Acid engraving

[Jacob s]

hi guys, its been a long time since my last post (as drenched_in_flame) but i was wondering about a topic that was mentioned, i was planning on preparing for a project i want to do involving creating a specific pattern on a blade, the thought occurred that someone earlier had suggested acid engraving. right now all i know is it involves coating the blade in wax etching the design in the wax and putting it in acid,my questions would then be, what type of acid to use,any specific wax and about how long the metal should remain exposed to the acid, as well as any other specifics i should be aware of as to safety of personnel and metal. any advice and information would help, thanks :)

[edge9001]

hi guys, its been a long time since my last post (as drenched_in_flame) but i was wondering about a topic that was mentioned, i was planning on preparing for a project i want to do involving creating a specific pattern on a blade, the thought occurred that someone earlier had suggested acid engraving. right now all i know is it involves coating the blade in wax etching the design in the wax and putting it in acid,my questions would then be, what type of acid to use,any specific wax and about how long the metal should remain exposed to the acid, as well as any other specifics i should be aware of as to safety of personnel and metal. any advice and information would help, thanks

I wold suggest parafin wax and battery acid might do the trick, as for how long to leave it on the blade thay would be trial and error, experiment on some scrap with a simple design like a few lines and time each one to seem how dep of an impression you make. Safety, I would suggest safety glasses a fAce shield gloves sleeves and pants a respirator and good exhaust fans. or atleast be as safe as you can because acids can be nasty things.


I recommentd battery acid specifically because when youbuy it it comes with the safety info you will need to know.
As an alternative, depending on how deeply you want the design etched on, sand blasting might work, but I'm not familiar with that process enough to say for sure.

[Sweany]

Hang around the knife forums some, there is loads of info on this subject.

here's a nice example. Ferric Chloride is much easier on the body than acid. If you use acid check the MSDS for safety procedures

http://swc-handmade-knives.com/BLADE-ETCHING

You can do quick etch using two d cell batteries and salt water.

http://www.navaching.com/forge/etching.html

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADRA_enUS388US389&q=slatwater+etching

[ianinsa]

Don't bother with the wax its a mission, get your local signage guy to cut out your patern in stick on vynil. Then spray the blade with water mixed with a small amount of dishwash liquid, this will allow you to reposition the vynil and to squeese out all the air bubbels then mask off everywere else and imerse in a warm acid bath. The etching term for the acid mix is Mordant, for s/s you need 2prts Nitric acid and 3prts hydrocloric acid. If you are using Monel for your blades then use 1prt Nitric and 1prt. Acetic acid. Should you wish to use the wax type of system called Resist then Beeswax is the easiest for beginners once you have it off pat then you can use Paraffin wax, stovepipe enamel,lacquer and masking tape . But believe me sinage vynil is cheap easy and a good signage guy can do you some wicked pictures.
Have fun Ian

[MattBower]

Depending on what you want to do, messing with all those nasty acids isn't really necessary. Electroetching works very well for some things, and spills won't damage flesh or material. It's also quick. You can indeed use batteries as the power source -- or a battery charger, a power supply, etc.