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I Forge Iron

First Pattern Welded Knife


Zachary

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Correction,

  to my post just above.

Nitric acid is a concentrated corrosive chemical. (usually 68% out of the flask).

The wood treatment is done with a dilute solution of that acid.  Just about 10%.

If you ever attempt to dilute acid, always slowly add the acid into water.

NEVER add water into acid. The acid will boil up and often spit into the air.

Use gloves, face mask, expendable clothing, (fully covering yourself), and good ventilation while doing so.

(ideally outdoors.).

SLAG.

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Dad and well . . . everybody we used to prospect with for gold had stains from nitric acid, mostly fumes. Even right through gloves and clothes. We needed fuming nitric in the extraction process and just got used to having brown stained skin. Think severe nicotine stains like on the fingers of grandpaw's cigarette hand only worse. 

I won't discuss some of the things a 10-14 yr old with access to fuming nitric acid . . . experimented on. I always seemed to have nitric acid stained skin.

Frosty The Lucky.

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Good points Frosty,

Fuming nitric acid,  (HNO3), is term that denotes nitric acid that is 86% acid in water, or higher. 

The fumes are primarily nitrogen dioxide, (NO2), in solution and also in the vapor.   The color is rusty brown.

The fumes are highly corrosive and dangerous.

Anhydrous nitric acid has white fumes. Its concentration is 98%

The nicotine looking hand staining is the result of nitric acid attacking the organic compounds in the skin. (for example chiefly keratin). And also proteins.  (big time),  and fats.

All of the preceding are oxidation reactions. The acid is a very strong oxidant 

And, there are acid resistant skin creams available.

The acid does affect polymers.

Neither of us was aware of them years back,  when we messed with the chemical and its  reactions. (e.g. nitration).

It is imperative to know some chemistry and safety procedures,  before experimenting with that acid.

SLAG.

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