Acid Etch Finish?

Mitchell Knives

Mitchell Knives

Knifemaker
Moderator
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
May 21, 2000
Messages
6,214
I'd like to finish one of my knives with a gray acid etch finish. I'm not trying to antique the blade, just give a nice non-reflective finish.

Any suggestions on the best method to accomplish this?

Thanks!
 
It's going to be a little tricky since what steel and what acid and what finish on the blade etc. Get some Ferric chloride and dilute it say one part acid to three of water. Place your blade in for say just 2 minutes and move. Pat dry and have a look. Acid for brick and cement cleaning will work. Just go slow. Frank
 
I like ferric chloride or boiling hot vinegar to make a grayish finish on plain steels. Ferric chloride is a pretty fast dip in and out maybe a few minutes, vinegar tales a lot longer soaking and needs to be wiped down with scotch brite a few time during the process. Make sure the steel is oil and finger print free before dipping in either one.

Charlie
 
Last edited:
I've tried ferric chloride and vinegar, but the finish seems to rub off and isn't quite as dark as I would like. The steel was 1095 @ about 800 grit.

Would muriatic acid work any better?
 
I had a Craig Camerer fighter that had kind of a fine grey parkerized looking finish. I asked him how he got that and he told me that he bead blasted the knife and then etched it in ferric chloride. Also, the darkness of any acid etch finish is probably going to depend as much on the manganese content of the steel as the acid you use. 1095 tends to be very shallow hardening without a whole lot of manganese.
 
Thanks! I'll give that method a try!

Perhaps A2 would take a darker etch?
 
If the surface is smooth, the dark color will rub away easier. Sandblasting will give millions of recessed places for the dark to hide. Finishing to no more than 400 will allow a better "fix" to the color,too.

Muriatic acid, diluted a lot, works well for a neutral gray tone, but you have to experiment. Muriatic is what works best on stainless steels.

FC gives a darker etch on carbon steels, and is much safer to use . Some like the flat look of etching in clorox. Try several ways and see what works for you.

Parkerizing is another good alternative. Check out Brownell's.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top