Eatching blade in boiled Sprite(tm)

I read before about eatching knife blades in Sprite(tm). Like left it overnight in a glass...

Recently I clean this blade from rust - this is German carbon steel. I decide to try to prevent rust by etching it - run to local 7/12 and instead of waiting overnight decide to speed up this simple chemical process by heating it up.

Result was pretty good - blade is etched if not to black but to deep gray only fo 20 minutes (including visit to 7/12). And not harmful chemicals - just drinkable citric acid.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Etching
• Knife
• Blade

[SharpenerHellJoy]

snow peak is awesome

[Nyankido]

Shouldn't ruin the heat treat. A light color change in the steel should not take it below where it is already tempered. A blade tempered to that color would be fairly brittle. With that said, there are differing opinions on it. Personally I temper somewhere between the dark straw and magenta color depending upon the design and use for the blade.

[Cherbanov]

test with battery acid instead

[Roger1379]

It's still not hot enough, you have to get it much past 270degrees C to ruin the temper, if it turns a light straw colour, then you may have ruined the temper on the surface.

[nikrguy]

What about the tip that touches the cup that's against the heating element?

[Roger1379]

it's not hot enough to ruin the heat treat, you have to heat it much past boiling point of water.

[blan101]

Wont this ruin the heat treat?