How to make etching on a blade.

Apartments for rent One of the methods of producing a convex or depressed pattern on metal products, which appeared relatively recently, is called etching. The operating principle of this method is based on the use of electrochemical processes in a liquid electrolyte. If you have artistic abilities, you can get a pattern even at home High Quality

with a minimum of required materials and equipment.

• When doing etching yourself at home, you will need the following consumables and equipment:
• a product intended for decoration - various cutlery, hunting or camping knives, or simple soap dishes on which simple patterns can be made;
• a container of sufficient volume and convenient shape made of non-metallic materials, suitable for placing the entire product being processed or its part to be decorated. It is most convenient to use glass containers for this purpose, which allow visual control of the processing process.
• a sufficient amount of ordinary table salt;
• nail polish of any color;
• nail polish remover intended for cleaning the treated product;

source of direct electric current of low voltage. In this capacity, a charger can be used to charge car or telephone batteries.

Drawing

We start by preparing the product to be processed. It must be thoroughly cleaned of grease and dirt, rinsed with hot water and dried. After this, use a brush to apply varnish to the surface of the object to be treated (in our case, these are tablespoons).

Without allowing the coating to dry completely, apply a pattern or inscription. Depending on the design option and the desired decorative effect, when etching metals, a pattern can be obtained either pressed into the material of the product or protruding on its surface. This can be achieved by removing the protective varnish layer. Exactly pure metal

without a beautiful film and will be susceptible to chemical etching.

Otherwise, remove the varnish film exactly in the form of the desired pattern - it will be “pressed” into the material of the product. To obtain a fine pattern, it is convenient to remove varnish from the surface with a sharpened wooden stick or toothpick. Try to get the smoothest possible lines without smudges, which can significantly spoil the entire work of etching the design on the product.

Electrolyte preparation

After making sure that all the necessary varnish has been removed, we proceed to preparing the working solution. During this time the protective layer will have time to dry completely. As a substance in which steel products are etched, a solution of table salt is most often used at home. To prepare it, you need to dissolve the crystals in clean water in a ratio of two tablespoons of salt per 0.5 liter of liquid.

Instead of sodium chloride, you can use another quite accessible chemical called copper sulfate. It is not difficult to purchase at any hardware or garden store.

Etching a metal product

To activate the process, you must place any steel object in the electrolyte solution and connect a negative wire from a current source to it. The positive wire in this case is connected to the workpiece. Schematically the etching process looks like this:

In the absence of a high-quality converter (rectifier), you can use a phone charger by cutting off the contact for the corresponding socket.

The etching process under the influence of electric current occurs quite rapidly.

This must be taken into account when choosing a glass container. The electrolyte level in it should prevent its possible splashing out during the etching process.

Control of pattern deepening during electrochemical processing can be carried out visually by periodically removing the workpiece from the solution. If all necessary parameters are met, the process can last up to several minutes, depending on the desired depth of etching of the pattern on the metal part.

Once you get the desired result, turn off the electric current. After this, carefully remove the varnish film from the extracted sample. To do this, it is convenient to use nail polish remover and a thick cloth. Wash the finished drawing with warm water and soap.

Getting a color drawing

To give the resulting pattern, drawing or inscription an additional decorative effect, we suggest using a simple method accessible to everyone. To do this, apply a small amount of any nitro enamel to the treated area, achieving complete filling of the recess. This paint and varnish material dries quickly enough, so you can return to further work after an hour. After making sure the enamel is completely dry, remove any excess material that has fallen onto the surface of the etched piece using fine sandpaper. The use of a solvent in this case can ruin the entire work, since it smears the paint over the surface without completely removing it, and can give the pattern an unattractive dullness.

Mechanical polishing of the finished product on a felt wheel with GOI paste will give the painted etched pattern the final expressiveness.

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Artistic electrochemical etching 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.

After choosing 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.

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. This 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 chemical substances, 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 it is clean metal, ready to create a design 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 plaque 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 advantage of chemical etching is 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.

Removing part of the surface layer metal product using a chemical reaction is called etching. This technology has been known to man for several millennia; along with embossing and blackening, it was used to finish metal parts of weapons and household utensils, jewelry and ritual objects. Nowadays, metal etching is used in arts and crafts, for electroplating, and for creating images and inscriptions on metal products.

The essence of the method

Before etching, a protective coating that is resistant to the etching substance (mordant) is applied to those areas of the metal surface that should not be etched.

Next, the part is exposed to an acidic environment or immersed in a container with an electrolytic liquid. The longer a part is processed, the greater the layer of metal that is corroded by the aggressive environment. Metal etching can be carried out in several stages, this is the so-called multilayer etching.

Etching images on metal is carried out both in industrial and at home conditions.

Metal etching methods

Based on the materials used to corrode the metal layer, there are such methods of etching metals as:

• Chemical (liquid). Acidic solutions are used. Does not require complex equipment and expensive materials. During operation, fumes that are harmful to health are generated.
• Electrochemical. An electrolyte solution is used and an electric current is passed through it. It is characterized by a higher speed of the process, more accurate execution of the details of the design, and economical consumption of working fluid. Does not form harmful fumes
• Ion plasma (dry). The surface layer is evaporated by a beam of ionized plasma. Used in the production of microelectronic components.

The ion plasma method requires high-precision and expensive equipment and is used only in conditions industrial production. The liquid method, electrochemical metal etching and even electrochemical engraving are available at home.

Using galvanic etching, you can independently make a printed circuit board that is almost as good as an industrial one.

Galvanic metal etching

The galvanic method of etching compares favorably with the liquid etching method because there is no need to use acids that produce harmful fumes. Depending on the workpiece material, different electrolytic solutions are used:

• Steel and iron - ammonia and iron sulfate
• Copper and its alloys (bronze, brass) - copper sulfate
• Zinc – zinc sulfate.

To carry out the process at home you will need:

• Galvanic bath made of non-conductive material.
• 5 volt DC power supply.
• Metal cathode (same metal as the workpiece.)
• Wire hangers for the workpiece and cathode. The workpiece should not touch the walls or bottom of the bath.
• Two conductive rods longer than the bathtub.

One rod is connected to the negative terminal of the power supply and the cathode is hung on it.

The other rod is connected to the positive terminal and a product that will serve as an anode is hung on it.

When voltage is applied, the process of electrolytic transfer of metal from the product to the cathode begins. It will occur from surface areas not covered with protective varnish.

Artistic metal etching

Artistic metal etching is carried out using both galvanic and liquid methods.

With its help, masters of folk crafts and simply home craftsmen obtain highly artistic images on edged weapons and firearms, all kinds of forged and cast utensils. For craftsmen making designer hunting and household knives, etching has become an almost mandatory finishing element. Especially popular are hunting scenes, Arabic, runic or abstract geometric patterns. Many craftsmen combine metal etching with bluing, giving the design a bluish, black or yellowish tint.

To transfer images, both the method of coating the part with varnish and glossy paper are used. Another method is also used - gluing the part with tape. Using a hot needle, scratch the lines of the design, after which, using tweezers, carefully remove the tape from the areas to be etched. Remains of the adhesive mass must be washed off with a solvent.

Before etching, the part should be thoroughly degreased.

Metal surface preparation

Before starting etching, the surface should be prepared. This will ensure:

• High process speed
• removing metal in an even layer.

During surface treatment, all mechanical and chemical contaminants are removed from it. Warm is used for it. soap solution, any will do detergent. After the surface has dried, it must be wiped with a rag soaked in solvent or degreaser. This will remove any remaining liquid and oil films.

It is good to combine chemical treatment with mechanical treatment:

• mirror polishing
• sanding with sandpaper. Used when polishing is unavailable. You should make sure that the skin always moves in one direction and that the marks from it are strictly parallel.

Mechanical treatment will significantly improve appearance products after etching.

Drawing

There are several methods used for this operation. All of them are united by a common principle: protecting part of the surface from the corrosive effect of the mordant, and what differentiates them is the substance used to apply the design.

Nail polish

Popular and affordable way. Has some disadvantages:

• The high viscosity of the varnish makes it impossible to draw small details and fine lines.
• Requires a steady hand and drawing skill.
• It is very difficult to correct incorrectly applied parts.

Primer or bitumen varnish

Primer GF 021, XB 062 or bitumen varnish is used. First, the entire product to be etched is coated with the substance. Next, use a thin pen or marker to transfer the contours of the drawing. A needle should be made from thin wire or a rod of soft alloys, sharpening the end of the wire.

Those areas of the image that must be etched are scratched down to the metal. Care should be taken to ensure that the primer does not chip.

Glossy paper

In addition to glossy paper (you can buy it at art supply stores, or you can simply cut a sheet out of a magazine), you will need a laser printer, an imaging application, and an iron. The image of the drawing should be mirrored and printed in full size. The image is applied to the surface and ironed several times. After the workpiece has cooled, the paper is washed off with warm water, and the toner remains on the surface of the part. The back and side surfaces that are not subject to etching must be protected with varnish or plasticine.

The main advantage of the method is that the smallest details of the image can be accurately transferred.

The main disadvantage is that you can only work in this way with flat or cylindrical workpieces. The method is very popular in the manufacture of printed circuit boards.

Steel pickling

In addition to the artistic etching of metal, which allows one to obtain exquisite images on steel surfaces, steel etching is also used to remove scale and oxide films. In this case, the requirements must be observed with particular care technological process in everything related to the concentration of etchant solutions and the exposure time of the part in the mordant or in the electrolyte bath. Over-etching during such an operation is extremely undesirable.

When etching steel, both liquid and electrochemical methods are used. The mordant is prepared on the basis of strong acids, such as hydrochloric or sulfuric. Special attention Care should be taken to thoroughly degrease the surface. A missed oil or grease stain can render the workpiece unusable. To protect parts of the workpiece that are not subject to etching, I use varnishes based on rosin, turpentine, and tar.

These components are highly flammable, so you should be especially careful and careful when working with varnish. After etching is completed, the unetched areas of the workpiece are cleaned of the protective varnish with a solvent.

Mordants used for steel

Nitric acid is very popular among home picklers. It is used as the only base for mordant, or in a mixture with tartar or salt. A metal etching solution based on a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acid is very chemically reactive and should be handled with extreme caution.

For processing hard and special grades of steel, mixtures of nitrogen and acetic acid. The processing is carried out in two stages. First, a special preliminary mordant is prepared - glyphogen, which is a mixture of water, nitric acid and ethyl alcohol. The part is kept in it for several minutes. Next, the workpiece is washed with a solution of wine alcohol in distilled water and dried thoroughly. After this, the main etching is carried out.

For pickling cast iron, solutions of medium concentrations of sulfuric acid are used.

Pickling of non-ferrous metals

Based on their atomic weight and determined by it physical and chemical properties substances, for each metal and alloy they select their own mordant that best affects it.

How pure copper, and copper alloys are etched using sulfuric, hydrochloric, phosphoric, and nitric acid. To increase the reaction rate, chromium or nitrogen compounds are added to solutions. At the first stage of etching, scale and oxide film are removed from the workpiece, then proceed to the actual etching of the metal. Be careful when etching copper at home.

Aluminum and alloys based on it stand out among other metals in that they are etched using alkaline rather than acidic solutions. For molybdenum, alkaline solutions based on sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide are also used.

Titanium stands even more apart - at the first stage of preliminary etching, alkali is used, and at the main stage, acid is used. For titanium I use the strongest acids - hydrofluoric and concentrated sulfuric and nitric. Titanium blanks are etched to remove the surface layer of oxides immediately before electroplating.

To etch metals such as nickel or tungsten, an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide and formic acid is used.

PCB etching

A blank for a printed circuit board is a sheet of textolite, coated on one or both sides with a layer of copper foil. The purpose of PCB etching is to create conductive traces from copper foil exactly as designed. The tracks are covered with a protective varnish, the rest of the foil is removed by etching.

At home he uses several methods:

1. Ferric chloride. The reagent can be purchased at a chemical store or made independently. Iron filings should be dissolved in hydrochloric acid. Before use, the solution should be kept until the iron is completely dissolved and mixed thoroughly.
2. Nitric acid.
3. An aqueous solution of sulfuric acid mixed with tableted hydrogen peroxide.
4. Copper sulfate with the addition of hot water and sodium chloride. This option is the safest, but also the longest. Throughout the entire process, the mordant temperature should be maintained at least 40 o C, otherwise the mordant will take many hours.
5. Electrolytic method. You should take a dielectric container (cuvettes are good for developing photographs), fill it with a solution of table salt, place a board and a piece of copper foil there, which will serve as a cathode.

After etching with the liquid method is completed, the board should be thoroughly washed with a soda solution to extinguish any remaining acid.

Etching process for other materials

In addition to metals, other materials are also subjected to etching. The most common etching of glass is for decorative purposes. Etching is carried out in hydrofluoric acid vapor, the only one capable of dissolving glass. At the preparation stages, preliminary acid polishing of the surface of the product is carried out, then the outline of the future image is transferred to it. Protective coatings for glass are made from a mixture of wax, rosin and paraffins. After application protective coating the workpiece is dipped into the etching container.

The use of hydrofluoric acid creates a beautiful matte structure on the surface. To obtain a smooth, transparent surface, concentrated sulfuric acid. To obtain a relief, deep pattern, the operation is repeated.

Pickling safety precautions

In metal etching, extremely chemically active substances are used - strong acids, alkalis and their solutions. If handled incorrectly, they can cause serious injury and damage to property.

Therefore, when working with them, you need to take special precautions and strictly follow the safety rules when carrying out work:

• Work is carried out only in the presence of good ventilation, preferably a fume hood.
• Mandatory use of funds personal protection: rubber gloves and apron, thick work clothing, respirator, protective face shield.
• Do not place jars containing acids and alkalis on high shelves and cabinets.
• When diluting acids, ACID is POURED into WATER, and never water into acid.
• When working with acid, have a soda solution on hand, and when working with alkali, have a weak vinegar solution to wash areas of the skin that accidentally received drops of the solution.
• When working using the galvanic method, before starting work, carefully inspect all electrical equipment used for the absence of mechanical damage and integrity of the insulation.
• Have a working fire extinguisher on hand.

If the etching solution comes into contact with your skin, immediately wash the affected area with an appropriate neutralizing solution. If acid or alkali splashes onto clothing, it should be removed immediately.

If the etching solution gets on the mucous membranes, you should immediately seek medical attention. medical care. Delay in such cases can cost health or even life.

Local method of etching a pattern on metal

Hello! Today I want to talk about another method on metal. This is an etching method. Let's say you already have a wonderful shape, and now you need to decorate it with some “cool” design. You can draw the picture yourself, or download ready-made ones on the Internet and print them on a printer. We will also need regular tape to make a sticker. It’s important to take adhesive tape good quality. The higher quality the tape is, the easier it will be for you to work with it. Cut a strip of tape and stick the prepared design onto its sticky surface, image side down. Now wash off the paper with a stream of hot water. The design will be printed on the tape.

By the way, applying an image for etching with is only applicable with a pattern printed on laser printer. Drawing printed on inkjet printer, will be washed off along with the paper. Rinse off the paper as thoroughly as possible. You can use a toothbrush for this. Now we just have to wait until it all dries and continue working.

Let's take our pride and degrease its surface. We will degrease with alcohol. If you don’t want to waste such a “useful product” on some kind of degreasing, use acetone or any other liquid that can degrease the metal surface. Now carefully glue the tape to the place of the blade where you want to see the design. Glue the tape very tightly, without air bubbles, smoothing it over the surface of the blade with a cloth.

The next step is to cut through the design. To carefully cut through the outline, without scotch tape, use the following method. Take an awl and heat it on a gas burner. Carefully burn the outlines of the design. Well, you probably used a wood burner when you were a child? So this is almost the same thing, only we will burn on metal.

By the way, the thought occurred to me that instead of using the etching and heating method proposed by the author, an awl, actually a wood burner, with a fine tip. This will be easier than rushing to the gas burner every time to heat up the cooling awl.

So, we burn through the outline of the drawing and remove all that is unnecessary. It turned out something like this.

Now we need to remove traces of glue.By the way, we first need to make a special device for etching on metal. For this device, you need a power supply from 4 to 9 volts and a pair of copper wires. You can use any phone charger.

To remove the adhesive from the tape from the metal surface, place the negative wire on a knife, and the positive wire on a cotton wool soaked in a strong saline solution, and start blotting with the cotton wool. The glue should curl up.

That's it, having cleared the pattern of glue, we proceed directly to etching the pattern on the metal. To do this, we change the polarity of our device, that is, we attach the positive end of the wire to the knife. Place a piece of cotton wool in a piece of bandage and, after soaking it in a saline solution, apply it to the drawing so that it completely covers it. We lay the negative wire on top and secure it with tape. We plug in the power supply and wait for twenty-five minutes. Be careful during the etching process and step aside during this time. Because with this, poisonous chlorine gas is released. And although it is released in fairly small quantities, it is still better not to inhale it.

If the quality of etching does not suit you, repeat the procedure again with fresh cotton wool. Naturally, it will take you much less time to re-etch.The result is this image.

All that remains is to thoroughly rinse and clean the surface of the knife. That's it, the work is finished, and by etching we got this image of a bull on the surface of the blade.