Ornament and patterns on the blade of knives. Metal etching at home. How to apply images to iron: step-by-step instructions. Electrochemical etching of metal

Hello, dear readers! Today in this article the author of the video will tell us how you can apply any image to metal yourself at home in a fairly simple way.

To begin with, I suggest watching the video of this homemade product, which is presented below (it consists of two parts):

So, as you already understand, today the author will tell us how to special labor apply any image to any metal that can no longer be removed by any means. We will apply the image to metal using the etching method. This method is similar to the engraving method, but it does not require any attachments or burrs.

So let's begin.

For ours we will need the following components:
- the metal on which we will apply the image (in our case it is a knife);
- scotch;
- self-adhesive wallpaper or glossy paper;
- plasticine;
- cotton pads;
- saline solution (you can make it yourself very simply: mix one spoon of salt in half a glass of warm water);
- wires with crocodile clips;
- power supply or battery from 8 to 12 volts;
- one sheet of A4 paper;
- iron;
- laser printer.

Let's get to work.
First, take the self-adhesive paper and carefully peel it off from the glossy paper:

Now you need to carefully glue this glossy paper onto an A4 sheet with tape or in our case “self-adhesive” like this:

Now on the computer we select the image that you want to see on the metal and if there is an inscription there, then it should be made in a mirror form. Print the image on a glossy sheet:

Next, using scissors, you need to carefully cut out our drawing, without touching the image itself, so as not to blur or erase it:

Now we apply our stencil to the knife and try to do everything the first time (so that you don’t have to move the stencil), since the image will have streaks:

Now you need to take the iron, having first set it to the second setting, and very carefully iron our stencil for one minute:

Now, while our knife is still hot, we take cotton pads and gently iron the stencil, thereby “pressing” the paint into the metal:

After the knife has cooled, you can peel off the paper (do this slowly and very carefully):

As a result, you should end up with something like this:

Now you need to take tape and paste the knife around the image so that the saline solution does not get on the entire surface of the knife and the etching is neat:

Now we cover the image with plasticine to make a “bath” like this, which will not allow the saline solution to pass through:

Pour a saline solution into our “bath” (about three teaspoons):

Next, we move on to the wires... we connect the “plus” of the battery to the knife:

We connect the second “crocodile” to the “minus” of the battery and now we only need to touch the saline solution:

So let's get started. the saline solution will begin to boil and turn black, which means an etching reaction is in progress. You should keep the wire in the saline solution for no more than 30 seconds, since in the case of prolonged etching, the image will not be clear enough:

Next, you need to disconnect the wires, pour out the black liquid from the “bath” and remove the “bath” itself along with the tape:

Applying a design to a knife (by etching). By order.

The young man brought a folding knife. He said: “I want...”.
Khochukha meant:
— remove scratches;
— harden (if necessary);
- polish;
- polish;
- sharpen;
- apply an inscription or design to the blade.

Initially it was a Magnum folding knife. Quite a well-known and “promoted” brand. This is what it looked like when folded.

Photo of the other side of the knife.

This is what the Magnum looked like in the open position.

View of the second side of the knife.

We begin to fulfill the customer’s wishes. Let's disassemble the knife.

There are much fewer parts in a folding knife than in an automatic knife. This has a positive effect on its reliability. In addition, the knife has its own brand and is made more accurately than the Chinese “nonames”. Sanding is cleaner. Heat treatment of the blade, in my opinion, is not required. The blade of the knife has sufficient hardness. But adding a couple of Rockwell units to a folding knife, and thereby increasing the fragility of the blade, is unwise. Therefore, we do without hardening and immediately proceed to coarse and fine grinding. This process is described in detail in other articles on the site. For example: or How to improve a Chinese-made knife (part 2).
There are plenty of photos with comments there. I'm just posting the results.

In the photo the blade is already polished. This is necessary for further etching of the pattern. The better the polishing of the steel, the less scratches there will be. That is, during etching of the design, the acid will not seep through the unevenness of the blade or poorly polished marks under the protective coating. In addition, high-quality polished steel resists corrosion better.

Next stage. We come up with a design that will be on the blade.
I came up with an eagle, the customer came up with a memorable inscription, then I came up with fire, and the customer came up with a panther... Sketches, sketches, e-mail, telephone dialogues... Quite a long and fascinating process... As a result of joint inventions, a fiery eagle was invented.

We outline the blade with a pencil, aim with a drawing and...

... in time we draw attention to the fact that the side of the blade is not the same. The photo shows that next to the hole for the axial screw, there are two more holes of smaller diameter. They are needed to attach the pocket clip to the body of the knife. It will cover the design in this part of the handle. An eagle on a blade is flying somewhere. Here is an image of this “somewhere” that the clip could have closed. Well, at least I noticed in time... The drawing should be done on the other side of the blade.

Covering the “right” side of the blade protective coating. This is a tricky varnish with a tricky name. Inexpensive, but quite decent quality.

After the varnish has dried, scratch the eagle design over it.
But before that, let's practice on paper again. I draw without carbon paper and various devices. The hand trembled a little and the drawing was ruined. We would have to start all over again. Therefore, it is better to practice. Besides, I noticed my mistake again in time. The eagle's beak is longer and more angular. And on the back of the head there is a small tuft. In the previous drawing (on the wrong side of the blade) I lost sight of this... It was not a proud fiery eagle that could have settled on the blade, but an angry scorched dove.

We completely cover the blade with construction tape and varnish, so that the acid will etch only the design without spoiling the wedge itself. Then we’ll send the blade into a jar of acid.

I did not take any photographs of the etching process. Firstly, it was necessary to take off the rubber gloves (nobody canceled the safety precautions). And secondly, while you are jumping around the can with a camera, you can miss the right moment and the acid will “eat up” too much, the pattern will turn out to be too deep and loose inside the grooves. Here is the result of the etching. The blade has already been washed and cleaned.

But the photo shows one of the flame petals (closer to the tip) with a yellow coating. Before etching this blade (from stainless steel), I etched brass with the same acid. Dissolved copper from the brass sat on the steel of the blade. The photo is not very good good quality, but visually the effect was quite beautiful. I don’t understand why the copper shrank on only one petal... If anyone has encountered such a curious effect and can share their thoughts, I would be very grateful. It would be very beautiful if the tips of all the petals of the flame had the same golden hue. I will experiment...

Now we etch that “somewhere” on the handle of the knife where the eagle is flying. The fiery element into which he strives... Or returns... I didn’t ask him.
The process is similar. Degreasing, applying varnish, drying, scratching with a cunning scratcher, etching, cleaning. Here is the result.

Now, using very fine sandpaper, we remove the copper coating from the blade, grind the blade, grind the spine of the blade, grind the handle, grind the entire knife around the perimeter. In the future it will look something like this.

We polish the wedge, the handle, the knife itself around the perimeter and in general everything that can shine.
Let's see what happened.

We partially assemble the knife. Straighten the cutting edge. We reduce its angle. Sharpening. Making the knife vicious and sharp. If you go back a few images, you can see the difference between the cutting edge before and after sharpening.

We finally assemble the knife.

We bring it “to the razor”.

We admire the polishing of one side of the knife.

Let's look at the reflection in the picture from the other side.

We fold the knife.

Let's compare what it is like now and what it was like before.

All.
The knife is ready.
He shaves his hair.
The wish is fulfilled.
The customer is satisfied.

Hi all! I will show you a method of electrochemical engraving, with which you can transfer a design printed on laser printer on a knife, cleaver, or any other metal surface. I will transfer the drawing from the computer to a spatula to illustrate the process.

Search for a picture

To work, we need an image that we will transfer. It is easy to find it on the World Wide Web. But there are certain requirements - it must be monochrome, black and white, without smooth transitions, only clear edges. If you haven’t found such a drawing on the Internet, you can bring it to this form using a photo editor.

Printing a drawing

For printing we need special paper. Ideally, a backing from an adhesive film, which is usually thrown away, would be suitable. It has a coating, such as wax, to which the adhesive film itself does not stick. At worst, you can use the pages of glossy magazines. Anyone who has ever etched boards themselves should understand without any problems.
In general, we cut out a format suitable for an “A4” or “A5” printer from such a substrate and insert it into the printer. The printer must be laser, with powder paint.
We print the drawing at maximum quality, with the ink saving function disabled. After printing, cut off the excess edges of the paper.

Transferring a picture to metal

To transfer, you will need a regular iron. It is good because it accurately maintains the set temperature, which is very important. Turn it over and set it to 130-150 degrees Celsius.
While the iron is heating up, degrease the metal surface where the image will be applied. This can be done with a cotton swab soaked in acetone, alcohol or gasoline.

After this, place the spatula on the iron and wait a bit until it heats up.

After a few minutes, we apply the image to the place. This must be done very carefully, without smearing the drawing.

The temperature melts the ink and sticks to the metal.
Carefully smooth out the picture using a cotton swab. There is no need to press hard - there is a danger that the paper will move off and smear everything. Iron everything for about 1-2 minutes. Be careful - don't get burned.

Then remove the spatula to the side and wait until it cools down. After cooling, carefully peel off the paper. If you used glossy magazine, soak in water for a while, and then gently peel off.
You should get a clear picture on the metal. If there are melts or thickenings, you can erase the ink with acetone and repeat the operation again.

Electrochemical etching of the pattern

In order not to etch too much, I will make a kind of barrier for the solution out of plasticine. I also covered the surface around the drawing with tape so as not to etch too much.

Let's prepare a saline solution.
Solution composition:

• - water 50 ml.
• - salt, regular kitchen salt - half a teaspoon.

We will also need a battery or a 12 Volt power source. We connect the positive terminal to the spatula. I glued it with tape.
Pour in saline solution.

And with a negative electrode (I use a regular self-tapping screw), we etch it, immersing the electrode in the solution. The etching time is short: 20-30 seconds. According to my observations, increasing the etching time does not have a very good effect on the drawing.

Then, we remove the plasticine barrier and see that everything has turned black.

Use a cotton pad soaked in acetone to remove printer ink. And we see that we got an excellent engraving. Very clear, since I already have quite a lot of experience in this. You can even see the animal's whiskers!

I also made a drawing, but reversed the black and white in the editor.

The result of transferring a design to metal

I'm pleased with the result, the quality is excellent. Making a gift knife now won’t be difficult, for example.

Afterword

Etching can be carried out without electricity, using a different chemical solution.
Etching can also be carried out without any plasticine barriers, simply by soaking a cotton swab in saline solution and applying an electrode to it, directly affecting the metal. But I don’t like this method, since the contact is direct, which can erase small details of the ink.
Watch the video of the process -
If you didn't manage to do everything the first time, don't worry. Try again, it's not difficult.

Metal etching sometimes replaces casting and engraving; it makes the whole process much simpler. You can get a design that is both concave - relief, and convex - bas-relief. Metal etching at home can be chemical or galvanic. The first option is more toxic when used at home, so for starters we will use the second, it is also called electrochemical.

Equipment

You need to take a power supply or transformer that can output from 4 to 7 V. In addition, you will need a dielectric bath; it must contain the necessary part and a second metal object that is connected to the anode.

To etch a pattern on metal, you must use iron sulfate. If the design is needed on a copper or brass surface, then use it. You can also use it. The main thing is that the water is distilled.

Preparing the part for etching

In order for the etching to be uniform and in the right places, the part must be cleaned of dirt and also degreased. For more convenient work, copper wire is soldered onto the part with tin; it will be convenient to hold the object by it. To clean the surface, you need to dip the object to be converted into 10% sodium hydroxide, the temperature of which is 50°C, then into a 15% sulfuric acid solution and hold it there for two minutes, then rinse it in hot water. When the procedure is completed, the surfaces of the object will be completely cleaned, and of course, you cannot touch them with your hands.

Electrochemical etching of metal

We need to protect areas that should not be etched. To do this, you need to apply a special mastic to these surface areas. It is made from three parts of wax and two parts of rosin, they are melted in a tin can, stirring. After everything turns into a homogeneous mass, it is allowed to cool and divided into fragments. Each of them is placed in gauze so that later, when pressed, as much mastic as necessary can seep through it. After this, the workpiece that we will etch heats up. Now we take the created mixture, which was placed in gauze, and rub the surface with an even layer.

After cooling, the mastic becomes hard. The top is coated with light water-soluble paint. It can be watercolor or gouache white. After which the coating should dry. Then you can apply the design; it will stick well to the paint. It can be depicted using a pencil or translated using carbon paper. Then this outline needs to be scratched with a needle all the way to the metal.

Now the etching of the metal by electrolysis begins, we connect one rod to the anode - plus, the other to the cathode - minus. We connect the part on which the image will be applied to the first, and any steel plate to the second. After this, the process of etching the metal begins where the image was scratched.

If you need to create a multi-level drawing, everything is done in the same way as described above. Only the contours are checked each time, and when the smallest of them have been etched to the required depth, the part is removed and painted over with heated mastic using a brush. When it hardens, everything is repeated again until the next level of the drawing. In this process, an image is gradually created.

In this way, metal is etched at home, after which the surface is washed with turpentine and then polished, giving the product a finished look.

Chemical etching

Now let's look at how to create a pattern on a metal surface without the use of electrical devices. For this we need chemicals, freely sold in hardware stores. So let's begin. For etching we need:

• "White Spirit";
• paint that does not dissolve in White Spirit;
• acetone;
• resin, which is used to cover roofs;
• table salt;
• copper sulfate.

Cleaning the part

To begin with, the part where the image is planned is cleaned with fine sandpaper and degreased. When the surface is ready, you need to seal the place where the design will be applied with adhesive tape or something similar. After this, the entire remaining surface, where chemical etching should not affect the metal, is painted over. It can be of any color, as long as it is resistant to White Spirit.

Once the paint is dry, you can remove the adhesive tape. Beneath her pure metal, ready to create a drawing on it. Now you need to apply an image onto this “mini-canvas”. It is made using resin, which is dissolved in White Spirit until it becomes liquid, like paint. Using a brush, the desired image is drawn. What’s good about such improvised paint is that if something doesn’t work out in the drawing, you can remove it by moistening a cloth or cotton swab in White Spirit. If there are very small details in the drawing that did not turn out well with a brush, they can be corrected with a needle, scraping off the excess after drying.

In this way, you can etch a knife, keys, in general, any metal object. Now that the drawing is completely ready, you can begin the etching itself.

Etching solution

We need a liter of water, in which we need to dissolve 100 g of copper sulfate, and then add salt. It needs to be sprinkled until it stops dissolving. The resulting mixture will have a blue color. However, after a metal object is immersed in it, the color will begin to change to green.

So, let's dive into the detail. The chemical process begins immediately. In all this production, no substances harmful to health are released, so this metal etching at home is safe.

Actions during a chemical reaction

During the reaction, a coating forms, which will become more and more numerous. It slows down the whole process, so you need to periodically wash it off with water. You should not do this using various brushes, brushes and other tools, because you can damage the paint. But it seems to hold the entire design, and it would be a shame if, while etching a knife, for example, you inadvertently damage the design on it. This is a very delicate work that requires a steady hand and patience.

The depth of the pattern directly depends on the time during which the metal remains in the solution. There are no exact criteria, so each master must observe the progress of the chemical reaction himself. And only after doing this several times will it be possible to say with confidence how much time is needed to develop the desired pattern to the intended depth.

Advantages and disadvantages of electrochemical and chemical etching

The advantages of electrochemical etching of metal at home include the fact that the created pattern is clearer, this is clearly visible if you look at it with magnification. However, the downside is that this method requires an electrical device, which not everyone may have.

The advantages of chemical etching include the fact that everything you need can be bought at a hardware store. These ingredients are cheap, and, most importantly, you don’t need to look somewhere for a power supply or other devices capable of delivering from 4 to 7 V. However, the disadvantage is the imperfect edges of the pattern.

Artistic electrochemical etching of metal- one of the methods of applying a pattern to metal products (amulets, knives, blades, etc.), compared to engraving, it is less painstaking and takes less time. In this article, you will learn how to do it yourself decorate the knife blade.

Step 1

Let's start by creating a sketch that we will transfer to the knife blade. You can choose any theme for the sketch - look at what other blades have, come up with your own, transfer some drawing, etc. - it all depends on your imagination and imagination.

Once you have chosen a pattern, you need to transfer it to the blade. To do this, place the knife blade in the scanner, scan and open the scanned image in graphic editor, outline the contours of the blade; apply the selected pattern, image and edit it. The resulting sketch should be duplicated in a mirror image and printed.

Step 2

Take a knife blade and coat it with varnish, the varnish can be diluted with a nitro solvent, so the varnish will dry faster and apply it to the blade using an airbrush or brush. We use varnish, because... It retains its plasticity throughout the day and does not crumble.

We cut out the sketch to make it easier to fit to the blade, “black out” reverse side pencil and attach it to the blade using masking tape.

Step 3

We scratch the pattern on the surface of the varnish using scrubbers with different sharpenings. Important: do not damage the blade with the scrubber, otherwise there will be scratches on it.

Step 4

As a power source, you can use a variable transformer, for example, from a toy railway(maximum voltage - 12V). The heat-shrinkable casing serves as insulation. Flannel: copper/brass plate - approx 100/7mm.

We begin metal etching by placing the fabric on a plate and soaking the whole thing in a saline solution. After this, we begin to poison - with a quick touch, you should not hold it for long, because the varnish may overheat. When the drawing is finished, turn off the unit and wipe the blade with solvent.

This method of metal etching is good because it is easier to control the process, unlike etching in the entire vessel; it is enough to go over the drawing several times.