So I have been toying with an idea. I sent this off to Seraphim thinking he would have the best chance of making it happen but he suggested I posted it in here to share the information. With the Gold Dollar competition going around I thought of an idea that would replicate how Damascus steel looks. To accomplish this you would need a polished razor that has even surface area and it would need to have the final finishing done to it prior to going any further.
I play around with PCB's and have designed a few and etched my own boards. I use a Laser printer and print the image in reverse onto glossy magazine pages. The ink is basically a plastic and when you place it onto a metal and heat it & rub it in it sticks to the metal because it is hotter than the paper. Usually a clothes iron can make this happen just fine. The area that is uncovered will be the area that is etched by the liquid solution we are about to dip it in.
In orders to make the ink stick on a hollowed out blade you would need to heat a cylinder object (copper pipe comes to mind) and use it as an iron. If it doesn't transfer right acetone removes it nicely and it is just as simple to start over.
PCB etchant works best on copper. With Stainless steel it does not dissolve it as quickly and in turn gives off a patina color. There is a pre-mixed chemical solution available at Radio-Shack and there are also home-brew methods available on the internet. With the right tweaking and design this could easily lead to a finished blade having a fake Damascus look to it.
Some other things this may be most useful for would be Logos / designs and even 7-day set tagging. Although this may not be the best explanation on how this method works, a little creativity and research could lead to something awesome being done with it.
I play around with PCB's and have designed a few and etched my own boards. I use a Laser printer and print the image in reverse onto glossy magazine pages. The ink is basically a plastic and when you place it onto a metal and heat it & rub it in it sticks to the metal because it is hotter than the paper. Usually a clothes iron can make this happen just fine. The area that is uncovered will be the area that is etched by the liquid solution we are about to dip it in.
In orders to make the ink stick on a hollowed out blade you would need to heat a cylinder object (copper pipe comes to mind) and use it as an iron. If it doesn't transfer right acetone removes it nicely and it is just as simple to start over.
PCB etchant works best on copper. With Stainless steel it does not dissolve it as quickly and in turn gives off a patina color. There is a pre-mixed chemical solution available at Radio-Shack and there are also home-brew methods available on the internet. With the right tweaking and design this could easily lead to a finished blade having a fake Damascus look to it.
Some other things this may be most useful for would be Logos / designs and even 7-day set tagging. Although this may not be the best explanation on how this method works, a little creativity and research could lead to something awesome being done with it.