Etching with vinegar

[oakwoodforge]

Need to etch a billet or knock the scale of a freshly forged blade ? Don't want to mess with dangerous acids, or can't buy them locally? A gallon bottle of household white vinegar usualy costs less than $2.00 and is quite safe to use. If you get it on your skin you might smell a little funny, but NO emergency room trip.
To speed up the etching it helps to warm up the vinegar, at room temperature de-scaling a blade may take over night. But if you do like I do and keep the vinegar in a tupperware like container, warm it for 2 or 3 min. in the microwave (WITHOUT ANY STEEL IN IT) and it will knock the scale off in a matter of just a few moments. Granted it dosen't work as well as muratic acid or ferric chloride, or nitric acid. But it does work, you can get it anywhere, it's cheap and above all is safer to use than some of the more agressive acids.

Jens

[ThomasPowers]

Try adding some salt to that hot vinegar for a bit more aggressive etch.

Thomas

[mcraigl]

Could someone post of picture of a blade or something that's been done in this way for me? Not sure what it looks like.

[oakwoodforge]

mcraigl, The first blade here is 1084 and has been vinegar diped to remove the forge scale, to save wear on files , sanding belts and of course save on that expensive elbow grease. The 2nd one here is a 1095 blade that has been etched in Vinegar to reveal the hammon line.



Jens

[mcraigl]

Right on Jens. That's pretty nice. I've got to try the pattern weling / damascus thing once I get my basic skills up a little more. Pretty busy makeing hardies, chisels, tongs and steak turners right now. I did through a couple of steak turners in vinegar and WOW, it really knocks the scale off them. Since I don't have my wire wheel set up yet, and forgot to take them to Mike-hr's.

[B. Norris]

Vinegar is a cheap and effective way to remove galvanization (zinc) from a piece that you want to get hot. A few bucks worth can literally save you thousands down the road in medical bills.

[Dodge]

I use vinegar because when I was ready to etch it was too late at night to go buy anything else. I knew vinegar was not only tastey on salads but was also a mild acid. And I had to see the pattern NOW!!! (Well, in the morning anyway) I used it cold

[Ellen]

In my flypress tooling class, John Crouchet used "Agricultural" vinegar he bought at a local feed and ranch store; it is a slightly more concentrated form of vinegar and worked nicely for removing scale.

One thing I like about vinegar is no disposal or environmental problems......

[Jeff Mack]

If I recall correctly, the water in vinegar will freeze before the acid will, so you can put some regular vinegar in a dish in the freezer, and shim off the ice that forms to concentrate it.

[Dodge]

Interesting idea, Jeff. I might have to try that. My wife already thinks I'm nutz. Wait'll she see's the vinegar in her freezer! LOL