Albanian Jambiya/Khanjar Wootz?

ward · 27th July 2008, 05:03 PM

Yes a lot of these etching chemicals can cause death or a trip to the emergency room if used improperly. It takes a lot of practice and experimenting to do it correctly and you will trash some pieces.

Atlantia · 27th July 2008, 07:04 PM

Care must be taken for sure. Only the mildest of etching is really 'safe'. However, I don't think we need worry that this is likely to lead to wholesale destruction of good pieces. Who would be daft enough to practice on antiques first?
There's a million old tools and 50+ year old rusty carving knives at every car boot sale to destroy perfecting your art. Besides, there's no need to jump in at the deep end when good results can be obtained (to begin with) with nothing more dangerous than cooking ingredients.

We are here to share information and knowledge aren't we?
I'm happy to share any tricks and tips I've picked up over the years, if there is a concern about lurkers, then I suggest (respectfully) that a section of the board is designated 'members only'.

Obviously there is a commercial element to sharing 'valuable' restoration information, but that applies to sharing the knowledge of research and identification too. I can understand not wanting to share it with casual passers-by/lurkers who don't at least try and contribute to this community. But registered members can ask if they are unsure and obviously all weapon ownership is at the owners risk be it sharpening, handling, restoring or whatever.

27th July 2008, 05:03 PM	#1
ward Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 637	Yes a lot of these etching chemicals can cause death or a trip to the emergency room if used improperly. It takes a lot of practice and experimenting to do it correctly and you will trash some pieces.

27th July 2008, 07:04 PM	#2
Atlantia Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: The Sharp end Posts: 2,928	Care must be taken for sure. Only the mildest of etching is really 'safe'. However, I don't think we need worry that this is likely to lead to wholesale destruction of good pieces. Who would be daft enough to practice on antiques first? There's a million old tools and 50+ year old rusty carving knives at every car boot sale to destroy perfecting your art. Besides, there's no need to jump in at the deep end when good results can be obtained (to begin with) with nothing more dangerous than cooking ingredients. We are here to share information and knowledge aren't we? I'm happy to share any tricks and tips I've picked up over the years, if there is a concern about lurkers, then I suggest (respectfully) that a section of the board is designated 'members only'. Obviously there is a commercial element to sharing 'valuable' restoration information, but that applies to sharing the knowledge of research and identification too. I can understand not wanting to share it with casual passers-by/lurkers who don't at least try and contribute to this community. But registered members can ask if they are unsure and obviously all weapon ownership is at the owners risk be it sharpening, handling, restoring or whatever.