Etching stainless with naval jelly

[shecky]

To satisfy my curiosity, brought up in a recent thread, I went out and bought a bottle of Naval Jelly. The stuff is basically thick acid, intended to remove rust. It was mentioned that it'll put a quick, dark patina on carbon steel blades, which it does. So, curious, I put it on a stainless Mora. Left it on a few hours, and the result looks kind of like a bead blasted blade. Seems some might be able to do some fancy tricks using screen printing techniques.

I noticed the etched metal has a slightly grippy texture. Feels a little like a chalkboard. I think I'll try etching the handle of my Chive to see if it'll create a less slippery surface.

 

[rebeltf]

Hmm never thought about using that stuff , but will keep it mind now , thanks for the tip. :thumbup:

 

[mete]

Naval jelly is phosphoric acid in a gel. This acid is a mild one and is found in Coke Cola and that's why Coke Cola removed light rust !! I'm surprized it does anything to stainless. Normaly stainless requires fairly strong concentrations of hydrochloric or sulphuric acid to etch.

 

[shecky]

Some pix:

The Mora and Chive etched.

Detail of the Mora. There was a bubble hear the handle junction where you can see a bit of the original mirror polished blade.

The etched Chive handle. Slightly darker than before, contrast with the unetched blade. Also took off most of the "Kershaw" logo.

The pocket clip was etched, too. The contrast in color is more noticeable in this picture.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

One problem with etching a polished blade is that you make it more susceptible to corrosion. Mirror polish or stonewash seems to hold up pretty well against rust. Bead blast or sand blast does not. Your Naval Jelly treatment might have removed some protection.