Acid Etching My Spyderco Endura 4

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Introduction: Acid Etching My Spyderco Endura 4

About: South East London, dont upload much

A documentation of my first time Etching a knife, I used ferric Chloride I bought on eBay on my spyderco endura 4.

Step 1: Preparation

Start by disassembling your knife, using a T8 torx head for the pivot screw and a T6 for the rest - this size is pretty hard to come by but you can get them on amazon for less than £3. I used a flat head screwdriver and that worked but it did chew up one of the screws, luckily I could still take the knife apart.
Next take some nail polish and paint the areas you don't want to be etched (all contact areas - pivot, lock etc...) then if you choose to use the nail polish to paint a design. I didn't at first but I cant remember what I was thinking at the time. Use a cloth and some lighter fluid to remove any last grease from the blade before Etching.

Step 2: Etching

So my first tests, using 40% concentration ferric Chloride for 30 minutes I took the blade and clip out of the acid. I wanted a very dark, stone washed kind of effect but after sanding lightly with 1200 grit I was left with a matte grey all over which I was not happy with. I sanded it down as good as I could get it and started again. (you can use the acid a bunch of times before it loses its properties so there was no problem there)

Step 3: Attempt 2

I chose to do some nice stripes for the second attempt, I learnt that Etching isnt as obvious as I imagined and it only looks good on a surface with a comparison, so after sanding down the old etch to 1200 grit I applied nail polish on the contact points and painted on my design.
Lighter fluid and a rag to clean the blade and clip then back into the acid, this time I took the clip out at 45 minutes, this was not enough time, I'm guessing because of the type of steel but the etch was very faint. However the blade I left in for an hour and that worked perfectly.

Step 4: Polish, Reassemble and Resharpen

I took out the blade and clip, used acetone to get rid of the nail paint and looked at my results, the looked alot deeper than last time and the contrast was much more easily seen, sanding and buffing makes the contrast even more clear and I thought it looked great.
I then resharpened the edge up to mirror polish and oiled the pivot area.
I would recommend this as an easy knife customisation and I will be doing it alot more in the future, thanks for reading and good luck!

1 Person Made This Project!

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29 Comments

0
Kona-chan
Kona-chan

7 years ago

does this work with a stainless steal blade with black coathing?

0
milo_baker
milo_baker

Reply 7 years ago

you would have to remove the black coating

0
Kona-chan
Kona-chan

Reply 7 years ago

that's kind of a problem, it won't even scratch

0
milo_baker
milo_baker

Reply 7 years ago

should do if you get some sandpaper or a file

0
Kona-chan
Kona-chan

Reply 7 years ago

the knife broke a while ago, the blade broke off the handle and my mom made me throw it away :/ maybe gonna buy a black sable soon

0
mhood6
mhood6

7 years ago

what do you use for the acid? can you use a salt and water solution with an electric current?

0
milo_baker
milo_baker

Reply 7 years ago

I believe so but I've never tried, usually people use that technique when etching small, precise logos on their knives

0
JuriM
JuriM

7 years ago

reggaeblodfireclart

0
JuriM
JuriM

7 years ago

bumbarass man

0
JuriM
JuriM

7 years ago

chode

0
ewautvanwassenhove
ewautvanwassenhove

7 years ago

that's super cool! Do you think it could work on surfaces that you can't dip in the acid? like a dobro with a steel body? like then wipe over it or something?

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0
milo_baker
milo_baker

Reply 7 years ago

thanks man, as for your question I would say probably, try it on a small scale first but I can't see a reason why it wouldnt work, let me know if you do and how it went

0
loony1
loony1

7 years ago

Why exactly the zip ties?
The acid etching turned out real nice. I like the tiger stripe pattern.

0
milo_baker
milo_baker

Reply 7 years ago

thanks bro

0
CorgiCritter
CorgiCritter

Reply 7 years ago

You snag them on your pocket and it opens the knife as you pull it out. The mod is known as the Ghetto Wave, since it's a homemade version of the Wave Shaped Opening Feature.

0
milo_baker
milo_baker

Reply 7 years ago

cheers

0
Bobby T
Bobby T

7 years ago

Great results there lad. Did you test the blade in the first time, or did you use a test metal part

0
milo_baker
milo_baker

Reply 7 years ago

thanks, unfortunately i tested the blade the first time, using another piece of steel would be a lot smarter

0
Diesel Weasel
Diesel Weasel

7 years ago

Just a quick warning: Putting zipties on a knife like that can be illegal. Please check your local laws.