Thread: Etching razors

My biggest problem is going to be cutting out written do to it's fancy faunt. I figured that before I try to use nail polish and acid I'd find out how they put it on there in the first place.

Originally Posted by aaron1234

My biggest problem is going to be cutting out written do to it's fancy faunt. I figured that before I try to use nail polish and acid I'd find out how they put it on there in the first place.

Nothing wrong with trying to stay true to form, and do it the way the original craftsmen did.

Originally Posted by aaron1234

My biggest problem is going to be cutting out written do to it's fancy faunt. I figured that before I try to use nail polish and acid I'd find out how they put it on there in the first place.

The way that I prefer to do it is to create the pattern in Adobe Illustrator, paint the blade all over with spray paint, then use a laser cutter to remove the paint and expose the metal. Then I can do acid etching, electrochemical etching, or hand graving.

Before the laser cutter I would create the pattern in Illustrator, flip it on the horizontal, and then inverse it so that the pattern was in white surrounded by a black box. I would then laser print the inverse pattern onto photo gloss paper. Cut the pattern out, lightly tape or glue it to the blade with the black ink against the blade. Then take a cloths iron on high with steam and run it over the back (non printed) side of the cut out pattern for about 5 minutes. This will transfer the toner onto the blade. Let it cool down and then soak the blade with the pattern stuck to it in water for about 15 minutes. The paper will break down (you may have to rub it a little) leaving you with the pattern on the blade. If there are any bare metal spots left (besides your pattern) cover them up with paint and you are ready to etch.

The following is an example of an inverse pattern print for a group of chisels I did a few years ago. And the guy's last name was Horney.

So that is the type of pattern you want to make.
There are several free graphic editors like Gimp that will do the job if you don't have Illustrator.

Originally Posted by criswilson10

The way that I prefer to do it is to create the pattern in Adobe Illustrator, paint the blade all over with spray paint, then use a laser cutter to remove the paint and expose the metal. Then I can do acid etching, electrochemical etching, or hand graving.

Before the laser cutter I would create the pattern in Illustrator, flip it on the horizontal, and then inverse it so that the pattern was in white surrounded by a black box. I would then laser print the inverse pattern onto photo gloss paper. Cut the pattern out, lightly tape or glue it to the blade with the black ink against the blade. Then take a cloths iron on high with steam and run it over the back (non printed) side of the cut out pattern for about 5 minutes. This will transfer the toner onto the blade. Let it cool down and then soak the blade with the pattern stuck to it in water for about 15 minutes. The paper will break down (you may have to rub it a little) leaving you with the pattern on the blade. If there are any bare metal spots left (besides your pattern) cover them up with paint and you are ready to etch.

The following is an example of an inverse pattern print for a group of chisels I did a few years ago. And the guy's last name was Horney.

So that is the type of pattern you want to make.
There are several free graphic editors like Gimp that will do the job if you don't have Illustrator.

I would love to be able to do that but at the moment I don't have access to those tools.

Originally Posted by aaron1234

I would love to be able to do that but at the moment I don't have access to those tools.

The tools for that are relatively simple. A computer with a graphics program, a laser printer or ink printer and photocopier, an iron, and acid.
If you don't have a laser printer then print it the design on an inkjet printer and take it somewhere and photocopy it. I haven't tried it yet, but
you could just save the image to a thumb drive and take it to a photo place that does prints from digital cameras and have them print it out on
photo paper.

How do you transfer the graphic? Flat plate of iron don't fit to grinded profil of straight razor.

Originally Posted by Lewy

How do you transfer the graphic? Flat plate of iron don't fit to grinded profil of straight razor.

I believe the important part here is the heat + moisture. Which an iron set to high, with steam, will do because the steam is the primary workhorse of energy conveyance. Nuclear power plants don't actually produce electricity with the nuclear reaction itself; rather, that reaction produces lots of heat which they use to heat water into steam, which turns turbines (converting mechanical/kinetic energy into DC electrical energy).

I think as long as the print out of the inverse & flipped patern is held against the work surface, and the iron is close enough when you are steaming it, the iron doesn't have to make full & flush contact with the work piece.

What do you think, Cris? Would a natural sponge do the trick of holding the pattern down while allowing the iron to do its thing? (I assume it would be a roll of the dice on whether non-natural sponges would melt...)

The iron doesn't have to be flat against a blade. All you are trying to do is heat the paper or the metal up enough to melt the toner. Ideally you want to heat things up to 230 F (110 C), maximum is 266 F (130 C). You can run the edge of the iron to get into the curves. The isn't really necessary, but I have found that it helps separate the gloss coating from paper.

You could also generate the heat with a heat gun, toaster oven, stove, soldering iron, torch, etc. An iron is just something that most people have and isn't as likely to blow the blade temper or cause a fire.

If you are having something that is really hollowed or curvy, you can heat up a steel rod in an oven or with a torch to about 300 F and then roll it over the hollow like a rolling pin - wet leather gloves or oven mitts are a necessity unless you want to visit the burn unit.

Originally Posted by criswilson10

The way that I prefer to do it is to create the pattern in Adobe Illustrator, paint the blade all over with spray paint, then use a laser cutter to remove the paint and expose the metal. Then I can do acid etching, electrochemical etching, or hand graving.

Before the laser cutter I would create the pattern in Illustrator, flip it on the horizontal, and then inverse it so that the pattern was in white surrounded by a black box. I would then laser print the inverse pattern onto photo gloss paper. Cut the pattern out, lightly tape or glue it to the blade with the black ink against the blade. Then take a cloths iron on high with steam and run it over the back (non printed) side of the cut out pattern for about 5 minutes. This will transfer the toner onto the blade. Let it cool down and then soak the blade with the pattern stuck to it in water for about 15 minutes. The paper will break down (you may have to rub it a little) leaving you with the pattern on the blade. If there are any bare metal spots left (besides your pattern) cover them up with paint and you are ready to etch.

The following is an example of an inverse pattern print for a group of chisels I did a few years ago. And the guy's last name was Horney.

So that is the type of pattern you want to make.
There are several free graphic editors like Gimp that will do the job if you don't have Illustrator.

What type of laser cutter do you use?

Originally Posted by aaron1234

What type of laser cutter do you use?

I have a Universal Laser V660 - 60 watt laser with an 18" x 32" x 6" bed. There are plenty of laser cutters out there if you have a few thousand dollars. Some of the newer ones can directly darken metal to create the appearance of an etch.