Acid etch / Stone wash questions

[blkspade99]

Couple of questions.. as I tried my first acid / stone wash last night using FC.
I got a grey color and after the stone wash it looks amazing, but I was trying to get a really dark grey / black.

1 ) I didn't cut it with anything, but I'm going to try to cut it with 25% vinegar. Will this result in a darker color?

2) If I wanted to try another round of it (after I cut it) with the one I already did, should I try to sand it down again? Or can I just clean and dip the blade as is again? It was tumbled in pea gravel with a tiny wd40 for more of a marble look.

3) I see alot of people that finish their blades black. Some are 100% black. Are the majority of people just dura coating them? Everyone video I see of someone demonstrating using FC its coming out like a dark etch but not a black. Then you search and find tons of imagines all over of jet black blades.

Sorry as I've seen alot of posts about this but haven't really found a solution.
Thanks!

 

[Biochemdawg]

I am unsure about getting very black.. but I do get my blades quite dark. what I do is soak for about 12 minutes, then scrub with soap and a rag or light abrasiveto remove the junk, then resoak. It makes things more even and often darker.. also, the corrosive resistance of the knife will affect time I let sit.. I know it’s not much, but hope it helps some!

 

[brando555]

Sometimes soaking it longer can help darken it, but some steels get darker than others. Usually carbon steels will get darker than something stainless like s30v. I thought I fried my s30v PM2 but after rinsing it and cleaning it up it still ended up a nice light charcoal gray.

You could try the vinegar/ferric chloride mix. I've heard of people claiming vinegar can help darken it.

Make sure you strip all the oil off with a degreaser or acetone or it can inhibit the acid and make it look splotchy.

 

[Wilfred17]

I tried a 50/50 ferric vinegar mixture recently and it definitely turned out darker than the straight ferric, but not black.

 

[SteelJunkee]

Carbon steel will get almost black with a boiling mix of 2 for 1 vinegar, peroxide and a little salt. you need to do multiple dip and clean the blade between each one, The first time the patina will almost all be removed by cleaning. Use disposable cloth because they are not coming back. With each cycle the patina will become more robust and hard to remove by cleaning.... Persist until desired finish. replace vinegar mix when it becomes to weak. Finish by applying hot wax on the patina and wait till it cool down then buff it smooth. This will make a very dark and durable patina. And I love the way it looks after a while in use.