03-17-2015, 08:06 PM
Hello,
I'm a n00b at metal working. I thought I would try starting off with something simple, damascus etching. I watched a bunch of youtubes and ran off
and got some One Shot drain opener (sulfuric acid). Radio Shack no longer supplies Ferric acid, so went with sulfuric acid. I heated up the bath
water to 150 which kept the baking soda rinse at 105. I only had a metal thermometer, so could check the temp of the acid. I put in two cheep stainless
steel forks, one at a time, for about 40 minutes each, and nothing. All that happened was the forks getting wet. I wiped the forks off first with
fingernail polish remover.
Afterwards, I noticed that the acid source also had metal inhibitors, so guessed that was the main problem with a possible metal problem of the forks be
mostly alloy steal metal.
So, I ran off to get some battery acid instead. I also tried a different metal source. I tried a hatchet. This hatchet had no shine and rusts very easily,
so figured it didn't have much alloys in it.
It took a while, but finally got all the rust off using 320 sandpaper. I made a bath again but this time at 120, and out of the wind. I had heard that you
want the acid around 105-110. I saw somewhere that battery acid from the auto store is supposed to be 35% acid. I read the box and went to their website
and there was no mention of the dilution. So, I did 3.5 cups bottled water, 1.5 cups acid. Then I put the hatchet in the acid.
I could see something was going on. There were a little bubbles and a milky haze coming off the hatchet. I jiggled it quite often to knock some of the bubbles
off. I waited and waited and nothing appeared to be changing. As the day started closing, the temp of the bath, assume acid too, slowly started to drop.
As the temperature slowly dropped, the milky haze got thicker. I kept jiggling it to knock the bubbles off. By the end, the bath was 95, but had more milky
haze than when warmer.
By the time I was done, sun was getting too low, I finally put the hatchet in the baking soda rinse. There was a little his. The entire hatchet turned slightly
darker grey, solid color. There was not an etch anywhere on it. It was in the acid for 3 hours and nothing, but solid grey. What am I doing wrong?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi and welcome!
I suspect it's the materials you're trying to etch, the pattern etching produces the patttern because the material is made up of regions of different alloys,
some will remain untouched and others will etch different amounts
Rules are for the obedience of fools, and the guidance of wise men...
(Douglas Bader)
I'm a n00b at metal working. I thought I would try starting off with something simple, damascus etching. I watched a bunch of youtubes and ran off
and got some One Shot drain opener (sulfuric acid). Radio Shack no longer supplies Ferric acid, so went with sulfuric acid. I heated up the bath
water to 150 which kept the baking soda rinse at 105. I only had a metal thermometer, so could check the temp of the acid. I put in two cheep stainless
steel forks, one at a time, for about 40 minutes each, and nothing. All that happened was the forks getting wet. I wiped the forks off first with
fingernail polish remover.
Afterwards, I noticed that the acid source also had metal inhibitors, so guessed that was the main problem with a possible metal problem of the forks be
mostly alloy steal metal.
So, I ran off to get some battery acid instead. I also tried a different metal source. I tried a hatchet. This hatchet had no shine and rusts very easily,
so figured it didn't have much alloys in it.
It took a while, but finally got all the rust off using 320 sandpaper. I made a bath again but this time at 120, and out of the wind. I had heard that you
want the acid around 105-110. I saw somewhere that battery acid from the auto store is supposed to be 35% acid. I read the box and went to their website
and there was no mention of the dilution. So, I did 3.5 cups bottled water, 1.5 cups acid. Then I put the hatchet in the acid.
I could see something was going on. There were a little bubbles and a milky haze coming off the hatchet. I jiggled it quite often to knock some of the bubbles
off. I waited and waited and nothing appeared to be changing. As the day started closing, the temp of the bath, assume acid too, slowly started to drop.
As the temperature slowly dropped, the milky haze got thicker. I kept jiggling it to knock the bubbles off. By the end, the bath was 95, but had more milky
haze than when warmer.
By the time I was done, sun was getting too low, I finally put the hatchet in the baking soda rinse. There was a little his. The entire hatchet turned slightly
darker grey, solid color. There was not an etch anywhere on it. It was in the acid for 3 hours and nothing, but solid grey. What am I doing wrong?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi and welcome!
I suspect it's the materials you're trying to etch, the pattern etching produces the patttern because the material is made up of regions of different alloys,
some will remain untouched and others will etch different amounts
Rules are for the obedience of fools, and the guidance of wise men...
(Douglas Bader)