# Reprofiling and Etching



## Andreu (Feb 12, 2018)

I figured to share my latest work and to get some constructive criticism (things that I may have missed, things I can improve on, etc.). I reprofiled the knife since it was not working for me. It doesnt have enough flat spot and the knife had a continuous curve causing accordion cuts. Thanks in advance. 

https://imgur.com/a/JVoH4


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## Dave Martell (Feb 12, 2018)

Looks good. :thumbsup:


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## stuplarosa (Feb 12, 2018)

What did you use to do the etching?


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## Andreu (Feb 12, 2018)

Dave Martell said:


> Looks good. :thumbsup:



Good to hear this especially coming from you, Dave. Much appreciated.


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## Andreu (Feb 12, 2018)

stuplarosa said:


> What did you use to do the etching?



4:1 ratio..water:ferric chloride


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## pd7077 (Feb 12, 2018)

Nice work Andreu. I couldnt really tell in the pic but did you leave a little relief at the heel or is it dead flat? The etch looks great...is that a jamon I see?!? Lol :razz:


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## Andreu (Feb 12, 2018)

pd7077 said:


> Nice work Andreu. I couldnt really tell in the pic but did you leave a little relief at the heel or is it dead flat? The etch looks great...is that a jamon I see?!? Lol :razz:



Thanks, doc! Yes, I left a small portion at the heel as a relief. I didnt want the knife to stop abruptly on the board. I see what you did there with the hamon. But a jamon nonetheless. &#128514;


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## HHH Knives (Feb 12, 2018)

Very nice wor. Looks to me like it will be a much better cutter!


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## Andreu (Feb 12, 2018)

HHH Knives said:


> Very nice wor. Looks to me like it will be a much better cutter!



Thanks, Randy. I appreciate your comment. Im glad to know that I didnt make it any worse.


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## MrHiggins (Feb 14, 2018)

Looks awesome. Can you describe the etching process?


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## Andreu (Feb 14, 2018)

Ill PM you later on tonight, MrHiggins.


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## MrHiggins (Feb 27, 2018)

Andreu -- thanks again for all the PM-ed tips!

I tried out your method on a Sukinari HAP-40. Here are the results: https://imgur.com/a/StMB1


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## Andreu (Feb 28, 2018)

Wow! That turned out great. Good job, sir!


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## Grunt173 (Mar 1, 2018)

I am seeing some remarkable talent in the knives pictured.


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## MrHiggins (Mar 1, 2018)

I wish it was talent. All I did was buff out the knife, soak it in acid, and buff it again. Chemical etching makes you look like you know what you're doing.


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## idemhj (Mar 2, 2018)

Sorry if Im thread-jacking, but on a somewhat related note. Does anyone know which steeels will etch and which will not?

Initially I thought it was pretty easy - all carbon steels will etch and stainless will not. That, however, is not true. Whereas Ive yet to expirience a carbon steel that will not etch, some stainless will and others wont - i.e. r2/SG2 will take very well to etching but the semi-stainlesse steel in the Itinomonn StainLess line will not, or, at least, only very little (I am talking ferric chloride etch here). Does anyone know the chemical explanation of this?


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## steelcrimp (Mar 7, 2018)

Thats The Ikazuchi, right? Look's awesome! I'd love to hear your process on this. My friend has a belt grinder and I'd love to make mine a flatter knife.


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## Andreu (Mar 7, 2018)

steelcrimp said:


> Thats The Ikazuchi, right? Look's awesome! I'd love to hear your process on this. My friend has a belt grinder and I'd love to make mine a flatter knife.



Yes, that is the Ikazuchi. No belt grinder used on this. Just breadknifed it on an Atoma 140 then thinned and sharpened it.


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## steelcrimp (Mar 16, 2018)

Andreu said:


> Yes, that is the Ikazuchi. No belt grinder used on this. Just breadknifed it on an Atoma 140 then thinned and sharpened it.



Ahh, I see. Thanks for the process!


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## Chef Doom (Mar 18, 2018)

The face could use some extra polishing to make three kanji pop. Edge could be slightly thinner. I give it a C-.


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## Konge (Mar 19, 2018)

Andreu said:


> 4:1 ratio..water:ferric chloride



So a 20% solution, or what is the concentration of the ferric chloride you use? I feel like this is something I should be sure of before trying it out. It looks amazing.

I assume it won't work on iron clad knives?


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## Andreu (Mar 20, 2018)

Konge said:


> So a 20% solution, or what is the concentration of the ferric chloride you use? I feel like this is something I should be sure of before trying it out. It looks amazing.
> 
> I assume it won't work on iron clad knives?



Im not sure what the concentration of the FeCl is but it is by MG Chemicals which I bought from Frys electronics. It is used for PCB.

I havent tried it on a iron clad but used it on a Mizuno Suminigashi.


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## Ragustoriches (Mar 29, 2018)

At the risk of sounding like an idiot, where would one go about buying some ferric chloride?


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## MrHiggins (Mar 30, 2018)

Ragustoriches said:


> At the risk of sounding like an idiot, where would one go about buying some ferric chloride?


I bought some from Amazon. It's like $20. Then I picked up an 18 inch lengh of 4 inch PVC and two end caps, which is where I do the actual etching.


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## Ragustoriches (Apr 2, 2018)

Thanks for the tip! Ive been wanting to try out some etching


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