What's The best Way To Get a Hamon? Comparing Techniques

Apologies in advance for the length of this video. I thought was going to be short, but ended up being pretty long. There's quite a bit of talking, so if you're less interested in the techniques, then just skip to the end to see the results.
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[@mattpaisley8706]

Appreciate u making videos that help novice makers!

[@Hathenbrucksteelworks]

Always glad to help. Thank you!!

[@MASI_forging]

Really great and creative. Thank you for sharing the diffrent techniques. 👍👍

[@Hathenbrucksteelworks]

I really appreciate that. Thanks a bunch for the comment.

[@BertchCustomKnives]

Thank you for this video and your last video. I love doing hamons but I've been doing them like just about everyone else by using ferric then hand sanding over and over again but after your first hamon video it has cut my time by two thirds and has made the price reflect this which in turn has increased the sales significantly. I greatly appreciate you showing your method when you could've kept it to yourself and probably benefited from doing so.

[@Hathenbrucksteelworks]

That’s very kind of you to say. I’m very happy that I was able to help. I’m all about sharing any information I have to offer, so I truly appreciate your comment.

[@wmcholt8796]

Thanks for sharing

[@Hathenbrucksteelworks]

My pleasure. Thank you!!

[@DeafBlindMan]

It might take more, but the third one looks way better than the others. At least on camera..

[@Hathenbrucksteelworks]

It’s interesting how different they look. I’m pretty sure that if I was to do more acid and polishing, the results would be even better.

[@pmpkmc]

I heat the vinegar, boil it if possible. then i pour in a large heat proof vessel and put the blade in there. It is a very fast reaction and will etch in just a couple minutes.

[@Hathenbrucksteelworks]

Vinegar does a pretty good job, especially if hot.

[@edharker5775]

Thank you for this video, very insightful. As a hand sanding aid, I find paraffin very good, it really helps prolong the life of the paper. I just don't know what it's called where you are

[@Hathenbrucksteelworks]

My pleasure. So…a wax? That kinda makes sense, as it would keep the paper from getting clogged up.

[@edharker5775]

@@Hathenbrucksteelworks liquid paraffin in a spray bottle, i think it's called kerosene in the US

[@Hathenbrucksteelworks]

Thanks for the tip. I’ll look that up.

[@andyc750]

interesting vid again thanks, each result is different but the same, not done any of those methods exactly like that, just an overnight v8i9negar bath after hand sanding, soak, give it another hand sanding and then polish, w98ill have to experiment a bit I think, mind they all work one way or another, personal taste and what works for the person doing the job is what is important

[@Hathenbrucksteelworks]

Thanks, Andy! I agree…there’s almost always more than one route to the same destination. It’s all about what works best for the person doing it.

[@liamr6672]

Have you ever had a buffing wheel "grab" a knife on you? I heard guys in factories wear chain mail aprons in case it comes around on them.

[@Hathenbrucksteelworks]

I’ve had one pulled from my hand before, but I usually keep point ends and edges at the back side of the wheel. It’s one machine that I don’t take chances with.

[@megamarek]

I've used instant coffee on Damascus, would it effect a Hamon?

[@Hathenbrucksteelworks]

I’ve never used coffee for a hamon, but I’m almost positive you could pull out a hamon with coffee. I might have to give it a try.

[@megamarek]

@@Hathenbrucksteelworks would you use just the coffee, or start it with ferric? I’ve got a blade I’ve been very slowly finishing and I’ve never done hamon finishing.

[@Hathenbrucksteelworks]

I would probably just try the coffee. I feel like it’d be closer to vinegar or lemon juice in terms of speed of the etch. Between each coffee etch, I’d either polish with a light abrasive or with the buffer.

[@megamarek]

@@Hathenbrucksteelworks and how long would you soak it in the coffee?

[@Hathenbrucksteelworks]

You’d probably have to soak it for 15-30 minutes, or until it darkens. The hotter the coffee is, the quicker it’ll etch…usually.

[@TheMotownPhilly]

I could never understand why anyone would want to torture themselves with vinegar and lemon to bring out a hamon. some guy told me its because its part of an ancient process and produces a superior product... spoken like someone who never used ferric. I asked him where he sources his material to make his own carbon steel.. that ended that conversation.

[@Hathenbrucksteelworks]

Hahaha. Yep. There’s definitely a different look between Ferric and Vinegar/lemon juice, but I definitely prefer the look of ferric. I understand that people want to attempt to do things like they did a thousand years ago, but not many people will start with harvesting their own ores and making their own steel. So basically, right off the bat, they’re not doing it how they did it a thousand years ago 😂

[@andyc750]

can also tell them that they are wrong as traditionally they just used progressively finer stones until they got the desired result

[@xSHYxSHYx]

@@andyc750I believe the polishing stones they use are also acidic which helps

[@Animeeditzz69420]

Jojo reference??🤨

[@Hathenbrucksteelworks]

Maybe? 😂. I’m not sure what Jojo is, so probably not.

[@jasoncampbell6222]

Would a long dip in strong coffee bring out the hamon more like showing the detail in damascus?

[@Hathenbrucksteelworks]

Coffee doesn’t work too well for pulling out Hamons, but then again, I’ve never left it in coffee for much longer than a few hours.