[TheForge] Finishing Swage Blocks

Sat Jan 18 16:25:10 2003

Permanent marker a etchant from radio shack.
---
It is I who formed the blacksmith, 
who fans the flame into a fire and
fashions a weapon fit for it's work.

On Thu, 16 Jan 2003 11:19:47  
 Bruce Freeman wrote:
>Phil,
>
>Are we getting a little anti-intellectual backlash here?  Watch out.  On this group, you're associating with a lot of smart people!
>
>So are you telling me it's somehow more virtuous to work HARD when you could work SMART instead?  Acid is cheap.  Asphaultum (you don't have to like that Latin-sounding name - THAT'S what it's CALLED) is cheap.  Combine the two and a little smarts and just MAYBE you'll save yourself a whole lot of elbow grease.
>
>This combination is how etching is done.  Coat metal with asphaultum (which rather like tar, but gets solid at room temperature), scratch through to the bare metal, put in acid - voila' an etching.  (Great stuff for showing to the young ladies...)
>
>My reason for inquiring was to see whether anyone had tried it already, and what results.  
>
>I am not in academia.  I am an industrial analytical chemist.  Not to proud to think before I go to work.
>
>Bruce
>NJ
>
>>>> [email protected] 01/15/03 06:25PM >>>
>Gheez! - Ashphault and acid!  Oh boy! Here we go. Just try a little "elbow
>grease". You're making blacksmithing way too complicated again, Bruce. Just
>read John Newman's response on finishing swage blocks and follow
>instructions!  I remember a master blacksmith tell me once, a long time
>ago, - "sometimes ya' gotta put down the text books and pick up the hammer".
>
>Tell us the truth now. I've gotten e-mails in the past week and the
>consensus is you're in academia(remember ..."put down the text book"). Tell
>the truth now, Bruce.
>
>Asphaultum and acid, phew - that's a good one   :o)))
>
>Phil
>Jordan Forge
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Bruce Freeman" <[email protected]>
>To: <[email protected]>
>Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2003 4:01 PM
>Subject: [TheForge] Finishing Swage Blocks
>
>
>Lotta talk recently on this subject.  I have a Green and Mengel block I need
>to finish.  I had previously tried flexible sanding disks, but found it
>rather tedious and didn't get very far.  I just picked up a couple flap
>wheels I'd intended to try on the angle grinder.
>
>What techniques have the rest of you used, and how effective were they?
>
>I was wondering whether acid etching would work.  Coat the block in
>asphaultum - which resists etching compound.  Then lightly sand the regions
>you want to finish, so that you cut through the asphaultum down to the HIGH
>points only.  Acid etch ? should reduce the high points, selectively.  Then
>rinse off the acid, sand a little MORE asphaultum off, and re-etch.
>Presumably this would take a few cycles.  When the area is smooth, recoat
>with asphaultum and leave it alone until the rest of the block is finished.
>Finally wash off the asphaultum.  Note that I haven't tried this and am not
>advocating it.
>
>Bruce
>NJ
>
>
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