Etching wootz, opinion needed.

Battara · 18th December 2019, 10:18 PM

Same here. Baking soda directly on the blade after you rinse it off in water.

mross · 19th December 2019, 04:10 PM

Thanks. I'll take pictures and post one way or another.

h0ll0wman · 13th September 2021, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Battara

Same here. Baking soda directly on the blade after you rinse it off in water.

Hello Battara. Is this for cleaning the blade after etching? I also use it but I mix it with water then wipe the blade after etching. I haven't tried putting the baking soda directly on the blade. Should I let the baking soda sit for a number of minutes? Thank you

Battara · 14th September 2021, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by h0ll0wman

Hello Battara. Is this for cleaning the blade after etching? I also use it but I mix it with water then wipe the blade after etching. I haven't tried putting the baking soda directly on the blade. Should I let the baking soda sit for a number of minutes? Thank you

This is just for after the etching and to stop the etch ing process. You can leave it there for a couple of seconds to minutes, and then take the solution of water ad baking soda off.

h0ll0wman · 14th September 2021, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Battara

This is just for after the etching and to stop the etch ing process. You can leave it there for a couple of seconds to minutes, and then take the solution of water ad baking soda off.

Thank you very much!

Interested Party · 16th September 2021, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Battara

This is just for after the etching and to stop the etching process. You can leave it there for a couple of seconds to minutes, and then take the solution of water ad baking soda off.

Does any one else find that this tarnishes the finish. I have been using the Hrisoulas' method of polishing with a leather hand buff, cerium oxide, and water to make it pop again. I have noticed that I often dull my edges a bit if they are functionally sharp with the hand buff. Anyone else have this problem or a better technique to suggest? Has anyone tried a block with a pad on it under the leather buff to control it's interaction with the edge more?

mariusgmioc · 16th October 2021, 10:15 AM

For the last 10 years I have used exclusively Nital 4% for etching wootz.

Now I have run out of Nital and as it proves to be almost impossible to get in Europe, I had to switch to Ferric Chloride.

Recently, I etched the first blade with ferric chloride and got very good results, comparable with what I usually got with Nital.

Here are the steps I had followed:

1. Polished the blade up to mirror finish (grit 2500).

2. Cleaned the blade thoroughly with white spirit.

3. Etched the blade with ferric chloride (about 30%) by swapping it with cotton swabs soaked in the solution. Applied it uniformly with repeated, even and fairly quick passes to make sure the solution is evenly applied on the whole surface. I changed the swabs a few times and carried out this process for 3-4 minutes, until I got a uniform, dark patina.

4. Rinsed the blade thoroughly under flowing water.

5. Dried the blade with toilet paper and hair drier (on low heat).

6. Left the blade for 24 hours to completely dry out and continue the oxidation process.

7. Cleaned the residual golden oxidation that appeared in parts with very gentle passes of cotton swabs with Pre-Lim.

8. Cleaned the blade with white spirit and let it dry for 24 hours.

9. Applied protective layer of Renaissance Wax.

PS: Unfortunately, in my opinion instant coffee has very limited applicability. For instant coffee to work, it needs very long times, and the blade has to be immersed in the solution. This works fine for an unmounted blade not for a fully mounted knife, because you cannot fully immerse in coffee the whole knife/sword for hours without risking catastrophic damage to the hilt and mounts. And if you don't fully immerse the whole knife/sword you will end up with completely unetched spots around the front bolster/ricasso.

Battara · 19th October 2021, 01:34 AM

I will only add one more thing - Turkish wootz does not pop out like Persian or Indian wootz. This pala might be Turkish wootz.

ariel · 19th October 2021, 04:00 AM

I think I might know why coffee gives dark black wootz lines.
Coffee is acidic and oxidizes ( rusts) areas with higher content of carbon. But at the same time it contains tannins that convert rust into permanent black Fe tannate.
This is similar to the so-called "rust converters".

16th October 2021, 10:15 AM	#7
mariusgmioc Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Austria Posts: 1,881	For the last 10 years I have used exclusively Nital 4% for etching wootz. Now I have run out of Nital and as it proves to be almost impossible to get in Europe, I had to switch to Ferric Chloride. Recently, I etched the first blade with ferric chloride and got very good results, comparable with what I usually got with Nital. Here are the steps I had followed: 1. Polished the blade up to mirror finish (grit 2500). 2. Cleaned the blade thoroughly with white spirit. 3. Etched the blade with ferric chloride (about 30%) by swapping it with cotton swabs soaked in the solution. Applied it uniformly with repeated, even and fairly quick passes to make sure the solution is evenly applied on the whole surface. I changed the swabs a few times and carried out this process for 3-4 minutes, until I got a uniform, dark patina. 4. Rinsed the blade thoroughly under flowing water. 5. Dried the blade with toilet paper and hair drier (on low heat). 6. Left the blade for 24 hours to completely dry out and continue the oxidation process. 7. Cleaned the residual golden oxidation that appeared in parts with very gentle passes of cotton swabs with Pre-Lim. 8. Cleaned the blade with white spirit and let it dry for 24 hours. 9. Applied protective layer of Renaissance Wax. PS: Unfortunately, in my opinion instant coffee has very limited applicability. For instant coffee to work, it needs very long times, and the blade has to be immersed in the solution. This works fine for an unmounted blade not for a fully mounted knife, because you cannot fully immerse in coffee the whole knife/sword for hours without risking catastrophic damage to the hilt and mounts. And if you don't fully immerse the whole knife/sword you will end up with completely unetched spots around the front bolster/ricasso. Last edited by mariusgmioc; 16th October 2021 at 07:22 PM.

18th December 2019, 10:18 PM	#1
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,139	Same here. Baking soda directly on the blade after you rinse it off in water.

19th December 2019, 04:10 PM	#2
mross Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 478	Thanks. I'll take pictures and post one way or another.

19th October 2021, 01:34 AM	#8
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,139	I will only add one more thing - Turkish wootz does not pop out like Persian or Indian wootz. This pala might be Turkish wootz.

19th October 2021, 04:00 AM	#9
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	I think I might know why coffee gives dark black wootz lines. Coffee is acidic and oxidizes ( rusts) areas with higher content of carbon. But at the same time it contains tannins that convert rust into permanent black Fe tannate. This is similar to the so-called "rust converters".