For anyone finding this great tutorial for the first time, here's some tricks I picked up after initially learning how to electroetch from this video. 1. A small, firm Q-tip will give different results than a larger, softer one. The smaller and firmer the tip, the more defined the area it etches will be, leaving a more uneven finish. Using a larger, fluffier or softer tip will give a "fuzzier" edge and a more consistent etch. By using one or the other, you can make a rough, worn-in design or a smooth, clean one, depending on what you want. 2. Cotton balls work really well for consistent etching of large areas. Fluffiness matters. 3. Practice before trying it on anything you don't want to mess up! Cheap paint scrapers are a great sacrificial piece of metal to practice on, and usually have enough space to test multiple techniques. 4. What you use for a resist/stencil is important. Thin packing tape works, but thicker would be better. Masking tape, the cream-colored stuff, tends to tear and bunch slightly when I cut a design out, giving a messier edge. Sharpies are great, if you have the artistic talent to freehand a design, but it leaves softer edges when etched. Glossy sticker paper, the kind you print on, seems to give the best results when used as a stencil, with sharp, clearly defined edges and no tearing as long as it's cut cleanly. I haven't tried it yet, but painter's blue tape as used in the video would probably be great as a stencil/resist. I've heard good things about vinegar, but haven't had the chance to try it myself yet either. EDIT: Vinegar+salt works great. Better than water+salt, and it seems to give a shinier etch too.
It's more involved and a bit more expensive, but I've seen someone spray a couple coats of primer onto a blade for a nice solid resist, put down a pattern and go over it with an engraver (maybe $20 on amazon to start with) The engraver went through the pattern and primer to clear up the metal beneath and then it was gone over with this kind of electro etching to really set the pattern into the steel. Like I said, more involved, but I remember it looking great when he was done. Unfortunately I watch so many knife making videos I'd probably be hard pressed to find it again.
Thank for the feedback. I might try using some of that super glossy blue tape that screen printers use. It seems nice and rigid, thick enough, doesn't leave furry edges when cut, it's very crisp, so I have a feeling it might work decently.
@@hyperhektor7733 I don't think it would do anything without the salt. Salt makes the vinegar/water more conductive, which is what you want when you're electro-etching.
Ten years later, this video is still teaching! I used this method and it works beautifully. I have since built a small etching machine with a 20 volt train transformer. Thanks for a great video!
you gotta be kidding me! been researching on this for hours, almost went for eye-lung-burning acids, and the solution was right here. THANKS! enormous THANKS! Will give it a try tomorrow.
Okay M8 Like a total charm, even on stainless steel it etched perfectly. Gotta be patient and give it time, used like 8 q-tips per blade. But 5 minutes was enough.
Daniel GoSilent lol i used really strong hydrochloric, the guy in the chem shop even offered me hydro-flouric! anyhoo, so how did you end up going through 8 qtips? did they burn away or something? also did you use a battery or a 9v dc adaptor?
Ochipwa Greenspider no i just used it neat in the end, mixed results, it etched using nail varnish as the pattern, ive got all of those materials and i need to clean up some castings ive done in aluminium so ill have a bit of a play next week hopefully
+thepoultrypeople I've been Etching a Hex Nut that i'm turning into a Signet Ring, and been through at least 20 q-tips (a total of ~40 tips) and more than 2 hrs, and it's still not done. I wonder if its a different amount of time since i'm using 3 6volts batteries? (18 volts) Or maybe it just longer because i want a deep cut for the ring.. But this video is very helpful, Maybe by tomorrow it will finally be engraved well enough :)
You could get different effects with different electrolytes. Vinegar would be the obvious addition, but lemon juice concentrate might work as well. In the old days, some plating solutions used buttermilk to change the formula a little bit. If you get just the right formula, you can produce an electropolishing effect after electroetching. That will improve the look even more.
@@uninspiredrambler I don't remember the exact formula. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the plating shops refused to give their recipe. I suspect that buttermilk slowed the process a little bit and produced a better surface finish. Small differences in the rate at which things happen can produce big differences in how the metal goes onto the part.
I had heard about this process a while back. Recently I've been playing around with pure vinegar as an acid bath to etch metal. Works decently well, just requires a load of time. This was a method I had been interested in trying and the clear tutorial is really appreciated.
I just tested this method on stainless steel (which is supossed to really take an effort for etching), and it worked perfectly! Took 4 q-tips (both ends so 8 tips)... And after rubbing nail polish off, I figured maybe using double the q tips would've made a deeper etch. Anyway, it's a very noticeable etch, that won't go away in a 100 years, so very happy with the result. Thanks again!
Great idea but keep eye in battery that it does not over heat from shorting it out. If got to hot it could explode. While changing 9v batteries in smoke detectors i put one in my pocket. My keys Shorted battery out. They laid against positive and negitive. Burnt my leg pretty good.. I will try this idea though keeping eye on the heat. The way shes doing it there may be no problem..just a heads up..have fun. Bob
great job! you were concise and informative. I make knives and you made one of the most relative videos compared to some of the complicated long winded ones I've suffered through. thank you
When I first saw a similar video I thought "Ya. Salt. reeeeeealy agressive..." Then I tried it (had to, it would bother me at night!), and it works great! My process is a little different: 12V adjustable power supply, hold the blade horizontal, apply a thick drop of salt water (lots of salt, the solution should be near saturated I think), and just move the negative end around in the drop (not touching the metal of the blade). Same effect, maybe a bit faster. And this is way safer than messing around with acids. Thanks for sharing!
great short tutorial. Most show etching with vinyl decals and battery charging machines but I appreciate the simple low tech and budget friendly method used here.
Great video. It takes genius to do a job simply with readily available materials. Anybody can do it with $10,000 of gear. but it takes cleverness to KISS. I liked your other video, but this one gets me subscribed. Thanks for a very good video.
+tom jackson buy your custom stencils on ebay www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Custom-vinyl-lettering-fully-personalized-vinyl-decal-stickers-graphic-30x20cm-/291651092141?
I have a stainless steel plate that I mounted my switches and gauges to for my boat and was trying to decide how to label them that would be weather proof and wouldn't rub off. You just solved my problem, thanks!
Your etch video is my favorite....hands down.....clear and simple.....and your knife design turned out perfect! Mine did also, following your instructions.... Thanks you !
Did the battery run hot? That is an essence short circuiting the battery. Electrons are fed back to the battery. Resistance, if any, would be in the conductive material such as copper wires and salt water and knife blade which is extremely small. The fact that you had the clip that far on the blade away from the etching area propbably helped a bit as it added more metal material to conduct through. Ever put your tongue across a 9Volt battery.... your tongue adds some resistance between the contacts. A lot of people use AC/DC power adapters with lower voltages to etch.
I saw a guy etching a knife, he used a bolt insted of q-tips. He didn't let the bolt touch the knife, instead he applied a significant amount of salt water solution onto the knife and let the bolt touch only the solution. It etched pretty good.
In fact, I'll put this here for everyone: I like the idea as it is simple and using everyday items. The thing with a 9v battery is it is only 0.5Amp, so it is weaker than, say, using a bench top power supply set to 10v 1Amp. It's not the voltage so much, but the Amps that do the work. If you use a bench top, as suggested, or even a 12v 1 Amp car battery charger, you will get much more definite and even results, in less time too.
I did exactly as you showed here. Everything went well, my logo is sharp and very good looking. But, I have one observation: if the logo is smaller you may form a bigger drop of salty watter on it, and you dont’t need to rub it, just keep it in place!
This method is genius, Perfect for the project I'm working on. Electrolytic etching will work on any metal, but unfortunately only metals. It has to do with the chemistry of the process.
This works really well!! I use vinegar instead of water, and have used this to etch several of my hunting knives. Definitely Macgyver style, thanks for the video.
AWESOME! I wouldn't have thought a battery would have enough juice to do that. I wanted to buy a plug in etcher but it was like $100+. This will be a nice alternative.
I'm a huge fan of Knights Templar, Christ, and the first Christogram. I applaud you for this, and I will be doing this to "ALL" of my cutlery and other Items I can etch! Kudo's to you.
Nice job and video. Very easy and simple. I like your symbol it looks like a religious one I’m familiar with. You made this video so much easier than other people.
This is soooo cool!! I too was looking for some sort of acid etching materials and it's nothing more than a 9 volt batter, q-tips and salt water. Ingenious, thank you for saving me some big $$'s
Its not burning off metal and you are not grounding the the wire on the knife. You are turning the knife into an anode and the Q-tip into a cathode. The salt you put into the water increases the conductivity of the water as an electrolyte and as a result, helping to erode the metal while creating hydrogen. Touching the cathode(Q-tip) to the knife completes a circuit and thus oxidation takes place. All it really is, is electrolysis of water, the erosion is just a byproduct.
Hi metal etching, Nice film, thank you for this demonstration. Just fyi, it's not 'burning' at all. Yes, i admit that you can see some sparks, but those are sparks caused by the electricy running trough the knife. What you are doing is a form of electrochemistry, in which you are using the NaCl solution as a carrier for the iron. The green stuff on your watts are the Fe2+-ions that have been transferred using the Cl- ions from your saline solution. Oh and furthermore, no it would hardly work on silver, because silver is a metal that hardly reacts, because it is a so-called "pure metal", viewing it chemically.
btw the way this works is via electrolosis you turn brine (H20+NaCl) into the alkali sodium hydroxide (NaHO), hydrogen (H) and Chlorine (Cl). The sodium hydroxide then etches the metal.
Harvey Williams I was also about to comment that it wasn’t being burnt away but instead the anode (q-tip) was drawing an element out of the knife and separating the two elements in the knife
Electrolysis, but I think you have the mechanism NaOH will never etch metal, you'd need an acid for that. What is happening is through electrolysis, the metal of the knife is being dissolved into the solution leaving the pattern,.
i saw alot of FAQ in this videos comments. i'll answer them. - doesn't matter what tape as long as it comes off when your done. - i wouldn't do over 9v to get a faster job done. its dangerous -9v doesn't take more then 30 mins to do - my balisong is stainless steel, if your doing this on stainless steel you dont have to worry about putting protection ontop of it since stainless steel is rust prevention all the way through. - doesn't matter what wires - no you dont have to use aligator clips but its a PAIN IN THE ASS without them to get them to stick to what you etching/ to the battery/ qtip etc -about 1 salt and 3 parts water should do , of whatever your doing. tbh as long as the water is salty. doesn't matter how much salt you use. its just gotta have some salt in it. i used a baby food glass container and filled it all the way up and put about 2 table spoons of salt in - salt type? not sure. i'll get back to you on that - yes you can use vinger or lemons, anything thats acidic and safe should work DONT USE CHEMICALS! how i did it: i put insulation tape on my balisong knife and took apart a bic razor blade and just cut my initials into my balisong (I.N are my intials) and lifted up the tape pieces with my blade razor blade. i found a 9V battery and cut off 2 wires from a old hotglue gun that stopped working recently. i stripped the ends about 5 inchs then i took a small baby food container and filled it up with water. i added 2 table spoons of salt. i took 1 wires and wraps it around the + terminal and secured it with tape and then i took the other end and wrapped it around my knife ( this is why i stripped it about 5 inchs, so you can get a good wrap) then i took the other wire, wrapped it around the "-" side and to the end of the qtip bud. i stuck itin the liquid and mixed it around and started etching. you can barely hear anything but when the qtip starts turning a green and black colour, you will know its working. it also smells like a metal smell,, almost like your tasting pennies. I hope this all helped you. and if you got questions just ask me. i'll try to reply
i been experimenting wth this & although i get a blackened surface im not really getting the deep etching all the differnt vids talk about can u help the only difference in what im doing is my power im using a adapter with the ends cut offf and the clips attached its a 12v 1.5 amp output could that b the problem
@@duffhole6304 You might want to check before spreading misinformation. Steel consists of Carbon as a component, it'll be around sub 2% depending on what type of stainless steel, but it's still there. It rust prevention is down to the ~10% chromium content. Not all stainless steels are non-magnetic, again it depends on which type you're looking at, but Austenitic stainless steels are the ones that aren't magnetic, and are the kind you'd find in MRI machines for this reason.
Great DIY as I believe someone said that tool takes hundreds of dollars $$$$$ and that busted my thoughts of having one I'm a BlackSmith Hobbyist and this is for me
Thanks for this info. Have been looking at etching a couple of my kitchen knives, and all the other videos had car battery chargers hooked up. Just a 9V battery, awesome! So simple to do. Thanks
OMG that is crazy cool was just surfing around about engraving stuff and stumbled on this wow, just cool WTH?!?! Thanks for sharing this is soooo cool!!!
I've seen a similar method but ie use a stiky letter , then nail varnish the aria incuding the sticky , when vanish dry peel off the sticky, then etch where the sticky was, when done clean off the varnish . Also use baking soda and salt as the solution . I have also seen that with the above solution and at diffterent voltages can give different colours to the etch . (Put batterys In series ). I belive but not yet tride also works on titanium!
Just putting this out there: If you do this and don't maintain your "logo" by oiling it will rust. It works on metal not glass(someone asked in comments and using a higher volt than 9 is dangerous. Great video and some stupid viewers
Hey J.A.., really liked your video....knew about the etching with vinager and salt just not just salt and water. Thanks for the info. Also just a nine volt battery is nuts...I love it. I was using a battery charger....dumb me....you just saved me time and the cost of electricity. YOU....have an exceptionally awesome day!!!!!! Your new friend ....Gunny U.S.M.C.. Force Recon 2nd. Marines Ret. Owner/ operator GRIZZLEY ESSENTIALS LLC.
Just make sure you don't breathe the smoke coming from it. I accidentally inhaled some the first time I did it and it's really awful. So please use a respiratory mask and/or a vacuum to suck up the smoke
Haven't tried the vinegar but I will. Alot of people like it and I'm trying to perfect the technique for my knife designs. Copper or brass.... I assume it would work because it's electrolytic... the reaction burns off metal so, I suggest trying it and let us all know!. I'll try it too. A zippo lighter? Again, yeah, probably but definetly practice on something similar. You don't want to mess up your zippo!
Now THAT'S what I call a very helpful video, thanks! I was planning to use acid to etch IDs on very small parts but this simple method is far better; more precise and much safer. One question: how long do the little 9volt batteries last (PP3)? How many etchings like this one would you expect to get from one PP3 battery?
I use Tung oil and murphy's soap oil. They don't rust on me. Buff with the tung oil. It'll feel sticky. Then buff with murphy's (diluted in some water but still a little soapy feeling. I do blade and handle. I do this on my soapstone carvings as well. Shiny and protected.
This is an AWESOME Video! Have you ever owned metallic tools or other things that could occasionally ‘go missing’? This could be a ‘Life (or at least a ‘Tool’) Saving’ method of saving your tools...
Knowledge is Power.- Just to let you know that this tutorial will be shared with thousands of Metal art and Blacksmithing enthusiasts In Sri Lanka. Thank You.
Cool At first I thought no no you hook the neg to the knife........but after just a little thought you need the metal to "jump from the knife to the q-tip" I'd never figured it out
For anyone finding this great tutorial for the first time, here's some tricks I picked up after initially learning how to electroetch from this video.
1. A small, firm Q-tip will give different results than a larger, softer one. The smaller and firmer the tip, the more defined the area it etches will be, leaving a more uneven finish.
Using a larger, fluffier or softer tip will give a "fuzzier" edge and a more consistent etch. By using one or the other, you can make a rough, worn-in design or a smooth, clean one, depending on what you want.
2. Cotton balls work really well for consistent etching of large areas. Fluffiness matters.
3. Practice before trying it on anything you don't want to mess up! Cheap paint scrapers are a great sacrificial piece of metal to practice on, and usually have enough space to test multiple techniques.
4. What you use for a resist/stencil is important. Thin packing tape works, but thicker would be better. Masking tape, the cream-colored stuff, tends to tear and bunch slightly when I cut a design out, giving a messier edge. Sharpies are great, if you have the artistic talent to freehand a design, but it leaves softer edges when etched. Glossy sticker paper, the kind you print on, seems to give the best results when used as a stencil, with sharp, clearly defined edges and no tearing as long as it's cut cleanly.
I haven't tried it yet, but painter's blue tape as used in the video would probably be great as a stencil/resist. I've heard good things about vinegar, but haven't had the chance to try it myself yet either.
EDIT: Vinegar+salt works great. Better than water+salt, and it seems to give a shinier etch too.
thanks for the suggestions.
It's more involved and a bit more expensive, but I've seen someone spray a couple coats of primer onto a blade for a nice solid resist, put down a pattern and go over it with an engraver (maybe $20 on amazon to start with) The engraver went through the pattern and primer to clear up the metal beneath and then it was gone over with this kind of electro etching to really set the pattern into the steel. Like I said, more involved, but I remember it looking great when he was done. Unfortunately I watch so many knife making videos I'd probably be hard pressed to find it again.
Thank for the feedback. I might try using some of that super glossy blue tape that screen printers use. It seems nice and rigid, thick enough, doesn't leave furry edges when cut, it's very crisp, so I have a feeling it might work decently.
did someone compared also viegar without salt?
@@hyperhektor7733 I don't think it would do anything without the salt. Salt makes the vinegar/water more conductive, which is what you want when you're electro-etching.
Ten years later, this video is still teaching! I used this method and it works beautifully. I have since built a small etching machine with a 20 volt train transformer. Thanks for a great video!
you gotta be kidding me! been researching on this for hours, almost went for eye-lung-burning acids, and the solution was right here. THANKS! enormous THANKS! Will give it a try tomorrow.
How did it go?
Okay M8 Like a total charm, even on stainless steel it etched perfectly. Gotta be patient and give it time, used like 8 q-tips per blade. But 5 minutes was enough.
Daniel GoSilent lol i used really strong hydrochloric, the guy in the chem shop even offered me hydro-flouric! anyhoo, so how did you end up going through 8 qtips? did they burn away or something? also did you use a battery or a 9v dc adaptor?
Ochipwa Greenspider no i just used it neat in the end, mixed results, it etched using nail varnish as the pattern, ive got all of those materials and i need to clean up some castings ive done in aluminium so ill have a bit of a play next week hopefully
+thepoultrypeople I've been Etching a Hex Nut that i'm turning into a Signet Ring, and been through at least 20 q-tips (a total of ~40 tips) and more than 2 hrs, and it's still not done. I wonder if its a different amount of time since i'm using 3 6volts batteries? (18 volts) Or maybe it just longer because i want a deep cut for the ring.. But this video is very helpful, Maybe by tomorrow it will finally be engraved well enough :)
You could get different effects with different electrolytes. Vinegar would be the obvious addition, but lemon juice concentrate might work as well. In the old days, some plating solutions used buttermilk to change the formula a little bit. If you get just the right formula, you can produce an electropolishing effect after electroetching. That will improve the look even more.
Interesting. In what way is buttermilk added or used?
@@uninspiredrambler I don't remember the exact formula. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the plating shops refused to give their recipe. I suspect that buttermilk slowed the process a little bit and produced a better surface finish. Small differences in the rate at which things happen can produce big differences in how the metal goes onto the part.
czcams.com/users/shortswVjyiD0FZJM?feature=share
@@VTPSTTU czcams.com/users/shortswVjyiD0FZJM?feature=share
You made it look simple and awesome info. Thanks! And no music is appreciated too so I can actually hear what your saying! :)
No music is was an excellent production choice. More people should follow suit.
yeah! usually music kills all video.
I had heard about this process a while back. Recently I've been playing around with pure vinegar as an acid bath to etch metal. Works decently well, just requires a load of time. This was a method I had been interested in trying and the clear tutorial is really appreciated.
Wow! That is by far the easiest way to etch that I've seen! Thanks!
A
I just tested this method on stainless steel (which is supossed to really take an effort for etching), and it worked perfectly! Took 4 q-tips (both ends so 8 tips)... And after rubbing nail polish off, I figured maybe using double the q tips would've made a deeper etch. Anyway, it's a very noticeable etch, that won't go away in a 100 years, so very happy with the result. Thanks again!
Just etched my name on my Leatherman (and did my dad's too!) using your video tutorial. Quick, easy, and dirt cheap. Thanks!
Great idea but keep eye in battery that it does not over heat from shorting it out.
If got to hot it could explode.
While changing 9v batteries in smoke detectors i put one in my pocket. My keys Shorted battery out. They laid against positive and negitive. Burnt my leg pretty good..
I will try this idea though keeping eye on the heat. The way shes doing it there may be no problem..just a heads up..have fun. Bob
great job! you were concise and informative. I make knives and you made one of the most relative videos compared to some of the complicated long winded ones I've suffered through. thank you
When I first saw a similar video I thought "Ya. Salt. reeeeeealy agressive..."
Then I tried it (had to, it would bother me at night!), and it works great!
My process is a little different:
12V adjustable power supply, hold the blade horizontal, apply a thick drop of salt water (lots of salt, the solution should be near saturated I think), and just move the negative end around in the drop (not touching the metal of the blade). Same effect, maybe a bit faster.
And this is way safer than messing around with acids.
Thanks for sharing!
I use vinager with saltwater and a car battery charger. Safe? Pehaps not lol
should be safe, although the car charger is overkill, you won't need that much current.
Would this work on Brass?
Wow, talk about fast, easy, inexpensive and not messy. Thank you for posting this will be giving it a go. thank you.
great short tutorial. Most show etching with vinyl decals and battery charging machines but I appreciate the simple low tech and budget friendly method used here.
Great video. It takes genius to do a job simply with readily available materials. Anybody can do it with $10,000 of gear. but it takes cleverness to KISS.
I liked your other video, but this one gets me subscribed. Thanks for a very good video.
+tom jackson Made me sub as well. I love the KISS method!
+tom jackson
buy your custom stencils on ebay
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Custom-vinyl-lettering-fully-personalized-vinyl-decal-stickers-graphic-30x20cm-/291651092141?
Joyscelon D'costa 899999pppppii77oo it at 0
u43e6777788kikjkikiiiiopool,lk5 66767777uuuuuu
Nisha Sen what
Great video. I appreciate how you went strait to the five dollar materials list, rather than some two hundred dollar machine. Thanks!
Great video. I wasn't sure a 9-volt battery would produce any kind of results. I am surprised how well it works. Thanks again for making this video.
I have a stainless steel plate that I mounted my switches and gauges to for my boat and was trying to decide how to label them that would be weather proof and wouldn't rub off. You just solved my problem, thanks!
thank you , you just saved me $150. you are 1 of the smartest people on my computer.
Your etch video is my favorite....hands down.....clear and simple.....and your knife design turned out perfect! Mine did also, following your instructions.... Thanks you !
Thank you! I used apple cider vinegar instead of water but your method worked beautifully. Thank you!!
Both the etch and the tutorial were beautifully done. Thank you SO much.
Did the battery run hot? That is an essence short circuiting the battery. Electrons are fed back to the battery. Resistance, if any, would be in the conductive material such as copper wires and salt water and knife blade which is extremely small. The fact that you had the clip that far on the blade away from the etching area propbably helped a bit as it added more metal material to conduct through. Ever put your tongue across a 9Volt battery.... your tongue adds some resistance between the contacts. A lot of people use AC/DC power adapters with lower voltages to etch.
Wow! What a GREAT idea!!! I used to play with electoplating when I was a kid, but never thought to use it for etching.
I saw a guy etching a knife, he used a bolt insted of q-tips. He didn't let the bolt touch the knife, instead he applied a significant amount of salt water solution onto the knife and let the bolt touch only the solution. It etched pretty good.
Hmingthana Colney Thank you, I'm going to try that instead.
Would love to see how it works
How it came out ?
@@warbot2544 came out pretty nice
@@hmingthanacolney2974 if I want to etch BOT on my steel items , how can I make the tape , like how to cut it
In fact, I'll put this here for everyone:
I like the idea as it is simple and using everyday items.
The thing with a 9v battery is it is only 0.5Amp, so it is weaker than, say, using a bench top power supply set to 10v 1Amp. It's not the voltage so much, but the Amps that do the work.
If you use a bench top, as suggested, or even a 12v 1 Amp car battery charger, you will get much more definite and even results, in less time too.
Wow I was just thinking this morning about how to etch my name onto my new camping spork! Thank you!
I did exactly as you showed here. Everything went well, my logo is sharp and very good looking. But, I have one observation: if the logo is smaller you may form a bigger drop of salty watter on it, and you dont’t need to rub it, just keep it in place!
This method is genius, Perfect for the project I'm working on. Electrolytic etching will work on any metal, but unfortunately only metals. It has to do with the chemistry of the process.
This works really well!! I use vinegar instead of water, and have used this to etch several of my hunting knives. Definitely Macgyver style, thanks for the video.
I see many video s for this and your video is best of all. I will try only your method. thnx for this guidance. love you
Simple, easy, economical. I like it. Thanks for sharing.
short n sweet, to the point and made simple to understand, GREAT JOB !!!
AWESOME! I wouldn't have thought a battery would have enough juice to do that. I wanted to buy a plug in etcher but it was like $100+. This will be a nice alternative.
I'm a huge fan of Knights Templar, Christ, and the first Christogram. I applaud you for this, and I will be doing this to "ALL" of my cutlery and other Items I can etch! Kudo's to you.
Nice job and video. Very easy and simple. I like your symbol it looks like a religious one I’m familiar with. You made this video so much easier than other people.
This is soooo cool!! I too was looking for some sort of acid etching materials and it's nothing more than a 9 volt batter, q-tips and salt water. Ingenious, thank you for saving me some big $$'s
Absolutely amazing how time can fly!...while watching her do this I recalled learning this in school many years ago.
WOW I am seriously really shocked to see how easy that is, I’m going to have some fun with that. Thank you for posting this video.
True McGiverism! Using material's on hand in an expedient and practical way to achieve your goal!
Its not burning off metal and you are not grounding the the wire on the knife.
You are turning the knife into an anode and the Q-tip into a cathode. The salt you put into the water increases the conductivity of the water as an electrolyte and as a result, helping to erode the metal while creating hydrogen. Touching the cathode(Q-tip) to the knife completes a circuit and thus oxidation takes place. All it really is, is electrolysis of water, the erosion is just a byproduct.
Hi metal etching,
Nice film, thank you for this demonstration.
Just fyi, it's not 'burning' at all. Yes, i admit that you can see some sparks, but those are sparks caused by the electricy running trough the knife.
What you are doing is a form of electrochemistry, in which you are using the NaCl solution as a carrier for the iron. The green stuff on your watts are the Fe2+-ions that have been transferred using the Cl- ions from your saline solution.
Oh and furthermore, no it would hardly work on silver, because silver is a metal that hardly reacts, because it is a so-called "pure metal", viewing it chemically.
btw the way this works is via electrolosis you turn brine (H20+NaCl) into the alkali sodium hydroxide (NaHO), hydrogen (H) and Chlorine (Cl). The sodium hydroxide then etches the metal.
and the popping would be the hydrogen burning due to sparks
Harvey Williams I was also about to comment that it wasn’t being burnt away but instead the anode (q-tip) was drawing an element out of the knife and separating the two elements in the knife
Electrolysis, but I think you have the mechanism NaOH will never etch metal, you'd need an acid for that. What is happening is through electrolysis, the metal of the knife is being dissolved into the solution leaving the pattern,.
Agree... I suppose NaOH would play a role if you applied this process to aluminium
knife gets hot quick!
Excellent tutorial! I'll have a go at this on some of my tools
Brilliant, clever way to do that. Thank you for showing and filming. Cheers!
i saw alot of FAQ in this videos comments. i'll answer them.
- doesn't matter what tape as long as it comes off when your done.
- i wouldn't do over 9v to get a faster job done. its dangerous
-9v doesn't take more then 30 mins to do
- my balisong is stainless steel, if your doing this on stainless steel you dont have to worry about putting protection ontop of it since stainless steel is rust prevention all the way through.
- doesn't matter what wires
- no you dont have to use aligator clips but its a PAIN IN THE ASS without them to get them to stick to what you etching/ to the battery/ qtip etc
-about 1 salt and 3 parts water should do , of whatever your doing. tbh as long as the water is salty. doesn't matter how much salt you use. its just gotta have some salt in it. i used a baby food glass container and filled it all the way up and put about 2 table spoons of salt in
- salt type? not sure. i'll get back to you on that
- yes you can use vinger or lemons, anything thats acidic and safe should work DONT USE CHEMICALS!
how i did it:
i put insulation tape on my balisong knife and took apart a bic razor blade and just cut my initials into my balisong (I.N are my intials) and lifted up the tape pieces with my blade razor blade. i found a 9V battery and cut off 2 wires from a old hotglue gun that stopped working recently. i stripped the ends about 5 inchs then i took a small baby food container and filled it up with water. i added 2 table spoons of salt. i took 1 wires and wraps it around the + terminal and secured it with tape and then i took the other end and wrapped it around my knife ( this is why i stripped it about 5 inchs, so you can get a good wrap) then i took the other wire, wrapped it around the "-" side and to the end of the qtip bud. i stuck itin the liquid and mixed it around and started etching. you can barely hear anything but when the qtip starts turning a green and black colour, you will know its working. it also smells like a metal smell,, almost like your tasting pennies.
I hope this all helped you. and if you got questions just ask me. i'll try to reply
Stainless Steel is without carbon for the most part, hence why it wont rust or promote a magnet sticking to it.
i been experimenting wth this & although i get a blackened surface im not really getting the deep etching all the differnt vids talk about can u help the only difference in what im doing is my power im using a adapter with the ends cut offf and the clips attached its a 12v 1.5 amp output could that b the problem
@@duffhole6304 You might want to check before spreading misinformation. Steel consists of Carbon as a component, it'll be around sub 2% depending on what type of stainless steel, but it's still there. It rust prevention is down to the ~10% chromium content. Not all stainless steels are non-magnetic, again it depends on which type you're looking at, but Austenitic stainless steels are the ones that aren't magnetic, and are the kind you'd find in MRI machines for this reason.
Great DIY as I believe someone said that tool takes hundreds of dollars $$$$$ and that busted my thoughts of having one I'm a BlackSmith Hobbyist and this is for me
Thanks for this info. Have been looking at etching a couple of my kitchen knives, and all the other videos had car battery chargers hooked up. Just a 9V battery, awesome! So simple to do. Thanks
The chargers are more reliable and geared for long term usage
OMG that is crazy cool was just surfing around about engraving stuff and stumbled on this wow, just cool WTH?!?! Thanks for sharing this is soooo cool!!!
Wow! What a great video. It was brilliant in its simplicity. Thanks.
GREAT HELP,,,thanks alot,,respect from Iran
Worked great , made friend a cool custom wrench using this idea
Bewdy, This was very instructional, Thanks so much.😊🇦🇺
I've seen a similar method but ie use a stiky letter , then nail varnish the aria incuding the sticky , when vanish dry peel off the sticky, then etch where the sticky was, when done clean off the varnish . Also use baking soda and salt as the solution . I have also seen that with the above solution and at diffterent voltages can give different colours to the etch . (Put batterys In series ). I belive but not yet tride also works on titanium!
Just putting this out there:
If you do this and don't maintain your "logo" by oiling it will rust. It works on metal not glass(someone asked in comments and using a higher volt than 9 is dangerous.
Great video and some stupid viewers
Yeah you're right, but POSTERS can't call their viewers stupid or they lose subscribers. Watch & pay attention almost all questions are answered.
Hey J.A.., really liked your video....knew about the etching with vinager and salt just not just salt and water. Thanks for the info. Also just a nine volt battery is nuts...I love it. I was using a battery charger....dumb me....you just saved me time and the cost of electricity. YOU....have an exceptionally awesome day!!!!!!
Your new friend ....Gunny U.S.M.C.. Force Recon 2nd. Marines Ret. Owner/ operator GRIZZLEY ESSENTIALS LLC.
That's awesome body do this using paint instead of tape and it actually left the color of the paint in the metal too which was kind of beautiful.
I had the same drinking glass you used to hold salt water when I was around 10, watching this video activated some dormant memories.
I like this nice Video (both movie and the voice, especially). Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for a great idea. I'm giving my nephew his first real knife for his upcoming birthday, and he'll be thrilled that his name is on it!!
How did it go?
very nice, been looking for this and your video show the easiest way on doing it
Great technique, tried it this morning and works well.
Waooo... beautiful video.. Thanks for sharing..
Very informative vid. Vinegar works quite well, I've done several knives and they turned out nicely.
Nice job! I'm going to do that. Thanks for showing us and your explanation was good too, loved it.
Very helpful tutorial on etching.
Thanks a lot
Just make sure you don't breathe the smoke coming from it. I accidentally inhaled some the first time I did it and it's really awful. So please use a respiratory mask and/or a vacuum to suck up the smoke
Haven't tried the vinegar but I will. Alot of people like it and I'm trying to perfect the technique for my knife designs. Copper or brass.... I assume it would work because it's electrolytic... the reaction burns off metal so, I suggest trying it and let us all know!. I'll try it too. A zippo lighter? Again, yeah, probably but definetly practice on something similar. You don't want to mess up your zippo!
Thank you for this. This is great. I'm going to engrave all kinds of stupid stuff in my throwaway knives.
Thanks for the tutorial, this worked great! Really easy, and an amazing finish! Thanks!
This electro chemistry exploration needs to be thanked by etching in gold as BEST
Exactly what I was looking for simple and effective thanks
Now THAT'S what I call a very helpful video, thanks! I was planning to use acid to etch IDs on very small parts but this simple method is far better; more precise and much safer. One question: how long do the little 9volt batteries last (PP3)? How many etchings like this one would you expect to get from one PP3 battery?
Very nicely done!!! Thanks for posting this video!!!
If you do quite a bit of etching then a 9-12v adapter (DC ) perhaps one with around 1amp o/p might be better than a 9v battery.
Thanks for the idea, from Kolkata, India.
alternative: use adhesive transfer letters (Letraset of old days) and rub Q tip around for a negative version after you peel the letter(s) off again
I use Tung oil and murphy's soap oil. They don't rust on me. Buff with the tung oil. It'll feel sticky. Then buff with murphy's (diluted in some water but still a little soapy feeling. I do blade and handle. I do this on my soapstone carvings as well. Shiny and protected.
well done! you are now ready for the battle of the milvian bridge!
Excellent. Also nice to know Porter and Stout are brewed in America....should I ever get there!
sierra nevada makes good stuff too.
Tried with a 12VDC charger and it worked great !
This is an AWESOME Video! Have you ever owned metallic tools or other things that could occasionally ‘go missing’? This could be a ‘Life (or at least a ‘Tool’) Saving’ method of saving your tools...
Thank you for the tips :) I've seen the wax thing before. Gonna give it a try
it worked ! pretty cool , but be carefull where you store your blade cuz it seems to rust easier where you etched prob. cuz of the salt
Awesome! Always wondered how to do that! Thank you for the video!
Oh, wow! Two quick questions:
- What ratio of salt:water did you use?
- I actually have a lantern battery here. Would that be any quicker or too much?
Knowledge is Power.- Just to let you know that this tutorial will be shared with thousands of Metal art and Blacksmithing enthusiasts In Sri Lanka. Thank You.
“That looks pretty good”
Well said, well done. Thanks for sharing 👍
Keep your positive lead on the knife closer to the work area. You'll have less resistance and a stronger reaction.
Thanks for the awesome video, i will be using that method on allot of projects.
simple ,informative,does what it says on the tin thanks
Nice. A DC power supply may help you achieve a quicker and deeper etch.
*Duracell:* DO NOT USE IN SHORT CIRCUIT!
*Landmark Adventures:* wanna meet with my knife?
*CZcams:* I have to recommend it now.
Thumbs up for Christianity. great vid easy to follow.
i have done this before as well, i foind that vinager and salt works a little bit bettter and has a better effect! but great video
Very cool.
I like your choice of a symbol 😉
Thankyou you saved me a lot of time and money.Like the symbol lone live Crist the king
Simple ..thank for your information
Cool
At first I thought no no you hook the neg to the knife........but after just a little thought you need the metal to "jump from the knife to the q-tip"
I'd never figured it out
McGyver lol funny but super cool !! Thanks for the lesson. I liked and subscribed