Restauration of antique oriental Damascus / Wootz blades

[Jens Nordlunde]

Thank you Marius, and Ariel for mentioning Nital.
I have never used Nital, but I will try it - using a 3-4% solution.
Marius, I think you are right, that the different results on the same blade must be due to different heating origianlly.

[mariusgmioc]

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

Thank you Marius, and Ariel for mentioning Nital.
I have never used Nital, but I will try it - using a 3-4% solution.
Marius, I think you are right, that the different results on the same blade must be due to different heating origianlly.

Glad to be of help!

Not necessarily due to the ORIGINAL heat treatment but also to the subsequent heat treatments (for example a blade could get bent, and then was heated up locally to be straightened; or a blade could have been dropped into a fire... throughout its multi-centenary history).



And please let me know if you find a source of Nital in Europe as I normally get mine from the US.

[Jens Nordlunde]

Yes you are right, and your suggestion it likely to be more right than mine.

[Roland_M]

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

Yes you are right, and your suggestion it likely to be more right than mine.

Hello Jens,

I have tried out a lot of etchants and in my honest opinion the original Zag (Iron + Sulfur but not Vitriol!) is still the best etchant. Difficult to work with, but fantastic results, if one do it right . Very good for pattern welded steel and wootz. Similar results like the original treatment.

The Dha/Dao from Sajen was recently etched with Zag for example.

But everybody has different experiences and preferences.


Roland

[mariusgmioc]

Originally Posted by Roland_M

Hello Jens,

I have tried out a lot of etchants and in my honest opinion the original Zag (Iron + Sulfur but not Vitriol!) is still the best etchant. Difficult to work with, but fantastic results, if one do it right . Very good for pattern welded steel and wootz. Similar results like the original treatment.

The Dha/Dao from Sajen was recently etched with Zag for example.

But everybody has different experiences and preferences.


Roland

Hello Roland,

Also using Nital I got results absolutely identical to (by no means discernable from) originally etched blades.

I got a magnificent black Kara Taban wootz kard that had a lighter area near the hilt so I had it polished (basically just cleaned the old etching with Pre-lim) and re-etched and got exactly the same I had before: a magnificent black Kara Taban pattern and much lighter area near the hilt where the etchant didn't appear to have the same effect (I assume because of different heat treatments to the blade, that led to different micro-cristalline structure of the steel).

Besides, Nital is very easy and reasonably safe to work with.


Maybe once I get home I will post some photos of my older results (but I know you also got excellent results with Zag)

PS: In the next future I will have to etch a few of my new aquisitions and I may make the effort to document the process with Photos.

[Roland_M]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

Hello Roland,

Also using Nital I got results absolutely identical to (by no means discernable from) originally etched blades.

I got a magnificent black Kara Taban wootz kard that had a lighter area near the hilt so I had it polished (basically just cleaned the old etching with Pre-lim) and re-etched and got exactly the same I had before: a magnificent black Kara Taban pattern and much lighter area near the hilt where the etchant didn't appear to have the same effect (I assume because of different heat treatments to the blade, that led to different micro-cristalline structure of the steel).

Besides, Nital is very easy and reasonably safe to work with.


Maybe once I get home I will post some photos of my older results (but I know you also got excellent results with Zag)

PS: In the next future I will have to etch a few of my new aquisitions and I may make the effort to document the process with Photos.

Hi Marius,

I'm very interested to see your black Kara Taban wootz kard and other blades here.

Oh and since two weeks or so I'm using Fe2(SO4)3 (Iron(III) sulfate=Zag) instead of Na2S2O8 (Sodium persulfate).


Roland

[mariusgmioc]

Today is very dark outside and I arrived late. And in order o take some relevant photos of the Kard I need plenty of natural light.

So I am posting some photos of a Pesh-kabz I etched.

PS: I find it is much more difficult to take good photos of the etching than to do the etching.

[Roland_M]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

And please let me know if you find a source of Nital in Europe as I normally get mine from the US.

Hi Marious,

it's a commercial link, so I decided, to send you a private message.

If you use nitric, you have to use nitric with at least 65%, better 70% or more. This has nothing to do with the 2-4% you use for etching! This was a very important advise from an analytical chemist.


Roland