at ambient temperature is normally achieved with additions of a minimum of 13% (by weight) chromium, and up to 26% is used for harsh environments. The chromium forms a passivation layer of chromium(III) oxide (Cr2O3) when exposed to oxygen. The layer is too thin to be visible, and the metal remains lustrous. The layer is impervious to water and air, protecting the metal beneath. Also, this layer quickly reforms when the surface is scratched. This phenomenon is called passivation and is seen in other metals, such as aluminium and titanium. Corrosion-resistance can be adversely affected if the component is used in a non-oxygenated environment, a typical example being underwater keel bolts buried in timber."

Also, "440C is considered a high-end stainless steel. It is very resistant to corrosion and is one of the most common stainless alloys used for knife making. 440C has highest carbon content in 440 group." - same source, my highlights. And "1095, a popular high-carbon steel for knives; it is more brittle than lower carbon steels such as 1055, 1060, 1070, and 1080. It has a carbon content of 0.90-1.03%".

I tried Rustoleum on a handicraft Tibetan knife. It got nice and clean and shiny. Lost the "patina".

Happy DIY-ing!

[Raghavachari]

I'm going to try with french mustard and tobasco.
On my BK14.
Will put up pics when its done.

[Moin.]

Got some Ferric Chloride after searching shop after shop in Lamington Road.Saw this wonderful video on etching on Youtube so had to try it out...



The Ferric Chloride is in powder form, the recommended is 500 gms in 1 Litre of water for etching PCB's.But what should be the recommended mix for etching steel ? Any advice appreciated..

[Moin.]

Finally managed to beat 440C, i.e managed to etch it. The Ferric Chloride from the bylanes of Lamington Road did the trick. Got the cheapest nail polish for INR 30, Nail Polish remover for INR 45 and one can of Ferric Chloride for INR 30.. One knife etched for less than INR 100, damn a pack of Classic Regular's cost 116 these days

Covered the knife in nail polish and tried to create a false hammon line and used the awl in my Victornox to do teh tiny scratches in the upper part of the blade.







As the concentration was not very strong, about 75gms of powderin about 300ml of water, dipped the blade for about 1.5 hrs.



This is how it looks after 1.5hrs in ferric chloride, the black portions are the areas where the acid has attacked the steel, the nail polish acts as a resist to the etchant







The Blade after cleaning under water to neutralise the acid and removing the nail polish with acetone.









I am not to pleased with the etch pattern so back to applying the nail polish and back in the acid bath

[Moin.]

The Blade after 2 Hours in Ferrous Chloride Solution. Still a lot of sanding and polishing left to get the desired effect. More or less WIP.

[Moin.]

RE ETCHING DAMASCUS

had this knife brought from Jaipur. The edge was about 2 mm thick, tried sharpeneing it on the bench grinder and lost the Damascus pattern on the bevel. Was not looking nice so thougt ofgiving the blade and crude forged antique look. Held it against the fine wheel of the grinder and rotated it in circular motion to get this pattern on the blade.









Off it goes into the ferrous chloride bottle, the pattern's emerging again very nicely, the softer metal being eaten away by the acid. I've read dipping the blade immediately into vinegar after the acid bath with darken the blade even more. Then its back to 1000 grit polish paper and then 2000 !!!

[Moin.]

Let the blade sit overnight as the solution was diluted to about 75gms of Ferrous Chloride to about a litre of water, the recommended being 500gms to a litre.

The Blade's now got a beautiful deep etch, the grind markes from the sharpening on the bench grinder have all disappeared. And the blade is as sharp as I would have liked it to be.

[essdee1972]

Cool, mate! The Rajasthani knife looks positively antique!! Now, you need to find someone gullible enough to believe this was made in 1732.....!! BTW, game for SoBo surfing next weekend?

[Bruno22]

Dr. Moin KME DCH EDIY (Knife Mod Expert, Dangerous Chemical Handler, Expert Do it Yourself)

[Moin.]

Cool, mate! The Rajasthani knife looks positively antique!! Now, you need to find someone gullible enough to believe this was made in 1732.....!! BTW, game for SoBo surfing next weekend?

Thanks Essdee Sure we are catching up over the "Tooly" week end

Regards
Moin.

[Moin.]

Dr. Moin KME DCH EDIY (Knife Mod Expert, Dangerous Chemical Handler, Expert Do it Yourself)

Thank You SirBruno !! You are too kind !! Thanks you for the very generous compliment....

Regards
Moin.

[Moin.]

Grooves done in the scales

[choombak]

Grooves done in the scales

[ Image ]

Nice, but they bite! Some smoothing the edges of the grooves is in order...