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Sword Etching
Sir Rodney:
I am very interested to hear more about acid etching. Sir Nathan's project sounds like fun!
Sir Patrick:
Would it be possible to etch it with an electric current like they use on circuit boards? I've seen guys use the method for belt buckles and the like on YouTube. It looks like all you need (aside from the masking agent) is a tub of salt water, two strips of copper and a car battery.
SirNathanQ:
well I was thinking of the Tinker Pearce Hanwei Swords, they disassemble quite nicely, so I think that would make the job much, much easier. And the design would be small. I'd start off with simple Geometric stuff, and then proceed into outlines of more complicated things. The trouble wouldn't be my stenciling ability, but a safe substance to use.
So how long does one leave he part in the substance if they are using lemon juice?
I was thinking to try it on some scrap metal an engineer whom I know has lying around first.
Sir Robert:
Lemon juice will take forever, if it even is effective with our alloys, and electro-etching works well but its more complex than it looks.
Here is what I would reccomend, two processes one safe- one sage if you take precautions
1. Create stencil (blank) out of my secret material, self paper, I prefeer white, I make paper stencils out of repete designs and trace them on shelf paper then cut out the negative.
2. Clean your steel with acetone, remove all and any oils from it, repeat this right before you mask to remove oxidation.
3. The stronger the acid the more detailed the design, and the less time submerged.
4. Create acid bath, you will want a bath deep enough to submerge your piece, or at least the area to be ectched
5. DANGER read up on acids, but Never dump water into an acid, put water in bath tub THEN ADD ACID, doing this wrong can cause an explosion as hydrogen can be release imediately.
6. Acid is highly poisionous read all warnings and wear protectice gloves, aprons, and eye wear. ONLY DO THIS OUTSIDE a respirator is also a good idea.
7. Put heating pad under acid bath, ideally you want the bath as warm as possible- DO NOT USE ANY OPEN FLAME can cause explosion
8. Ok mask your item wherever YOU DONT want to etch.
9. Place your design and make sure it sticks very well
10. submerge item, time? Depending on depth desired can take 20 minutes to more than an hour but at an hour you are running against the adhesive limits of the mask....
11. Wash off your item once completed
So how do you use electricity???? Well its a anode/cathode process, simply you do the above usually with Hydrocloric acid, but you use a car trickel charger and hook one lead to your object and another to a simular metal plate in the bottom of your bath:
Acid Etching formula:
The recipe is:
- 15 cc hydrochloric acid,
- 5 cc nitric acid and
- 100 cc water
OR a metallic acid for stainless:
35 - 40% ferric chloride solution
OR:
Copper Chloride in Aqueous Hydrochloric Acid Solution (my preference- Root Kill and Muriatic Acid) This is I think the best and safest but its still very toxic, it is less explosive and generally wont cause bad burns but you still need to do it outside and with all the safety equipment.
This is how aluminum adodizing is done- electo etching is the same process just without the color boil.
http://www.thefintels.com/aer/homealuminumanodizing.htm
THE SAFEST METHOD:
same masking but use a sand blaster in a hood, its very comtrollible and can be as artistic as a paintbrush
I will post my work to show you results of all the acid etching I do- I even used it as a demonstration for Boy Scouts to make coins- oh yeah I used to teach chemistry so that figures
Sir Rodney:
--- Quote from: Stormdelver ---... oh yeah I used to teach chemistry so that figures
--- End quote ---
:) There's one guy I know locally who has done some very nice acid etching on his kit, and he's a chemistry teacher as well. You guys have access to all the fun toys! I can't wait to see your projects. 8)
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