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My $.02 on etching is pretty much the following: - Like Nick, I etch DC and then AC at the end to darken it. - I will put the electrode down for about a 5 count (until It starts bubbling) and then pull off. I repeat that 10-15 times for the DC etch. People pretty regularly accuse me of...

I'm not sure of exactly what the result would be, but I can tell you you'd need to cook it for a long time....and I mean hours. You also might get some porosity depending on how you mixed it in. The only way to know for sure it will work is to take your steel into the liquid phase at which point...

Check out Ron Claiborne's presses . I've heard nothing but good things about them. I've never used one myself (had an Imagination XPress, just swapped it out for a press built by Larry Donnelly), but all the guys I've talked to about them can't be wrong :) -d

Hey Cobane, I've written up a bunch of info on finishing, including a trick or two to keep the black on a blade. To avoid typing it all again I'm just going to point you at the finishing section of my website. Take care, -d

That is fantastic work! Not only is it an excellent first mosaic, but the fact that it's hand hammered makes it purely extraordinary. Do yourself and Jr. a favor and don't you dare sell that knife. That type of effort and craftsmanship should be kept as a reminder. Once you have a press or...

Is your FeCl contaminated possibly? I know that sometimes I'll get stuff floating on the top of the solution that will stick to the blade as it goes into the tank. Try soaking up any gunk from the top of the tank with a paper towel. Also, when you put the blade in, dunk it in and out a few times...

Don't polish it! Patina like that is a well earned badge of honor and a lot of folks would say that removing it destroys the value of the knife... Just my $.02... -d

Spray on some of that "crackle coat" paint, let it "crackle" and then etch (or whatever) for the darker pattern in the cracks. Then, just acetone to take off the paint..... That's my guess anyways. -d

I got to test fire the new oil fired forge this morning. Here's some pics and commentary... Yup, that's fire! :D Looks like I need to redo some of the lining in the inlet tube. I think this smoke is caused by a restriction. Yup, there's definitely some unburnt fuel backing...

1084 will not really work if a nice hamon is your aim. The Mn in 1084 makes it a deep hardening steel. Making a good hamon relies on shallow hardening steel. If you're chasing hamon, go 1095, W1, or W2...

Got some more work on this forge done this weekend...Since Ray asked so nicely, I'm posting more pics :) I had to make it a stand. It was just to tall for the current forge stand. Yes, the legs are crooked. No I don't care since it doesn't rock at all :) Added a 1/2" NPT coupler to...

I'll try to get some pics and document it as I go along. The big cutting and welding I farmed out to my local fab shop since I just don't have the tools for stuff like cutting 3/8" wall pipe...They just threw it on the bandsaw! :eek: It's pretty simple in operation though. The controller I...

Oh you bet I will! :) I hope to be working on finishing it up over the weekend while I'm working on an order or two. Basically I have to weld up a stand for it, finish welding on a few brackets, etc to hold things together, and then get it lined and fired up. It's going to be a bit crazy...

If the waste oil was filtered well and low enough viscosity, I guess it would. I may throw some waste oil into the tank, but I'd never run 100% waste oil. I'd be afraid of gelling in cold weather, nasty gunk from waste motor oil, etc. The reasons I'm going with oil are: - It's cheaper than...

Looks like the pics in the linked thread were broken. I fixed 'em. There's WAAAAY too many pics of the process there to repost here. :) -d

More likely you'd get an alloy of copper and brass... -d

Wouldn't be a grinder thread without a link to my infamous grinder build thread. :D -d

I know Aldo has some for sale thread on other forums, but it's easiest to just email him. Send mail to njsteelbaron(at)gmail.com. His 1084 is 1 1/2"x1/4" and comes in 4' bars. I believe his current price is $4/lb. -d P.S. A couple of pieces of steel are on their way to you John. ;)

Here's the oil fired forge I'm currently working on. That's a 5 gallon bucket next to it for scale :D The body is 14" diameter 3/8" wall sewer pipe with 5" square tube for the doors. It'll be fired by a Beckett furnace burner running on diesel or #2 heating oil. Also PID controlled...

I'm going to stick with the 1080/1084 camp here. It doesn't get much more simple or forgiving that a simple eutectoid steel. O-1 can be challenging to do properly for the guy just starting out for a few reasons: - It's a hypereutectoid steel which means is more carbon than wants to...