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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
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for Metal Finishing since 1989
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How to pit and darken a 420J stainless steel sword?
May 4, 2010
Hi-
I was wondering what methods and/or chemical formulae there are for heavily pitting 420J stainless steel.
I am trying to duplicate the corroded finish of this particular sword blade, which is made from a high carbon spring steel (I don't know exactly what grade).
I have tried using battery acid grade H2SO4 left on for 3 hours at room temperature to pit the blade, but this has only slightly etched and cleaned the blade surface.
I looking forward to hearing your suggestions, and any help would be appreciated.
Thanks so much,
Hobbyist - York, Pennsylvania, United States
Try electrolytic etching -- object must be connected to + pole of rectifier or car battery; as electrolyte you can use diluted hydrochloric acid or kitchen salt solution, or even sea water. Hope it helps and good luck!
Goran Budija- Cerovski vrh Croatia
May 19, 2010
Try Printed Circuit Board Etchant [affil links] solution, available at most electronics stores or online. It's a strong solution of ferric chloride ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] , and is very corrosive to many metals.
John Culp- Bristol, Tennessee, USA
September 30, 2010
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