Muriatic acid

[Paul Checa]

Hi all, 

 

I was reading about etching Damascus steel with nuriatic acid instead of ferric chloride.

Does anyone have opinions on this? 

Which do you recommend? Why? 

What are the pros and cons? 

What I'd the difference in the finish between them? 

 

 

Thanks! 

[Garry Keown]

I use it for a 7 minute etch on stainless damascus where the fc etch didn't show much after 20 + minutes. It is my preference for stainless but prefer fc for carbon damascus.

Edited April 17, 2022 by Garry Keown

[Paul Checa]

7 minutes ago, Garry Keown said:

I use it for a 7 minute etch on stainless damascus where the fc etch didn't show much after 20 + minutes. It is my preference for stainless but prefer fc for carbon damascus.

Why do you prefer fc for high carbon? What's the difference? 

[Garry Keown]

2 hours ago, Paul Checa said:

Why do you prefer fc for high carbon? What's the difference? 

 FC and even a new batch of FC while it gave some light topograhy had no colour difference between the different SS where the muriatic (hydrochloric) acid gave both some light  topography and colour. The FC works well for the carbon and I can do it inside so no acid caused rusting in the shed. 

[Alan Longmire]

Muriatic is strong, and etches both alloys the same amount, so you don't get topography or contrast on HC.  FC is a much weaker etchant, so you keep the nickel alloys as they are while the other alloys etch. 

 

Also, as Garry pointed out, an open container of muriatic will rust everything in the shop, often overnight.  

[Paul Checa]

No muriatic acid etch then hahah! Thanks for your imputs guys! 

 

[Christopher Price]

Any thoughts on sulfuric acid? I have an abundance of it, given all the batteries I go through with four motorcycles.

 

[Alan Longmire]

Never tried it.  Try it and see!  The end result will be ferric (or ferrous, depending on oxidation state) sulfate, which turns stuff black rather than orange.  Might be a self-darkening etch?  If the black is more durable than that done with ferric chloride.  No idea, in other words!

[Paul Checa]

21 hours ago, Christopher Price said:

Any thoughts on sulfuric acid? I have an abundance of it, given all the batteries I go through with four motorcycles.

 

try it chris, let us know if you found a new way to etch blades. 

[Gilbert McCann]

I was taught you could use muriatic or similar sodium bisulfate in my case to etch and see a pattern (in the welding process stacking etc) it etches nice and clean. Something else when I made my Cu mai it was suggested I use 30% muriatic acid 30% ferric chloride 30% distilled water I used something similar but diluted it quite a bit.

Edited April 19, 2022 by Gilbert McCann