Acid etching Sandvik 14C28N

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Dec 1, 2020
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Hi, first post. 6 knives made so far.

I'm trying to get a nice dark acid etch on Sandvik 14C28N. I followed the instructions from this youtube video as it was easy to follow and COVID19 restricted my movements to buy pre made ferric chloride.
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The acid took a long time to do anything to the blades. I needed to leave them in for about 30 minutes to get a light grey (Battle ship grey) colour. I really wanted a darker colour as I like the look of acid etched/stonewashed blades, not to mention they are not shiny.

Is ferric chloride the right acid for 14C28N or is there a different option? I have not tried any other etching solutions at this time. I'm in country Victoria Australia.
 
Probably weak or bad ferric chloride. You can buy crystals, or if you get hydrochloric acid (aka muriatic) you can react that with iron/steel.
If you need i'm in Melbourne and have some lying around

How did you prepare the blades before etching? That might have something to do with it
 
thanks for the comments, I'll try getting some new acid. To prep the blades, I wiped over with acetone, then only handled with gloves on as I was playing with acid. I even had the acid in a warm water bath as it was pretty cold when I tackled the etching.
 
Hi Dammo, I'm in Vic as well. Stainless won't go black, gray is the best you will get. I get VG10 to go dark grey in warm ferric but not what you would consider black.
 
I tried to include a photo but I can't work it out. Thanks for the advice. I might have to branch out from the Sandvik range and try different steels to get the desired results.
 
Try etching in ferric for dark grey and then going with perma blue (cold blue) over that.
 
I've had good luck with a 50/50 ferric and white vinegar, made vg-10 surprisingly dark.
 
Try etching in ferric for dark grey and then going with perma blue (cold blue) over that.

how doe the cold blue go with the stainless. does it need to be etched first for it to work. I looked at cold blue but had read that it was not designed for stainless so I had dismissed it. I have 2 knifes which are still under construction, I might try it when I get back to my workshop.....(ok,ok, garage)
 
how doe the cold blue go with the stainless. does it need to be etched first for it to work. I looked at cold blue but had read that it was not designed for stainless so I had dismissed it. I have 2 knifes which are still under construction, I might try it when I get back to my workshop.....(ok,ok, garage)

Perma blue on its own won't work, ferric will etch stainless but dull gray. If you go over the dull gray with perma blue it will turn darker.
 
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