I then etched my makers mark. I was disappointed with this step because for the first time ever the etch came out a little blotchy and the of few of the letters are not really legible. I made a deep etch so grinding it out was not really an option without changing the whole blade.
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An etch tank filled with ferric chloride and distilled water. The blade ready to take a dip. Prior to putting the whole thing in the etchant, I used nail clear nail polish to cover the bolsters and scales. This acts as a resist and the FeCl will not eat away at these areas. The blade is in the FeCL and checked and scrubbed down with 0000 steel wool every five minutes until I think it is etched deep enough. It is then sprayed with windex with ammonia to neutralize the acid and dipped in water to clean it. While still wet it is saturated with acetone and allowed to air dry. It is given a light polish with 2000 grit paper and very lightly buffed.
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I am not going to use clear nail polish anymore because it is too easy to miss a spot. That is what happed on the bolsters and pins, the acid etched them as well.
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I had to re sand out the pitted black area�s and re polish everything up to 600 grit again. Here is the finished handle.
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Here is a sample of what the Damascus looks like.
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I started this project two weeks ago working whenever I have any free time. I finished the blade last night and took the final shots this morning. I am working on editing the finished knife pics and will post them as soon as they are done.