Arsenic or realgar for Keris etching?

[kulbuntet]

Originally Posted by David

Just a thought. Can't the strength of the solution be adjusted based on the amount of arsenic used in the solution. As2O3 is stronger than realgar, but if you use less in your solution than your solution should be weaker, right?
Thanks for showing us part of your process Michel. I like your home made staining trough. Frankly i am picking up a tip or two from all these different methods which i believe will be helpful to my process in the end.

Hi David,

Yes of coarse, your thinking is correct. When i make a solution i make it as a stock solution... this means as strong as it can get and put a bit extra in it, to lay on botom of the yar( see pic one left top). Let it stand for a year. As you can see on the pic, my bath is almost black coloured. It was a year ago just yellowish (lime juice colour). The warangan need to solve slowly, because i must be extraced from the mineral.

These stock solutions are so strong that even with colder temperature it wil darken a blade, but not with good results.. when you want to do some work.. just dillute it a bit, when stil to stong a bit more.. dilluting a solution is posible and wil keep the solution good to go.. but when to weak.. put more in.. normal.. but before it wil work.. one year later. The use of trioxid is easy because it wil work when you make it.. because the faster solving of the salt (As2O3).

Another tip!, i dont trow away anny thing... same for the waste water. It holds a bit or warangan, so i recycle it it it gets stronger, than it can be used to dillute or vaporised bath. Or for slow washing realy old blades.