How to etch a wootz blade
Sept 12, 2021 22:52:53 GMT
Post by jack88 on Sept 12, 2021 22:52:53 GMT
Hi all,
This has been a project I've been spending about every free minute I've had to research and get right on my 18th century Ottoman pala.
I'll be doing a write-up about this blade shortly after I finish working on it so I won't be discussing its specifics or history here.
Wootz or crucible steel as most know as a beautiful pattern that many smiths now imitate using pattern welding. Historically real wootz was also called "damascus" by westerners given the volume of blades created by Damascus smiths prior to export to all around the world. Today generally damascus refers only to pattern welded steel and wootz or bulat to crucible steel.
If you want a more in-depth read on crucible steel read through this article then come back, it is not integral to what I am about to describe however.
www.fordemilitaryantiques.com/articles/2019/4/4/is-it-wootz
Wootz like all other steel degrades over time, loses its finish and simply doesn't have the beautiful pattern it once did. Wootz unlike other steel will actually lose its pattern if you polish it, so you are left with a somewhat complicated process to re-etch the steel.
Here is my pala in the state I received it in (which was quite good, uniformly done but the pattern is only barely brought out, it might even be stained as the pattern you're seeing is mostly not the wootz)
Here is a list of the items you will need to etch properly:
-An etchant either nital 2% or ferric chloride, they both have their strengths and weaknesses.
-Baking soda or ammonia
-steel wool
-sand paper 400-1500 grit
-gun oil (I used CLP)
-highly highly recommend renaissance wax if you don't use it already for everything
-plastic gloves
-a large towel
-an open breathable space (you're going to be working with a hazardous chemical)
-cotton pads/ or paint brushes
-alcohol
-small bowl for the etchant and a large bowl for your baking soda.
1: Polish your blade thoroughly and uniformly starting with 400 grit but I recommend going no higher than 1500 (some tutorials say 1000). I generally switch off from going side to side to up and down with each successive grit and finish side to side. It is very important to remove any scratches and pitting that will degrade the ability to etch. If you use too high of a grain to reach a mirror polish it will actually make it more difficult for the etchant to get into the pores of the blade.
2: Move to your outside desk and cover your desk with a towel. Now you are only going to etch one side of the blade at a time. I recommend wiping down the side you are not working on with the renaissance wax. This will prevent any extra etchant from effecting the side you are not working on. If you don't you'll have to go polish out black spots prior to doing that side.
3: Now thoroughly wipe down the side of the blade with alcohol on your cotton pad. You must be totally sure all extra grease/material is removed from the blade you are about to etch. This will ruin the attempt and you will have to start over again by re-sanding the blade.
4: Put on your gloves because you will now be handling your etchant, I highly recommend staging everything to be ready because once you start etching you will be working against the clock to prevent rusting thus ruining the attempt. Put a good amount of baking soda in the large bowl and just a bit of water to create a paste. Now put your etchant in the small bowl, if you are using nital 2% it is ready as is coming out of the container. If you are using ferric chloride I recommend somewhere between a 5:1-10:1 diluted with distilled water. (Tap water will make the blade rust faster).
Ferric chloride vs nital 2%: Nital will not rust the blade nearly as fast, but in my experience because it requires longer to apply it show where the differential heat treatment is on the blade and leave dark portions and light portions (this can be somewhat fixed later). Ferric chloride is much better at bringing out the lines, but will also rust the blade very quickly so you must be ready and likely it will take more than once because you're going to mess it up (as I did MANY times).
5. Use either your paint brush or a cotton pad and dip it in to the etchant, applying only a small amount at a time in wide strokes. This will help with uniformity. Continually add more etchant and keep wiping for upwards of a minute. Some blades you'll see immediately result, talking about seconds, but continue wiping and you may need to use another cotton pad as the etchant begins burning away small amounts of the metal. If you do not keep aggressively wiping the blade will rust immediately.
6. When satisfied with the resulting pattern, rinse the blade with the distilled water and apply the baking soda paste thoroughly scrubbing it in. This will require more than one pad as well as you will see the pad turn black with the metal that has been removed. Continue with the baking soda paste for a minimum of five minutes. This neutralizes the acid from working the blade and if done improperly the blade will quickly rust.
7. After removing the baking soda paste or scrubbing it all away, apply the gun oil to the blade and allow it to sit for some time (30 minutes is sufficient) when complete put on the renaissance wax and you will be ready to attack the other side.
Noted issues:
I tried many many methods and had to start from scratch at least 7-8 times, hence why I decided to share my learned wisdom. There are of course many ways to skin this cat however, and I've read some different methods and have talked to a multitude of people for advice. This latest etch I've done is not perfect, but surely better than how it arrived.
- The stronger the etchant mix the faster the blade will rust
- Baking soda must be in a paste form, I had a helluva time stopping it from rusting and realized my baking soda/water mix was not nearly dense enough.
-Apply the etchant in small amounts, if it is too wet it will create an uneven pattern and ruin the attempt you've just begun.
-Cotton pads do "sand" the blade a bit, and it is arguable that a paint brush may be better to prevent removing the pattern.
-Polishing lightly dark spots with steel wool and oil can help lighten them up a bit, yet if you polish too hard it will remove the pattern completely.
-Some non-uniformity of the blade is impossible to avoid, heat treatments were often differential for structural reasons
The last method I have yet to try is using instant coffee mixed in water and allowing the blade to sit for hours in the mix. I have read this will provide good results and some even said they used it after using an etchant to darken the pattern made visible. I'll be attempting this soon and I'll get back to everyone on it.
Thanks for the read! Hopefully it will help someone not make as many mistakes as I did!
This has been a project I've been spending about every free minute I've had to research and get right on my 18th century Ottoman pala.
I'll be doing a write-up about this blade shortly after I finish working on it so I won't be discussing its specifics or history here.
Wootz or crucible steel as most know as a beautiful pattern that many smiths now imitate using pattern welding. Historically real wootz was also called "damascus" by westerners given the volume of blades created by Damascus smiths prior to export to all around the world. Today generally damascus refers only to pattern welded steel and wootz or bulat to crucible steel.
If you want a more in-depth read on crucible steel read through this article then come back, it is not integral to what I am about to describe however.
www.fordemilitaryantiques.com/articles/2019/4/4/is-it-wootz
Wootz like all other steel degrades over time, loses its finish and simply doesn't have the beautiful pattern it once did. Wootz unlike other steel will actually lose its pattern if you polish it, so you are left with a somewhat complicated process to re-etch the steel.
Here is my pala in the state I received it in (which was quite good, uniformly done but the pattern is only barely brought out, it might even be stained as the pattern you're seeing is mostly not the wootz)
Here is a list of the items you will need to etch properly:
-An etchant either nital 2% or ferric chloride, they both have their strengths and weaknesses.
-Baking soda or ammonia
-steel wool
-sand paper 400-1500 grit
-gun oil (I used CLP)
-highly highly recommend renaissance wax if you don't use it already for everything
-plastic gloves
-a large towel
-an open breathable space (you're going to be working with a hazardous chemical)
-cotton pads/ or paint brushes
-alcohol
-small bowl for the etchant and a large bowl for your baking soda.
1: Polish your blade thoroughly and uniformly starting with 400 grit but I recommend going no higher than 1500 (some tutorials say 1000). I generally switch off from going side to side to up and down with each successive grit and finish side to side. It is very important to remove any scratches and pitting that will degrade the ability to etch. If you use too high of a grain to reach a mirror polish it will actually make it more difficult for the etchant to get into the pores of the blade.
2: Move to your outside desk and cover your desk with a towel. Now you are only going to etch one side of the blade at a time. I recommend wiping down the side you are not working on with the renaissance wax. This will prevent any extra etchant from effecting the side you are not working on. If you don't you'll have to go polish out black spots prior to doing that side.
3: Now thoroughly wipe down the side of the blade with alcohol on your cotton pad. You must be totally sure all extra grease/material is removed from the blade you are about to etch. This will ruin the attempt and you will have to start over again by re-sanding the blade.
4: Put on your gloves because you will now be handling your etchant, I highly recommend staging everything to be ready because once you start etching you will be working against the clock to prevent rusting thus ruining the attempt. Put a good amount of baking soda in the large bowl and just a bit of water to create a paste. Now put your etchant in the small bowl, if you are using nital 2% it is ready as is coming out of the container. If you are using ferric chloride I recommend somewhere between a 5:1-10:1 diluted with distilled water. (Tap water will make the blade rust faster).
Ferric chloride vs nital 2%: Nital will not rust the blade nearly as fast, but in my experience because it requires longer to apply it show where the differential heat treatment is on the blade and leave dark portions and light portions (this can be somewhat fixed later). Ferric chloride is much better at bringing out the lines, but will also rust the blade very quickly so you must be ready and likely it will take more than once because you're going to mess it up (as I did MANY times).
5. Use either your paint brush or a cotton pad and dip it in to the etchant, applying only a small amount at a time in wide strokes. This will help with uniformity. Continually add more etchant and keep wiping for upwards of a minute. Some blades you'll see immediately result, talking about seconds, but continue wiping and you may need to use another cotton pad as the etchant begins burning away small amounts of the metal. If you do not keep aggressively wiping the blade will rust immediately.
6. When satisfied with the resulting pattern, rinse the blade with the distilled water and apply the baking soda paste thoroughly scrubbing it in. This will require more than one pad as well as you will see the pad turn black with the metal that has been removed. Continue with the baking soda paste for a minimum of five minutes. This neutralizes the acid from working the blade and if done improperly the blade will quickly rust.
7. After removing the baking soda paste or scrubbing it all away, apply the gun oil to the blade and allow it to sit for some time (30 minutes is sufficient) when complete put on the renaissance wax and you will be ready to attack the other side.
Noted issues:
I tried many many methods and had to start from scratch at least 7-8 times, hence why I decided to share my learned wisdom. There are of course many ways to skin this cat however, and I've read some different methods and have talked to a multitude of people for advice. This latest etch I've done is not perfect, but surely better than how it arrived.
- The stronger the etchant mix the faster the blade will rust
- Baking soda must be in a paste form, I had a helluva time stopping it from rusting and realized my baking soda/water mix was not nearly dense enough.
-Apply the etchant in small amounts, if it is too wet it will create an uneven pattern and ruin the attempt you've just begun.
-Cotton pads do "sand" the blade a bit, and it is arguable that a paint brush may be better to prevent removing the pattern.
-Polishing lightly dark spots with steel wool and oil can help lighten them up a bit, yet if you polish too hard it will remove the pattern completely.
-Some non-uniformity of the blade is impossible to avoid, heat treatments were often differential for structural reasons
The last method I have yet to try is using instant coffee mixed in water and allowing the blade to sit for hours in the mix. I have read this will provide good results and some even said they used it after using an etchant to darken the pattern made visible. I'll be attempting this soon and I'll get back to everyone on it.
Thanks for the read! Hopefully it will help someone not make as many mistakes as I did!