Etch Your Sgian for Little to No Cost?

[O'Neille]

I found this cure for cabin fever on another website and had to try it. My new tartancarta sgian became the victim of more experimentation.

All you need are a 9 volt battery, two alligator clips, q-tips, salt, water and fingernail polish. I told you it was a cure for cabin fever. You don't even need to leave the house.

Here are the tools. Notice the negative lead is touching the saline soaked swab. Also if you put a lot of salt in the water and microwave it you get sparks.



For the Saltire I used a technique of putting a piece of sticker paper on the piece, cutting out the design and removing what you don't want etched. Paint over it with fingernail polish and then remove the masked areas.

[O'Neille]

For my name on the other side I just scraped away a coating of fingernail polish and etched away. You'll notice the black material is metal being removed from the unprotected blade.

[ChattanCat]

Sweet!

[Bugbear]

Weird... I'll have to think about what's going on there, but if it works, good. Except, what kind of metal is that, like what kind of steel?

[James MacMillan]

Now this has a lot of possibilities! Neat

[O'Neille]

Weird... I'll have to think about what's going on there, but if it works, good. Except, what kind of metal is that, like what kind of steel?

It's reverse electroplating, electrons scurrying away from the steel w/ full backpacks. I used to have a big electroplating machine for my motorcycle stuff. This is more fun and cheaper. I'm not certain what type of steel it is. It works like plain old 01 carbon tool steel.

[Bugbear]

Oh ok, I was thinking on some of the steels the electrical part of the thingy might not work so well. Very interesting...

I'm not certain what type of steel it is. It works like plain old 01 carbon tool steel.

[Howard Clark]

It works on all steels. If you want to use a commercial rig and supplies built for just the purpose, check this company out. http://www.markingmethods.com/electr...l-marking.php4

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

That's pretty much the way we applied the design to blades we were going to etch when I was at Wilkinson Sword in London-- the difference is Ray Humphries (who etched all the blades) used a wax similar to sealing wax instead of nail polish.

Knowing my own lack of talent in this area I don't think I'll risk electrocuting the cat or ruining my sgian dubh by attempting "self etching" at home. I doubt I could achieve anything nearly as good as you've achieved on your blade.

Looks nice, well done...

[cacunn]

Get a group of people together in kilts, give them the internet and a forum and they will discover the answer to everything and take over the world.