# Damascus Polishing



## FishmanDE (Mar 23, 2021)

I have a Mayabi that an old chef gave to me, and I want to polish it up to its former glory. What’s the best way to polish to bring out the full Damascus effect?

Cowabunga,

Nick


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## TSF415 (Mar 24, 2021)

Someone who actually knows what they're doing will answer but until then I'll answer. In the past I have sanded the finish and then etched in coffee. I dont know how well it would work on the Mayabi.


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## FishmanDE (Mar 24, 2021)

TSF415 said:


> Someone who actually knows what they're doing will answer but until then I'll answer. In the past I have sanded the finish and then etched in coffee. I dont know how well it would work on the Mayabi.



etched in coffee?


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## TSF415 (Mar 24, 2021)

FishmanDE said:


> etched in coffee?



Yeah. The search function can help a lot better than I can.


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## FishmanDE (Mar 24, 2021)

TSF415 said:


> Yeah. The search function can help a lot better than I can.


Can you elaborate on that for me? I searched for key words for ‘polishing’ and ‘Damascus’ and combinations of the two and couldn’t find anything in depth


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## Mikeadunne (Mar 24, 2021)

I know nothing but search instant coffee etch


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## TSF415 (Mar 24, 2021)

FishmanDE said:


> Can you elaborate on that for me? I searched for key words for ‘polishing’ and ‘Damascus’ and combinations of the two and couldn’t find anything in depth



My bad. Didn’t mean to leave you hanging. You should be looking for “etch” not “polishing.” The different layers of the Damascus are brought out by dipping the blade in a solution. There’s quite a few different things people use to etch. 

I’ve used instant coffee before. Let the blade sit in it for a while and then polished it with some 0000 mesh.


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## jwthaparc (Mar 24, 2021)

I tried the coffee thing on my miyabi didn't do much. Probably because of how stainless the Damascus cladding is.


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## jwthaparc (Mar 24, 2021)

What worked for mine, if you have the stones for it, is just a full polishing progression, like you would use for a wide bevel. If you can finesse it enough a kitayama 8000 will give it an acceptable finish. If you have fingerstones, or a jnat even better.


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## jwthaparc (Mar 24, 2021)

What stones do you have?


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## FishmanDE (Mar 24, 2021)

jwthaparc said:


> What stones do you have?



shapton 500, 2000, 4000
King 1000, 6000
Jnat of some variety (3-4K I think)

im not trying to sharpen or anything, just bring out the Damascus and maker look pretty.


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## FishmanDE (Mar 24, 2021)

TSF415 said:


> My bad. Didn’t mean to leave you hanging. You should be looking for “etch” not “polishing.” The different layers of the Damascus are brought out by dipping the blade in a solution. There’s quite a few different things people use to etch.
> 
> I’ve used instant coffee before. Let the blade sit in it for a while and then polished it with some 0000 mesh.



All good, was just confused. Doesn’t seem to be much info on this topic, so I figured I’d post a search specific thread for other going forward.


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## jwthaparc (Mar 24, 2021)

FishmanDE said:


> shapton 500, 2000, 4000
> King 1000, 6000
> Jnat of some variety (3-4K I think)
> 
> im not trying to sharpen or anything, just bring out the Damascus and maker look pretty.


Maybe try the king the shapton, then the jnat, see what you have after that, then go to the king 6000 if you still dont have the results. 

The king 6000 will give a nice polish, but it's tricky to get right. I recommend maybe raising a slurry with something before using it. Make sure you are using light pressure, and keep the slurry hydrated. If you mess the pressure up, or the amount of water it can throw off the polish with stones like the king 6000.

I would say, it's a miyabi, so it could probably use a thinning while you are at it though. That's up to you of course.


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## jwthaparc (Mar 24, 2021)

If you are willing to buy some stuff to make it look good, there are polishing powders some stone makers sell that would also work well for this. Like suehiro (I believe) . I've heard hinoura (I think) does too.


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## riba (Mar 24, 2021)

Though the pictures are gone there is still a lot of good info in Damascus Knives & Re-Etchng


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## big_adventure (Mar 24, 2021)

This link goes into detail the process of etching damascus and different stuff to use for different steels. If the knife is all stainless, etching will be nearly impossible with coffee, slow or ineffective with vinegar, just entering possible with FC and pretty easy with stronger acids. Of course, the danger level is opposite of the rapidity.


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## tcmx3 (Mar 24, 2021)

jwthaparc said:


> If you are willing to buy some stuff to make it look good, there are polishing powders some stone makers sell that would also work well for this. Like suehiro (I believe) . I've heard hinoura (I think) does too.



this, I saw someone do a great looking finish with 800 grit SiC powder, or invest in some finger stones. will give better results when etching IME. 

there's also electrolytic etching if you're adventurous, but I wouldnt personally mess with that myself


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## stringer (Mar 24, 2021)

I have done this a couple of times. I did sandpaper up to about 1500 grit and then etched with ferric chloride and then knocked off the matte with some 0000 steel wool.






Advice sought on rehabbing damascus


This is my wife's 180 mm Gyuto. She bought it on a whim from Japanese Knife Company about 7 or 8 years ago. It's Damascus stainless clad vg10. It gets used every day for home cooking. It has been sharpened regularly and thinned a little every sharpening session. The Damascus pattern is faded and...




www.kitchenknifeforums.com


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## big_adventure (Mar 25, 2021)

I have a "cheap" (100 bucks) AliExpress damascus "VG10" that I use to experiment and play with. One of those experiments was to see a) if it was really pattern welded steel and b) just how much punishment the damascus could take, so a while ago I flattened it and stoned it on one side until the damascus was basically gone, then sanded it to a mirror polish. It was my intention to re-etch it.

Yesterday was the day; I bought a bottle of hydrochlorique acid and got to work. Lacking a long thin vertical recipient that could hold the knife in a bath (it's 210 on the edge), I put a bit - maybe 100ml - of the acid (it's 29% concentration, bought it at the only big supermarket near me) in the bottom of a plastic storage container perhaps 220mm long. I prepared a baking soda bath in another container. 

I then used a paintbrush to paint the acid onto the blade evenly, leaving the bath in the sink with the blade on top of it to avoid spill risks. I went back and repainted the acid onto the blade every few minutes, ensuring full coverage. I did this for a half hour. It definitely brought back the damascus. A dunk in the baking soda bath to neutralize the acid, and a wash and dry and it's finished. It worked pretty well - the pattern is all back, the blade is fine. It's not quite as "popping" as it was new, but it's definitely close enough for government work. 

You can use the baking soda bath to neutralize the acid to get rid of it - dilute in water first, and use eye protection always when dealing with acids and bases in case something jumps at you.


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