Acid Etching a Bllade

[Gamma]

Possibly... might need to dilute the acid.

 

[tumtatty]

I have the same problems trying to etch copper. I've been using the laser printer method along with electric current from a battery charger through a solution of copper sulfate (root kill). A lot of steampunk types etch brass this way:

http://steampunkworkshop.com/electroetch.shtml

However the resist just gets eaten off. The best result I've managed so far is:

but you can see how the resit are was eaten away too.

 

[Gamma]

Nice - I saw that piece on the other thread you had and started thinking.
When you factor in a curved surface it gets even more difficult.

 

[Neil Miller]

Wax is well-known for letting acid creep underneath it - even when blobs and spots don't appear, the line is less precise than when using most other resists. You could try to find an artists supply shop and get some "hard ground" - it adheres much better than wax and gives sharper lines. Don't forget to thoroughly clean the blade first - it must be degreased and fully dried. You will also need to remove the bubbles and sediment as they form, or the lines get blocked and patchy - a birds feather is often used to lightly brush this stuff away.

You don't have to submerge the whole blade - you can make a little raised wall around the area to be etched with plasticene (kids modelling clay - the waxy sort, not real clay!) or something similar, and fill that with acid.

You don't have to risk using acid - google etching steel with metal salts for info on much safer ways to do it.

Regards,
Neil

 

[Gamma]

Hi Neil - thanks...
I just happen to have the acid.. I saw some of the recipes for using salts... I will look into hard-ground. Enamel paint might be my next resist though. I kind of toasted the testing blade last time. If anyone is doing this - and you are going to dip the blade - the entire blade has to be covered in resist. The fumes will etch the steel where it isn't covered. The tang and shoulder of my 1st blade got cooked. .
Yeah - shoulda seen that coming but I didn't... one down.. and I have to find a new junker blade.
And I'm now wondering if I can use the fumes to do the etching, seems plausible.

The problem with building up a dam is that then there's this pond of acid on top of a curved thing that moves easily and it isn't level.
Maybe if I fix the blade with tape to a block of wood first... hmm... good idea.

Yeah - salts... not acids... you probably have the answer right there..

Thank you.

 

[Kentos]

Spread some clay or something similar on a table and press the razor into it, it should hold nice and tight.

 

[Malache]

Have you considered sign vinyl? It can be cut with a plotter and gives precise lines. I have used this in the past to dye some plastic disc golf discs. The fact that you are completely submerging the blade might be a problem, but if you want a topical application of the acid this might work.

 

[Gamma]

All good stuff - thanks for all the feedback everyone.