AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Gun Building => Topic started by: T*O*F on June 05, 2024, 08:01:57 PM
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A couple of years ago, I built a damascus lock and asked the proper dilution of FeCl to use on it. Those instructions are on the hard drive of my old computer which has since died.
Would appreciate a repost if that person is still around.
Thanks
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I'm not sure the mixture I use for etching knives is the same as the poster uses, but here is mine with a Youtube video made by another member in making it. Two parts Hydrogen peroxide H2O2 and one part Ferrous Chloride FeC12.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkW0XotNmYo
Randy aka bpd303
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The mixture I'm looking for uses only water and ferric chloride. Just need to know the dilution.
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TOF, you gave your dilution rate in this thread: https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=77180.msg764685#msg764685
This is the damascus lock plate I made and colored with Ferric Chloride etchant diluted 4 water to 1 FeCl. Immersed in solution until colors developed (rather quickly). I'm sure if used with a browning solution one could develop other colors. I was going for a French gray look.
(https://i.ibb.co/JyrTdqz/Plate-Done1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/pR4TPQ3)
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When doing Damascus Barrel finish , either Brown/White or Black(Blue)/White
I always used a very weak soln of only around 3% Ferric Chloride in Water .
This was used as a very quick dip into and then back out of process.
The rust browned or rust blued bbls then quickly rinsed under running water to clear the etch off the surface and at the very same time the surfaces were carded with clean 0000 steel wool.
I did this with every 'cycle'.
Some only did the etching cycle every few rustings.
The Black/White pattern requires the rusting to be boiled as well.
The Brown/White pattern does not.
I found using and etch soln much stronger than the 3% would destroy much of the color I was trying to build up.
The etching soln was loosening the color just built up on the Steel component and it being carded off left the 'white metal look. The softer Iron surfaces held the color better and lost less of it through the etching process.
The color pattern is left behind.
Many cycles are needed to build the final finish.
3 steps forward ,,1 or 2 back each time.
If you are mearly trying to 'etch' your way to a Damascus pattern and are not concerned with the traditional bbl color patterns,,then a stronger soln will get you there.
As above demonstrates,, a 1 to 4 etchant to water seems to work nicely.
That strong of a soln would remove all of any built up rust brown or blue color with each etching step done.
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TOF, you gave your dilution rate in this thread:
Thanks for finding that. I had posted the results after another member gave me that dilution ratio. I'm going to do a barrel, hoping I get the gray shade rather than the darker one.