Ive been trying to get a decent etch on a billet of welded cable all evening :mad: heres the deal....
I know the cable will etch because I welded a sinlge billet last week and it took a nice etch in hot vinegar/lemon juice...This time I needed a wider blade so I folded the billet once and welded, then folded again and welded..Would these multiple welds in the cable billet make it harder to etch :confused: This time Ive even had the vinegar/lemon juice at a slow boil for well over 20 minutes and only the slightest hint of a pattern.last time i only heated the mix..The blade was machine sanded to 400 grit then hand finished at 1000 grit..Cleaned well just like befor....I suppose Im just gonna have to break down and buy some ferric chloride aint I??????????

Could it be that you made the pattern to small to see? Not sure but I remember hearing some where there is a point the pattern will disappear. I do not know but would like to hear what some of the others say here.

In my experiences with cable it requires a much deeper etch than damascus because all the steel is the same. The pattern you end up with is due to the individual forge welds that take place between each of the many strands. I have heard this referred to as de-carb lines. I have used ferric chloride in many different dilutions with water, the strongest being 50/50, as well as using vinegar and ferric mixed 50/50 I have done it for hours taking it out every ten minutes or so to remove the oxidation, I was told the black looking oxidation hampers the etching process. I have found that muriatic acid is much quicker and if you heat it first to about 140 degrees F it gives you a totally different look, as well as makes it work even quicker. This is some nasty stuff though, due to getting it on your skin as well as breathing the fumes so I would not recommend it unless you are familiar with working around such harmful materials. I usually set a glass container inside another container that contains heated water. To me a deep etch on cable looks better than a shallow etch. I am sure what you were using would do just as well it just takes time. Make sure there is not any oil on it before you start etching.
LDW

Well I solved it today..I picked up some muriatic acid from lowes..I got a nice etch after about a half an hour total etch time with a cleaning every 10 minutes or so..Small pattern though..Im sure that because it was folded twice more..