Thread: Etchings and maker marks. Do you in fill or re etch anything.

As I begin to sift through the huge library on restoring blades I often see the same comments.

"I stopped grinding to save the makers mark" Or " the etching couldn't be saved"

A lot of the photos show bare metal (no in filling) and shadows of those original etch marks.

Has anyone researched re etching the blade with the original mark after the restoration?

I saw very few razors in filled on the stamped sections. Is this a artistic choice?

I guess what I am really asking have anyone successfully infilled the stampings and or re etched the blade with the original stamp?

There are a few around that seem to look way too perfect, but nobody has every said that they do. I am left with the impression that that would be going too far and start to border on dishonest. That however is just my understanding of the situation. I think most guys try to keep it as original as possible when it comes to these thing.

there was a post last week about re-etching stamps to make them clear & deep when restoring

I've heard about filling some stamps with graphite or another material to really make the stamps pop out for a photo...one shave later...they ain't "popping" so much.....

found it - this is the recent etch enhansment thread
page 3 is the start of it

http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...cations-3.html

Ok, I read that thread and I am truly impressed. I have often wondered about how that would be done. I had not seen that thread before.

Lewy pretty much describes how to do it in the link above.
I haven't done with a razor yet, but I've done plenty of knives, hand planes, and other wood working tools using the same technique with FeCl3 or HCl and peroxide. After the etching fluid is neutralized I usually backfill with gun bluing, black enamel, gold leaf, or whatever.
For the blade patterns, you can scan them in as a jpeg, reverse laser print (or photocopy) the image, place the image against the cleaned blade, and then use a hair dryer to melt the black toner onto the blade. At that point you have a negative on the blade and can acid etch. It is pretty much the same way you etch a circuit board. (Sponge + Ferric Chloride Method -- Etch PCBs in One Minute!)

Electrolysis is another technique that works well, but it takes a lot of practice to get right. For production work where you have metal all from one lot, it is great. You mess up one piece getting the settings correct for that lot and after that you can do a tankful of pieces at a time. So it is not very practical for one off razor work. You also shouldn't use electrolysis on stainless steel due to that nasty hexavalent chromium that comes out. I prefer to kill my liver with glenmorangie instead of chromium.

I guess at some point I'm going to have post a video on how to do etchings.

I have filled in some maker's marks with a paint called Liquid leaf gold. It does okay for marks, but gets splotchy over big areas. It can give a nice contrast to shallow markings. There is also a marker/pin that also works pretty good.

The paint is simple to use. Wipe into the markings and then I take a cloth with alcohol to remove the excess.

It looks really nice on some razors. Nice thing is you can always remove it, if you are not pleased.

Originally Posted by CyberShdw

As I begin to sift through the huge library on restoring blades I often see the same comments.

"I stopped grinding to save the makers mark" Or " the etching couldn't be saved"

A lot of the photos show bare metal (no in filling) and shadows of those original etch marks.

Has anyone researched re etching the blade with the original mark after the restoration?

I saw very few razors in filled on the stamped sections. Is this a artistic choice?

I guess what I am really asking have anyone successfully infilled the stampings and or re etched the blade with the original stamp?

Yes. At one point we had a gifted restorer named Vlad (vladsch was his nick iirc). He handsanded a W&B with the arrow etching until the etching was fully gone. Then, based on original pics he designed a completely new etch mask, correct font types and all, and put the etch back exactly where it used to be.

I don't know if any of us mere mortals have ever repeated it though.

Originally Posted by CyberShdw

As I begin to sift through the huge library on restoring blades I often see the same comments.

Has anyone researched re etching the blade with the original mark after the restoration?

Yes, I did
Look at this link below.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...cations-2.html