how to etch with ferric chloride

DHB the cutter

DHB the cutter

Joined
Jan 26, 2002
Messages
89
Hello,

I have this old Musashi Daito, that I was using in my iaido classes, and I want to retire it and let it rest in the wall, but I wanted to let it all right first, and because that if I send it to made a good polish with a good polisher it would cost at least $1000 dollars (more that a new one) I tried to care of it by myself, and I like the result (I used some good stones that I bought from Namikawa in Tokio - Arato, Binsui, Asashi, Suita, Hazuya and a nice Nuguy oil; some fine grid sand papper, and a good polish paste. To me it looks like new in spite the hamon became very light, and I am having difficulties in bring out the good looking of the hamon, if I use the hazuya with jizuya it appears but even with a good oil it appears some ugly scratches that obligates me to polish again, so I tryed with the Ferric Chloride, that really bring out white hamon and let the appearance very well, I did the following : mix the F Chloride with water and apply with cotton, and because it is a mild acid I instantly apply magnesium hidroxide to neutralize the acid, but five minutes latter after I used that all the blade (not the hamon) became with a light golden collour even with a great milky hamon, that obligates me to polish again... Anyone could please help me? Or should I let it like the Kris Cutlery katana, that is great in cut but not shows the hamon???
 
Hi DHB,

Polishing is not as easy as what we hear on the net. :D

There a couple of etchant that works great on my blades :
1. Ferric Chloride (1 part of FeCL 6 part water)
2. Hot vinegar

Combining the FeCl with 6 part water is to reduce the acidity. The blade will not as 'black'.

Give the blade a mirror polish at first (I usually use sandpaper). Then put the solution on the blade. Wait until you can see the hamon line, then quickly spray the blade with Windex to neutralize the acid.

Clean the black stuff with metal polish (I use Flitz). After cleaning, the will still be 'black'. Use sandpaper (grit 2000) and oil to polish it carefully.

You can also buff the blade a little bit to clean it.

I've never done the hot vinegar though.

Good luck.
 
also Baking Soda is my fave for neutralizinng Ferric Chloride. Also useful for rubbing the carbon (black Stuff) off. The gold color could be rust, meaning the solution was not properly neutralized.

I've not done hot vinegar, but I have done cold vinegar. etches much slower than FeCl. Also tomatoes are acidic enought to etch, As is any carbonated soda (carbonnic acid).

If FeCl is too fast cutting (Fastest etchant I've ever used) Consider the more natural acids found in vegetables and fruits. Vinegars and citric acids.

Keith
 
Cautionary tale. A blacksmith friend of mine got hold of a small piece of meteorite iron, & decided to use it in making a small Damascus knife. When it was finished he wanted to etch it to bring out the pattern, so he dunked the blade in regular commercial Ferric Chloride solution, straight from the bottle, and went off to do other things for an hour or so.

When he came back, the knife was etched. Very etched.

By the time he'd ground off the damaged areas, the knife was about half its original thickness.
 
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