Mythical Zag for etching
 

Here is a series of pics about the use of the so-called Zag, a "dirt" from the Naukat Mountains in Kyrgizstan.
Obviously, this is a natural ferric oxide-like mixture, exactly as described by Sachse.
Still, fascinating to see the legend in action.
http://talks.guns.ru/forummessage/79/431909.html
Enjoy!

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Great find. Thank you Ariel. The 'Zag' has been and still is used in other Middle Eastern countries. So the legend continues indeed. However, just as wootz itself, it does not possess any mystical values, and it will not make low contrast or low quality wootz pattern appear any better. It's only advantage is that it does not expire and can be stored and reused for very long time after being mixed with water. It also may produce less yellowish residue. But what I noticed is that when it comes to mechanical Damascus - acid would develop the pattern better than Zag!

Have you tried it? Have any spare?

I tried it with mixed results. It works fantastic on super quality wootz. It creates outstanding 'white' wootz effect, where light pattern appears almost mirror-like, whereas FeCl tends to dim/dull them a bit more. As I mentioned above, it would not help with low contrast woots, and an acid may develop it even better. FeCl, mixed with Nitric Acid would produce the same effect if properly applied (and properly AND SAFELY!!! mixed) on good quality wootz, and it would be impossible to tell which etchant was used by the finish.
Unfortunately I have only a few grams left, and if split it'd be not enough for any of us:-)