How To Stone Wash A Knife | Full Guide | Knife Making Tips
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 มี.ค. 2021
- This is a fully updated guide on how I acid stone wash my knives. The stone wash finish is one that I like to use a lot on my knifes because A.) I think it looks good and B.) I feel like it wears very well on a hard use knife. If yall got something out of this stone washing tutorial, please let me know in the comments below!
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Thanks for the update. I generally followed your olds video for stone washing with good results, but it's always good to add some improvements to the process.
Cool, thanks man. Yeah, I figured it was time for an update! Cheers
Very informative! I haven't been getting the best results from just a straight acid etch, I hadn't even thought about contaminants in the solution. You've earned yourself my subscription!
Thanks Sam!
Thanks man, first video I’ve watched on stone washing and I’m excited to try it!
Good luck! Cheers
I am from Brazil and even though I don't speak English I have already learned a lot in your videos, thanks for the knowledge you give us. God blesses.
Thank you! Cheers
Excellent videos. I really enjoy watching them and am learning quite a bit. Keep doing what you're doing man!
Glad you like them! Thanks!
Great finish! Can't wait to watch the build video on this knife.
Thanks Wayne!
Love this video. Been looking to get into doing this with knives and now have a game plan. Thanks!!
Glad it was helpful!
Great video!
Your videos are the only knife making videos on youtube without your comment :D I started this guessing game "of how long I have to scroll to find Redbeards comment" on new knife making videos.
Thanks for being active in the community.
Lol, thank you sir! I do my best to keep learning how other people make their knifes! Makes me better too
This was a really cool video of how a knife is stonewash since I have a d2 steel pocket folding knife and noticed that it says stonewash and got curious how it was made. Very nice
Using your sander to tumble your knife is absolutely brilliant. I would have never thought to do that. Great video and think you for the tip.
Great video! Really honest and up front.
That finish came out perfect! Also I love how you put a fuller in the tang.. that makes a lot of sense
Thank you! Cheers!
Beautiful job. Very pleasant looking finish. It looks like it feels textured as well. Very cool...
Thank you! Cheers!
That is a beautiful knife. I also like the tumbler.
Thanks David!
Very well articulated, easy to watch. Nice update.
Thank you kindly!
Very good information. Just researching the tumbler build for my own channel. I'll give a redirect back here when I finish it. Thanks for the scoop.
Cheers man!
Sitting here wearing my Red Beard Ops hoodie, watching your video. Sweet! 😎
Those lines on the knife are so clean, James. Really impressed by that. Sets off the stone wash beautifully!
Cheers!
Thank you greatly sir! Will be doing a full build of this knife... Cheers and thanks as always!
@@RedBeardOps
Thank YOU! 🤜🏻💥🤛🏻
great tutorial !! I love dark stone wash blades!!!
Thank you! Cheers!
Beautiful knife, even more beautiful finish. For what looks like such an amateurish setup, this is by far the nicest stonewash finish I've seen on anything. I'm taking notes :)
Thank you greatly!
Nice job and thanks for the detailed instructions. 👍
Glad it was helpful!
Full of useful information. That blade is well designed and executed. Subbing now. (first video I've seen here) That's one clear etch you made there man!
Thanks for the sub!
Thanks for shariing and keep up the great work!
Much love from Switzerland
Thanks Alexander!
Bravo 👏👏 beautiful finish
Got to love that NR grinder, love mine!
HEck yeah man! I'm loving mine too
That knife came out great, it looks really sharp with the hollow grind
Thanks man! Will be doing a full video on that build too!
I'm definitely a fan of a good stone wash. Most of my 5160 knives are stone washed. Good Video and good info as always.
Right on man, thanks for the watch. Cheers
Good video, I use the same process and surprise surprise I got it from your previous video lol. I would also like to point out that the part of the blade that did not harden during the heat treat is always much lighter in color when etched. I find that usually have to sand with 2500 grit on the spine to make the darker part blend with then lighter non hardened etch. I personally like my stuff as uniform as I can get it. Thanks for the video and I'm really enjoying watching your improvement process as time goes on. Good work.
Awesome Phillip, cheers man!
Once again, thank you for sharing!
My pleasure!
New at knife building but have 9 done with heat treatment and trying to clean scale and etching for myself is about to be starting
Thanks and need a tumbling box
Great work turned out beautiful
Thank you! Cheers!
Always get something good from your videos.
Glad to hear that! Thank you William!
Wooow ... so here what is stone wash !!
I am suprised. Nice result. Thanks :)
Thank you! Cheers!
Great video man, nice job!
Glad you liked it!
Neat. I'm not making knives, but I found your two videos on this from searching for information on stone washing. I want that finish on some blades I want to buy.
Glad it was helpful!
Great video!! I need to mix a new batch of etch at 50/50. Mine started out very dilute based on another video & has gotten weaker, so best to start over. Thank you for the great content!!
Cheers David! Good luck
Thanks buddy! Awesome video
Any time!
Three thousandth like, dope. Good video man, this was super informative, well made, overall just bravo!!
Glad you liked it!
I never considered using my belt grinder as the drive for a rock tumbler and it seems so obvious now. Awesome tip.
Glad you liked it!
Super clean lines on that knife!
Thanks Donald! Full build coming out next I think
Super tip. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
your the main reason i started making knifes mine are not near as nice as yours because im hand filing everything but give me a year or so thanks man for all the information i plan on doing a hamon knife with a stone wash upper finish to really bring out the hamon might be hard to pull off but i think i can do it
Heck yeah man, glad you're making some knives! I'm sure that will look great! Cheers
Your videos are what got me into knife making, so thank you for that! The Stonewash finish is definitely my favorite as well. But... one question for you. What do you do with the transition line on the spine? Thanks
Awesome man! Most of the time I put a satin finish on the spine. If you want to keep the stone wash on the spine you could use removable handle scales. Cheers sir!
It is a short, but awesome video my brother! The finish on the knife came out beautiful! Definitely going to try this! Thanks for sharing! .......
Bob Gore from Minnesota USA 😎👍🏻🔨🔥🗡️🇺🇸
THanks! Good luck Bob!
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
great video really need to build one of those tumbling rigs.
It gets the job done for sure!
Helpful
Thanks good video
Glad it helped!
Great work
Thank you! Cheers!
I like it , very nice!
Thank you! Cheers!
I'm definitely not getting results like that with the stones I pulled out of my yard! LOL looks great man!
Thanks Steve!
I’ve got a mix of river pebble from the side yard and crushed granite from the front walk. Hand-shake in a Thai takeout tub. Works like a peach....dribbles on your boots a little.
I think stons from a river or the beach are the best to use
Cool!!!! Great Info!!!! Thank You!!!👍😎✌
Glad you liked it! Cheers
Cool knife!
Thanks DJ, I'll have a full build on this guy coming out.
That’s cool love your video
Thanks Matt!
I have the same WEN drill press. I love their tools.
THey get the job done for sure!
Well done. Pretty much what I do except for the baking soda. It makes sense though. I tried different stones and got some weird results like sharp flint pieces. Keep those videos coming!
Thanks for sharing! I haven't tried new stones yet. Need to.
looking awesome, I want one :)
Thanks Alfonso!
You truly have some skills. Love how the stone wash finish comes out different every time. Also thinking about starting youtubing not sure if its a good idea though
Thanks Zach! It's one of my favorite finishes for sure. Good luck with your channel
Cool as mate!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you!
Real cool sir well made video also
Thank you!
Good job.
Thank you! Cheers!
Always liked that finish, I've had some issues with containment on blades and will try that brush with soap method, been using a clean rag with soap and I think it fails to clean well enough.
Good luck sir!
I have subscribed hardly anyone. Maybe 2 or 3 youtuber. But when ever you crank out a new vid...well then i am curious what good content comes next out of your garage. Wooohoo and cheers from germany.
Thanks for the sub! Cheers from Texas, sir!
Good job 😍😘
Thank you so much 😀
Love the content you put out! It’s driving me to start making knifes. Just bought a 1x30 belt sander and building a forge this weekend. Thanks for the info. Keep it up!
Heck yeah, that's awesome Nathan!
Two years later-How’s it going?
@Devon.Martin I made a couple of knives. Not long after I posted this. Then I got really interested in ornamental blacksmithing. I'm currently working on a pair of farrier rasp knives. Hopefully, soon, I can afford a decent 2x72. Then I plan to do a lot more knife making.
Nice finish, I don't think my tumbler material is hard enough i don't get those kind of results either, time to change them I think, thanks man
Thank you! Cheers! Good luck
I really love the look of your stone washed blades. Have you ever tried using instant coffee? I've seen that used on YT for Damascus steel. Does it just etch darker? Thanks for another great video from a super newb. I always learn a lot!
Thanks man, I haven't yet, but I think that would be cool to try!
Love the tumbler! I've been looking for a cost-effective way to get a stone-wash finish for a while. Do you have plans for it posted anywhere?
Hey John, you can search my channel for the tumbler. I have a full build video on that guy.
Wow, the finish with rocks looks awesome man! Ive been using the tumbling media from HF and I think theyre a little light, so the pattern isnt quite as definitive. Off to find some rocks! 😂
Great video, as usual!
Thanks Tyler! Cheers man
Hey brotha, I actually have a question on this...how do you manage to sand your handles without affecting the etch on the spine?
@@tylermoore9423 I'll have the full build of this knife coming out soon. But short answer on this one is that I put a satin finish on the spine. If you want to maintain the stone wash you can use removable handle scales or do your shaping on the handle with bolts before stone washing; and glue up afterwards.,
Brilliant, i didnt think of that! Thank you!
Great narration as well as the photography. Thank you for making this. Oh, does it work with stainless steel?
Thanks Don! I'm actually not sure about stainless. I bet it won't be quite as dark
@@RedBeardOps thank you . I’ll let you know how it turns out. Take care.
Have you put more than 1 blade in the tumbler? Im building one this week. Great work!
I haven't! Not a bad thing to try though
I just finished a blade and was going to stone wash it today. I built a similar rig to yours but used 4 casters and the caps against the casters to hold it centered. I built the etching machine per your instructions and ordered the stencils as well. I have an issue getting the stencil to seal or stick to the blade. This causes areas to that are not in the stencil sometimes. Any suggestions on that? Great content on your channel. Keep up the good work! Blessings!
Awesome Earl, glad to hear your on your way! On my stencil I generally just tape it down as flat as I can really good to the blade. Then hit it with some sand paper after to make sure there is not "over etch"
Try adding a little vinegar to the 50/50 mix, maybe like 5-10%, it really darkens it up(I have a bottle of ferric & I just top my mix off here & there as needed). Also, you should give the ceramics a shot, ebay has cylinder ones if the HF ones are too big. I've tried a bunch & they all do about the same. I ended up just mixing them together. Keeping them really wet is the trick... Hope all is well, take it easy
Very cool, thanks for the tip Dave. I'll have to add that in!
Great concise video. Thanks for sharing. Dumb question coming from guy who knows nothing about knife making... What can you do if there are contaminants that you didn't catch and have an uneven finish? Are you able to refinish the blade?
Hey J, glad you liked it. You can sand the etch off and re-etch it.
Great videos. Question. After you complete the stone wash. How do you do your scales without sanding the wash out on the spine on the knife and underneath?
Thanks! This is one way - th-cam.com/video/Iv5fqYVL5Nw/w-d-xo.html
Man that's an awesome finish one question will this work for 1080 and 5160?steel thanks brother hammer on!!
This was 1804. It should work with any carbon steel
Thanks for the No B.S. Format...I'm beginning to prefer yoiur videos to the other makers...
I'm here to learn quick, not be entertained. Thanks!
🔪
Cheers sir! Glad you're enjoying them!
Awesome man! Looks great! Have you ever tried putting your logo on last? After stone wash, bead blast, sandblast, ect...? I'm just curious if the dark mark is sharper after the blade finish is done.
I don't have a sand blast set up. That would be cool to play with. I have etched after the stone wash with decent results. If you want the mark to be darker you could hit it with the AC power right after the DC. I do that most of the time and it works out well. Just forgot to this time.
@@RedBeardOps oh nice! I have the etch o matic, it only has the low amps. I'm thinking your right... might need the bigger machine with 15 amps. Thanks bud
@Red Beard Ops While watching this video, i noticed you have two "paddles" in your stonewash tumbler, but when i watched your stonewash video, they're not there.
What did you use and how did you attach?
When I built mine i used 3" machine screws in the PVC end caps abs drilled a hole in a couple 2x4's to hold. Why did you choose the caster/PVC ring method?
I just epoxied some strips of PVC in there. Helps with the mix.
I used the materials I had on hand
I really like the look of the stone wash and have been thinking about trying it. Right now I have been working with some "free" steel, some of which is 15n20. My question is will acid etch work on 15n20 because of the high chromium content? I know in Damascus they use it as the "light" colored steel.
Hey Brian, I've only used 15n20 in damascus like you mentioned to give contrast. I don't think it will take nearly as dark of an etch as 1084. You could try it though... maybe some gun blue or something will darken it up.
Appreciate the video, nice looking knife! I'm just getting started and using a file and hand sanding. What grit sand paper do you need to take it to for results like this when you plan to stonewash?
Hey Jo, this is a 220 grit belt finish I think. If I remember right. Maybe 320
@@RedBeardOps sweet, thanks
nice video! also i very like the surface finish! i was thinking how it would look like if you put a gunblue after the stonewash? have you tried that?
I have not tried that yet, but I bet it would look pretty good.
@@RedBeardOps maybe you would like a video about experimenting with different aproaches, i even thought gunblue first then stonewash and then anothergunblue for more contrast. thanks for the quick replay!
Do you generally sharpen the edge again after the tumbling or only if its nicked? Thank you sir.
I generally sharpen after stone washing
*I keep thinking how good that would look on firearms.*
👍⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
good thought!
Man, that came out perfect! Where did you find the acid for the first part of the video?
Hey Jay, I put a link to the acid in the video description. Cheers!
@@RedBeardOps Appreciate it!
Made the tumbler over the weekend based off your other tutorial. I went through rubber bands like crazy! I noticed in this video you had other bands on the container. What are they, and do they last longer than the rubber bands you were using before?
They're those rubber wrist bands. Work pretty good!
@@RedBeardOps Awesome, thank you!!
I love the stonewash. May I ask what knife you used in this video?
Hey Surya, this is a knife I made. th-cam.com/video/LgT424a8_2M/w-d-xo.html
What do you recommend to start knife making, cheap steel to practice on? Wood? Or just go for it and buy the right steel?
Personally I went straight to the good steel. In the off chance I was able to produce a nice product! 1084 isn't really that expensive really.
If I sand my blade to 600 grit before etching, does it have to be super clean with no j hooks or will the ethc cover everything up
Nope, it can have j-hooks in it for sure
do you have a video/ link describing your etching process for your makers mark?
Hey Floyd, I don't have a specific video on it, but I do etch my makers mark on all my knife builds. You can see my process in those videos.
Would doing interval soaking like you've done also periodically darken stainless as well? I always tend to use stainless, mainly Nitro-V, 14c28n or AEBL and like stonewashing my knives too, however I tend to do hour long soaks in the Ferric chloride. Cheers
I'm really not sure! Never tried it
@@RedBeardOps I might try it on my next blade if I remember to. Just finished etching a blade this afternoon and wasn't overly sure. Thanks 😁
After handle material is added, and during shaping of the handle material, how do you keep from sanding off the finish on the spine and belly?
You can either use removable handle scales, or bring the spine up to a satin finish
How would you finish the spine on a knife with this finish? Is it back to sanded or polished on the spine and handle area of tang?
A lot of times I go with a satin finish on the spine. If you want to keep the stone wash you can use removable scales.
I am curious, where is a good place to buy the ferro, and any particular brand that is best? I found some from a company called MG chemicals, but it appears to be already diluted.
I just got mine on amazon, I think I linked to it in the description
I recently tried somethin new. I etch in a 50/50 FC to water for about 30 mins. That is enough to get a smooth finish even after hitting it with just 220. Then, coffee over night. You will get a nice deep black, then I stone wash. I love how it turns out.
Very cool! Thanks for the tip!
I just recently found you and have been going back and watching some videos. I have a question about the stone-washed finish. After you do the stone-wash, you do your handles which removes some of that finish from the spine and none around the handle which to me (personal opinion of course) doesn't look balanced. Is there a way that you could reapply or do the handles differently? Thanks. Love your work.
Hey Mike, one option would be to use removable handle scales. You would put the handle scales on the knife, shape them, take them off, stone wash, and put back on. You could also try something like this - th-cam.com/video/CbOj-k7M1us/w-d-xo.html
@@RedBeardOps thanks, i'll check it out
Do you add any liquids to the tumbler
No, but it's oily in there from past blades.
What was the mixture of that liquid called old please I'm starting out as well with my 1 by 30 still learning bevels yeah don't like having shiny knives so much I like the stone wash a lot better
I have a link to the acid in the video description. I mix it 50/50 with water
Hello! How to make knife darker? I have used 1084 steel, 40% FeCl3 solution and it came out light grey. If keeping knife longer, 15-20minutes it gets dark black layer which washes out with just water. Thank You!
You could try a coffee etch to get it darker. There are limits
So how do you touch-up your handle edges after fitting the scales and re-grinding the edge? Cause that obviously removes the etch and scratch...
You can leave them at a satin finish, or use removable handle scales with your design.
Fantastic work! Do you accept orders?
I have a few blade blanks that I would love to have stonewashed.
I don't currently have the workspace to do something like this myself.
Thank you! I'm not currently accepting any custom order. Sorry about that!
@@RedBeardOps Darn, I guess it's back to the drawing board for stonewashing services for me then lol.
Huh. Who knew that a little etching, a little tumbling would provide such an intriguing finish?
I have not been a fan of finished blades, but this kind of changes the game for me.
Is this a good choice for carbon steel or tool steel blades?
Thank you for sharing!
I
Hey chuck, this should work on all high carbon steel blades. Not sure about SS haven't tried.
@@RedBeardOps Thanks! That’s fine, because I’m not a big fan of stainless for working knives. I prefer high carbon for its edge-holding, robust edge-keeping and ease of sharpening. The weakness is its tendency toward rust, if not kept oiled. Of course, bluing, browning or other chemical surface treatment mitigates this to some degree...and I like that. I especially like the look of the finish you’ve shown us.