fat pete Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 i have a piece we made out of some pattern welded nickle and 1060...gives a good contrast after its etched..the prob i have is when i etch I put it in the ferric chloride for a bit...then i dip it in a baking soda solution...then regular water...i then hand dried it and even used a hair drier to realy dry it...thne i clear coated it it. After I etch something and dip it in the baking soda it should not immediately rust...am I correct? I would think it should only rust if I wouldnt nutralize the acid... Its actually rusting under the clear coat...bummer cause it looks so cool out of the etch...but it dulls afterwards. How do you keep the original colors after you etch...they r so dramatic...I am trying to perserve the drama Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Welded billets look better when you etch them after they are heat treated. And I do not see a mention of oil. Did you oil the billet after you cleaned off all of the etch and baking soda? If not you may want to try another etch and see if that removes the rust then clean and oil. I have a pan of motor oil I drop them into and go do something else for a while then I just wipe most of the oil off. I clean the oil off for handle fitting and as soon as that is done I apply a couple of coats of ren wax. One last thought. rust starts easier if it has something to bite into. A finer grit grind reduces that. course grinds rust really fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat pete Posted December 16, 2009 Author Share Posted December 16, 2009 well .... the billet was pressed into a paperweight...so no grinding....we left it in Vinegar for a couple of days and he then annealed it....so when i got it i put a wire wheel to it and got all the soot off...then i etched it ....looked realy good...i want that look....really good contrast so oil works like the baking soda? neutralizes the acid in the etch? thats what i think happened , i didnt neutralize the acid enuff...right or wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 I do not use baking soda. I use windex and then clean water and then into oil...if you used baking soda then yoiu most likely took care of the etchant. that steel needs oil. Clean all of the oil off of any piece of carbon steel and it will rust. The rougher the surface the faster it forms. Oil prevents rust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thingmaker3 Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 (edited) Ferric Chloride is not an acid*. It is a corrosive salt. Baking soda won't "neutralize" it. Niether will isopropanol* (aka Windex). Instead of "dipping" the piece in water, try rinsing it off really well - even scrubbing with a soft cloth or brush. Edited December 19, 2009 by mod07 *Science does not agree with either statement, but each is allowed an opnion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Windex is ammonia. I just read the bottle. I also admit it is generic. "water, surfactants, ammonia, dye" Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Ya'all made me think on this one so I googled the msds sheets for ferric chloride: says it is an acid. Msds sheet for ammonia says alkaline. Maybe that is why windex has worked for me for well over a decade of use. And then again it may be due to the item that thing maker m entioned,,,water. I use a large bucket of water and a tooth brush to scrub with plain water, then same with windex, then again with water. Then into oil. I wonder a bit if I stopped using the windex would the water work just as well. But I am likely to go ahead with the above routine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat pete Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 thanks guys i am gonna give the windex and water then oil and we will see what happens....water is a little difficult in the shop right now....it kinda got hard....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Considering you are making a paper weight, you might want to use bees wax or carnuba and gently melt it in as the finish. I went to the Art Chemical site because I use Ferric Chloride as a patina chemical and found this: ArtChemicals.com - Chemistry for the Imagination Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat pete Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 its such a cool contrast and the lines are so dramatic that i want a clear finish .... i guess controling and protecting the etch is the goal...wouldnt wax kinda blur the lines Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Cold or melted wax on warm, but not hot iron is a clear finish that can be buffed to a point. We are dealing with temperatures around 120F, so hot to touch, but you can handle. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thingmaker3 Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Ya'all made me think on this one so I googled the msds sheets for ferric chloride: says it is an acid. Now you've got my curiosity piqued. (Tit for tat, eh?) I browsed a few MSDS sheets myself as a result. Most did not contain the word "acid," but one did say "inorganic acidic salt." Additional surfing turned up several kinds of Windex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Tm I lookled up another msds and it did not mention the ph. So, I looked up ph of this stuff and found it on this page. FERRIC CHLORIDE | CAMEO Chemicals | NOAA Says ph is 2 in the concentration of the solution they tested. Which they say is good for etching printed circuit boards. Google..wot did we do without it?.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat pete Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 (edited) Cold or melted wax on warm i got min wax but its dark...butchers wax and thats auburn....bees wax... never used it, so i am not sure of what color it will be...but i possess some maybe i should go get some carnuba car paste wax or ....what? Edited December 18, 2009 by fat pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 How about fresh paraffin wax? Sometimes sold as canning wax. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat pete Posted December 19, 2009 Author Share Posted December 19, 2009 i know what that is ...parrafin...get my wife to can....ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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