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I have this Shun (shhh... don't tell anyone, it was a gift). Of course I immediately scratched it, polished out the scratches, and decided that I would learn how to re-etch damascus. First I got some ferric chloride and tried it both straight and with vinegar; I prefer straight. It looks nice but is definitely not restored - more customized. Most notably the core steel (VG-Max) is dark rather than bright. After some further reading, it seems that this might be related to manganese content and I might get a closer result to the original by using muriatic acid, which I'll try next after a high polish.
There are so many posts out there on how to etch, how to polish beforehand, how to finish afterwards, dilution vs. time, and other decision variables that all I can conclude is that it will take some experimentation. How can I (and can I at all without a better equipped shop) restore the factory finish on something like a Shun? The target characteristics are highly polished core steel and cladding bands, smooth feeling blade faces, and good contrast looking straight down under direct light. What I have now looks better at a slightly oblique angle of view or illumination than straight on.
Is the core steel masked with resist before etching to keep it shiny, or is it simply a factor of etchant choice and polishing before and after?
Is the blade etched significantly darker and polished post-etch, and can I do this without taking off too much thickness?
Does that particular finish require a buffing wheel (too dangerous for me) and/or a kasumi-type stone?
Thanks for any pointers you can give me.
There are so many posts out there on how to etch, how to polish beforehand, how to finish afterwards, dilution vs. time, and other decision variables that all I can conclude is that it will take some experimentation. How can I (and can I at all without a better equipped shop) restore the factory finish on something like a Shun? The target characteristics are highly polished core steel and cladding bands, smooth feeling blade faces, and good contrast looking straight down under direct light. What I have now looks better at a slightly oblique angle of view or illumination than straight on.
Is the core steel masked with resist before etching to keep it shiny, or is it simply a factor of etchant choice and polishing before and after?
Is the blade etched significantly darker and polished post-etch, and can I do this without taking off too much thickness?
Does that particular finish require a buffing wheel (too dangerous for me) and/or a kasumi-type stone?
Thanks for any pointers you can give me.