I have a pattern welded blade that I need to etch soon.  I plan to solder a brass guard in place.  As I understand it, ferric chloride will affect most metals, so the question is: how can I do one process without damaging the other?  Is it even possible with ferric chloride?  

Apply wax, nail polish, or established pro resist to the areas you don't want etched. Read up a little on what the easiest most effective resist for ferric chloride is first. Unless you want to experiment on scraps.

Frosty The Lucky.

Not sure of your knife's construction, but I would suggest fitting the guard tightly and using epoxy instead of solder.  

This way you can finish the two parts separately, without them effecting each other.

 

Thanks for the suggestions.  After reading a little more I'm thinking I may try an instant coffee etch first since I think that will take all the mess out of the equation.   If I don't like the results I have a couple other routes now. Thanks again.

personally I etch before mounting the guard, to avoid those problems

Good to know.  I had (apparently mistakenly) thought that the oxidized etched layer would complicate soldering.

I was just going to ask Steve about, 300 f. silver solder effecting etch colors. 

Frosty The Lucky.

etch, then carefully clean underneath where the guard will rest if concerned with oxides n such inhibiting the solder, though I don't think they will...

I will find out tonight.  Etched the blade in coffee and got what I think is a pretty good result.  With a little good fortune I'll be completely done by time I go to bed.

Pictures when you're done!

First the story, then the pics.  Despite questions of my wife's motivation and my sanity, this is for her birthday.  A couple years ago she mentioned that I'd made knives for a lot of other family members, but not for her.  When I asked what she wanted she said, "Something simple, like a dagger."  I was getting ready to tackle the project a while ago, but when we were watching one of the FIF episodes where they had to create pattern welded blades she asked me,  "Can you do that?"   At that point I had never forge welded anything, but I told her I probably could.

That's the background and here are some of the stats:  It's hand hammered 1095 and 15N20 at roughly 80 layers.  Since I'm a glutton for punishment I decided to add a fuller, which I set with the guillotine tool I made a few weeks ago.  I used a one inch contact wheel on the belt grinder to clean it up a bit though. The blade has a cutting edge about 5 3/4 inches long and was etched in instant coffee for about 4 hours.  Guard and pommel pieces are brass and the handle is stabilized burl picked out by my wife.  The glass ball on the end of the pommel is something she found in her dad's marble collection after he passed away and she asked me to incorporate it into the dagger somehow.

 

 

 

Very nice lines! I like the transition from handle to guard. it flows well. Good job on the pattern too.

 

What wood species is the burl?

Thanks!

I don't remember the burl type.  A couple years ago my wife bought several sets of burl scales online for me, and that was one of them.  That one was dyed green towards the blade and brown towards the pommel.

Nice looking blade Buzz.