I'm trying to get the B&W damascus process down on a coupon before I tried it on my barrels.
The first try is on my Lefever damascus coupon about 2" long.
I used Snowy Mountain rust blue for this test because I looked and my Pilkintons bottle is almost empty.
I rust blued once for 3 hrs and boiled, carded. Then rust blued for 7 hrs, boiled and carded. Then rust blued for 14 hrs, boiled and carded. The coupon looked like a good start on a regular steel barrel rust blue.
Then I mixed 1 part Radio Shack circuitboard etch (29% ferric chloride????) with 2 parts water. I dipped the coupon in for 10 seconds and quickly flushed under running water and carded with 0000 steelwool. The picture is as close to what my eye sees as I could get.
It may be just me, but any dwell in a fluid of only 10 seconds worries me. I added another part of water making the etch solution 3 parts water to 1 part Radio Shack etch.
I found the MSDS for the 276-1535 Radio Shack circuit board etch. It says it is 40% FeCl3. So, that put my first etch for 10 seconds was in 13% strength FeCl3. With the additional water, my next etch will be 10% strength.
