Colored drawing on the knife. Knife engraving: basic concepts, techniques and techniques. Interesting and useful things about old school engraving

Agree, metal products (knives, blades, amulets ...) look much more beautiful if they are decorated with patterns, ornaments. But how do you apply a pattern to a metal surface? Engraving? It is possible with this method, but there are several more. One of them is called - artistic electrochemical metal etching.
In this article, you will learn how to decorate a knife blade. The entire process from sketching to metal pickling at home is described below.

Development and drawing of a picture

Sketch

A plot drawing, floral ornament, a logo, or just a phrase - this is just a small list of drawing ideas that will be beautifully captured on the blade. Choose which pattern you want to see on the blade and start sketching. You can draw it yourself or ask professionals.

Then you need to transfer the drawing to the blade. To do this, we place the blade in the scanner, transfer the image to the CorelDraw program, where we outline the contours of the blade. Next, add a suitable ornament. The result should be duplicated in mirror image and sent to print.

Blade varnishing and drawing transfer

The blade must be varnished in advance. You can use a matte varnish for plastic replica models. The varnish must be diluted with a nitro thinner to dry faster, and applied with an airbrush (you can also use a brush). The varnish is used because it retains its plasticity during the day and does not crumble under a scrubber.

Cut out the sketch to make it easier to fit to the blade, "blacken" the reverse side with a pencil, attach it to the blade with masking tape. After that we draw the ornament with a thin pen. The result is a drawing on the varnish.

Scratching the drawing

We scratch the pattern on the surface of the varnish using scrubbers with different sharpening. It is important that the metal of the scrubber is not harder than the metal of the blade, otherwise there will be scratches.

Features of the drawing

In our example, the "field" is etched (this is the most difficult option, since the drawing is harder to scratch), although a more accessible option is possible when only the contours of the drawing are etched.

Metal pickling

You can use a variable transformer, for example, from a toy railroad. It will be an adapter for a mini drill, which is indispensable for delicate work. The maximum voltage is 12V, which is more than enough. Shrink sleeve serves as insulation.
Flannel: Copper / brass plate - approx. 100/7 mm.

We begin electrochemical metal etching by putting the cloth on a plate and soaking it all in a saline solution (do not spare the salt). Then we begin to poison - with quick touches, you should not hold it for a long time, because the varnish may overheat.

Result

The described method of etching metal at home is good in that it is easier to control the process here, in contrast to etching in a vessel "entirely". You just need to walk through the drawing several times (previously we advise you to practice on rough blanks so as not to spoil the blade). When the drawing is finished, turn off the unit and wipe the blade with solvent. Actually, this is the method of artistic metal etching.

Based on site materials: namuradan-k.se-ua.net

Artistic electrochemical metal etching - one of the ways to apply a pattern to metal products (amulets, knives, blades, etc.), compared to engraving, it is less painstaking and takes less time. In this article, you will learn how to do it yourself decorate the knife blade.

Step 1

Let's start by creating a sketch that we will transfer to the knife blade. You can choose any theme for the sketch - see what blades are on other blades, come up with your own, transfer some drawing, etc. - it all depends on your imagination and imagination.

After you have chosen the pattern, you need to transfer it to the blade. To do this, place the knife blade in the scanner, scan and open the scanned image in a graphics editor, outline the contours of the blade; overlay the selected pattern, image and edit it. The resulting sketch should be duplicated in a mirror image and printed.

Step 2

Take the knife blade and cover it with varnish, the varnish can be diluted with a nitro thinner, so the varnish will dry faster and apply to the blade with an airbrush or brush. We use varnish, because it retains its plasticity during the day and does not crumble.

Cut out the sketch to make it easier to fit to the blade, "blacken" the back side with a pencil and attach it to the blade with masking tape.

Step 3

We will scratch the pattern on the surface of the varnish using scrubbers with different sharpening. Important: do not damage the blade with a scrubber, otherwise it will be scratched.

Step 4

As a power source, you can use a variable transformer, for example, from a toy railway (maximum voltage - 12V). The shrink cambric serves as insulation. Flannel: copper / brass plate - approx. 100 / 7mm.

We start etching the metal by putting the cloth on a plate and soaking it all in a saline solution. After that, we begin to poison - with a quick touch, you should not hold it for a long time, because the varnish may overheat. When the drawing is finished, turn off the unit and wipe the blade with solvent.

This method of metal etching is good in that it is easier to control the process, in contrast to etching in a vessel as a whole, it is enough to walk over the drawing several times.

Cold steel has always attracted the attention of men. Especially damascus knives. The Tula blacksmiths not only revived the old secret of making a damask blade, but also improved and diversified the drawing on steel. The blade sparkled with unusual wavy lines of various bizarre shapes. A blacksmith, like a woodcarver, thinks up in advance what kind of drawing he wants to make, so that his product would be unique and bring beauty to connoisseurs of cold steel.

I, a Tula woodcarver, was lucky not only to decorate the handle of a knife, but also to acquaint you with my work. On the pages of this site I will show you a master class on finishing the handle of a hunting knife made of Damascus steel. The handle of the knife is made of Caucasian walnut wood, which is distinguished by its strength and specific texture, which gives beautiful colors after processing. The size of the handle has a small tolerance for the embodiment of my idea. But more on that later. To begin with, I came up with a sketch, which I carefully drew on paper. I transferred it to the upper part of the knife handle.

I want to immediately explain my idea. On the upper part there will be not only a thread, 3 directions will be connected here:

1) Thread

2) Silver inlay

3) Inlaid with voluminous boxwood inserts.

I put all this in one drawing, but in a different technical performance. It is quite difficult to implement, and therefore the invented bunch of a new connection is rarely used by me.
Well, let's start piercing the thread on the back of the handle. With a semicircular chisel of a small radius, we pierce the carved layout along the back stop. The layout has the same design elements along the entire diameter of the handle.

Since I made the markup in advance, the fragments of the drawing turned out to be the same, which made it easier to puncture the contour.

A fragment of a foliage ornament is drawn in the lower part; it seems to embody the beginning, the base from which a carving and a notch goes to the upper part of the handle. In my case, the drawing is symmetrical, then I make two identical punctures, changing only the radii of the chisels.

First of all, everything. The groove is punctured with radius chisels to a depth of 1 mm. Since the pattern is symmetrical, the puncture of one part of the pattern repeats the radius of the other.

As the curl turns, the chisel radius decreases.

I will not rush into the whole thing, but I will move on to the inlay of boxwood elements. This will complement the drawing and visually arrange all the inserts in their place. I pre-sawed leaves from 3mm thick boxwood plates with a jigsaw. I chose this size so that inlaid boxwood leaves in the flat-relief carving would later look three-dimensional with carving.

I turn to the inlay of boxwood elements.

The place for the leaf has been chosen and I carefully try on the element in place. If the inlaid part does not enter immediately, then I cut off the edge that interferes. I do not apply any efforts so as not to break the insert, but gradually adjust it in place. With a corkarze, made from a thin file, I clean the bottom of the seating cavity so that the part sinks as deep as possible into the handle array and is flush with the surface.

I give the elements the shape of the handle surface. Both elements rise above the surface by approximately 2mm. I left this height for the next cut, so that they are voluminous. In this part of the master class, you can see how the handle is transformed. From above and below, floral ornaments float on it, intertwined with silver and inlaid volumetric inserts of boxwood. The back of the handle is surrounded by a layout of identical plant elements. It remains for all this splendor to give shape. This is what I will do in the third part of my master class.

Part 3

This preparation is essential. It is a definite and important link for the next stage of cutting the plant element. Following on, I use a chisel, the radius of which corresponds to the small dimensions of the different elements of the layout.

I cut each leaf of the layout with a chisel. Starting at the tips of the leaf and moving smoothly to the central part. The beginning of the leaf is cut with the entire radius of the chisel. Moving to the middle of the sheet, I smoothly turn the chisel. With this movement, I adjust the width of the cut and cut narrow places with the tip of the radius chisel. The prepared technology is present for every element, no matter where it is. At the bottom of the handle, having lowered the element, I also cut through the central part of the sheet with a corner.

Many people think: “Why such preparation? It takes time. Immediately passed the radius, and that's it! " But no, when the fragment is not prepared, the chisel radius cuts off the excess on a flat surface, sometimes chipping off the fragment, not having time to shape it. The chisel moves along the prepared fragment along the geometry of the sheet and cuts off only what is needed. At this moment I control the cut itself.

And on the other hand. So the elements of the thread will be the same in cutting and in shape. Boxwood inlaid leaves are prepared and cut in the same way as carvings, although they are inlaid carvings. They have the same volume as the threads.

Having finished with a flat-relief thread, I begin to chamfer the groove, which has fuzzy edges in the process of weaving with the thread.

I immerse the product in drying oil for a day, if the volume permits, or I lubricate it abundantly. After the drying oil has been absorbed and dries up a little, I protect the surface with fine emery to remove the film.

I repeat this process until the drying oil ceases to be absorbed. At the last cleaning, already worked with fine sandpaper, the surface is polished and gets a smooth surface, pleasant to the touch. Well, that's it, my "job report" has come to an end. In it I told in detail and showed all my secrets, many asked me about it. Maybe other masters do it differently, and this is their right. Each has its own approach, its own technology. I tried both for you and for those people who will hold this cold weapon in their hands, let them feel the tenderness and warmth not only of the wood from which this handle is made, but also a particle of the master's soul.

Yours faithfully!
Valery Prostyankin.

Drawing a pattern on a knife (etching). On request.

The young man brought a jackknife. He said: "I want ...".
Hochuha meant:
- remove scratches;
- harden (if necessary);
- grind;
- polish;
- sharpen;
- to put an inscription or drawing on the blade.

It was originally a Magnum folding knife. Quite a well-known and "promoted" brand. This is how it looked when folded.

Photo of the other side of the knife.

This is how the Magnum looked in the open position.

View of the second side of the knife.

We start to fulfill the customer's wishes. We disassemble the knife.

There are much fewer parts in a folding knife than in an automatic knife - blown out. This has a positive effect on its reliability. In addition, the knife has its own brand, is made more accurately than the Chinese "non-names". Grinding is cleaner. Heat treatment of the blade, in my opinion, is not required. The knife blade has sufficient hardness. And adding a couple of Rockwell units on a folding knife, and by the same to increase the fragility of the blade, is unwise. Therefore, we do without hardening and immediately proceed to coarse and fine grinding. This process is detailed in other articles on the site. For example: or How to improve a Chinese-made knife (part 2).
There are plenty of photos with comments. I post only the result.

In the photo, the blade is already polished. This is necessary for further etching the pattern. The better the steel is polished, the less undercut will be. That is, the acid during etching of the pattern will not seep through the unevenness of the blade or poorly polished risks under the protective coating. In addition, high-quality polished steel resists corrosion better.

Next stage. Coming up with a drawing that will be on the blade.
I came up with an eagle, the customer came up with a commemorative inscription, then I came up with a fire, and the customer came up with a panther ... Sketches, sketches, e-mail, telephone conversations ... Quite a long and exciting process ... As a result of joint inventions, a fiery eagle came up with.

We outline the blade with a pencil, take aim with a drawing and ...

... in time we pay attention to the fact that the side of the blade is wrong. The photo shows that next to the hole for the axle screw, there are two more holes with a smaller diameter. They are needed to attach the pocket clip to the knife body. It will cover the drawing in this part of the handle. The eagle on the blade is flying somewhere. Here is a picture of this "somewhere" clip and could close. Well, at least I noticed in time ... The drawing should be done on the other side of the blade.

We cover the "right" side of the blade with a protective coating. This is a tricky varnish with a tricky name. Inexpensive, but of decent quality.

After the varnish has dried, we scratch an eagle drawing on it.
But before that, we practice on paper again. I paint without carbon paper or gadgets. A little hand trembled - and the drawing is ruined. I would have to start all over again. Therefore, it is better to practice. Besides, he noticed his mistake again in time. The eagle's beak is longer and more angular. And on the back of the head there is a small crest. In the previous drawing (on the wrong side of the blade), I missed it ... It was not a proud fiery eagle that could have settled on the blade, but an angry burned dove.

We completely cover the blade with construction tape and varnish so that the acid will only etch the pattern without spoiling the wedge itself. Then we will send the blade to the jar of acid.

I did not take photographs of the etching process. First, it was necessary to remove rubber gloves (no one canceled safety precautions). And secondly, while jumping around the jar with a camera, you can miss the right moment and the acid will "gobble up" too much, the pattern will turn out to be too deep and loose inside the grooves. Here is the etching result. The blade has already been washed and cleaned.

But the photo shows one of the flame petals (closer to the tip) with a yellow bloom. Before etching this blade (stainless steel), I etched brass with the same acid. Dissolved copper from brass sat on the blade steel. The photo is not very good quality, but visually - the effect was quite beautiful. Why copper has sat down on only one petal - I do not understand ... If anyone has encountered such an interesting effect and shares his thoughts, I will be very grateful. It would be very beautiful if the tips of all the flame petals had the same golden hue. I will experiment ...

Now we etch the very "somewhere" on the handle of the knife where the eagle is flying. The fiery element into which he aspires ... Or returns ... I did not ask him.
The process is similar. Degreasing, varnishing, drying, scratching with a cunning scratcher, etching, cleaning. Here is the result.

Now we remove the copper plaque from the petal with very fine sandpaper, grind the blade, grind the butt of the blade, grind the handle, grind the entire knife around the perimeter. In the future, it will look something like this.

We polish the wedge, the handle, the knife itself around the perimeter and in general everything that can shine.
Let's see what happened.

We partially collect the knife. Straighten the cutting edge. Reduce its angle. We sharpen it. We make the knife vicious and sharp. If you go back a few images, you can see the difference in the cutting edge before and after sharpening.

We collect the knife finally.

We bring it "to the razor."

Admiring the polishing of one side of the knife.

We consider the reflection in the figure from the other side.

We fold the knife.

We compare: what it is now and what it was before.

All.
The knife is ready.
Shaves her hair.
I want it done.
The customer is satisfied.

For some, the mention of engraving on a knife evokes associations with premium nominal melee weapons, while others have fond memories of the counters of hunting shops, where “Bear”, “Boar”, “Boar” and other knives with animals skillfully depicted on blades lie in wide rows.

Hand engraving at the beginning of the 21st century is on the verge of extinction. If you want to get a handmade knife with an engraving, it is best to look for a master at a thematic fair. True, the money will have to be fabulous - more than for an ordinary custom knife. Hand engraving increases its value significantly.

And it cannot be said that the engraving made according to the latest technology is inferior in beauty to manual engraving - the latter, perhaps, is now no more than chic. Consider the old and new school of knife engraving.

The main purposes of engraving today, as well as tens and hundreds of years ago, remain the identification of weapons (for example, applying the emblem of the manufacturer or the name of the master to the blade) and personification (inscriptions, symbols, patterns, drawings, sacred signs, etc.).

Basic archaic engraving techniques

Cutting engraving

The first of the three types of engraving that we will talk about today. Its historical name is bulino, after the name of the main chisel used in the Italian school of engravers. Of course, now more tools are used to implement it, but the principle itself has remained unchanged: the master conveys the texture of the depicted object and the play of chiaroscuro, cutting the metal surface with pressure of varying strength and at different angles. Moreover, the work with a thin needle is even more preferable here than with an ordinary chisel: it allows you to more accurately depict small details common for hunting topics - for example, the texture of animal skins.

Once the cutting technique was used mainly for decorating guns (as it happened historically), and then masters of the art of knife mastered it, and so well that it is now associated, first of all, with cold weapons, and not with firearms. It is applied mainly to the metal parts of the scabbard and handles: bolsters, crosshairs, rivets, etc. Although occasionally this type of engraving is also used on the holomens of blades themselves.

There are three types of this technique: dotted, linear and mixed - from the names it is clear what this or that species looks like. Each master decides for himself in what technique to work, but for the most part they have to be combined.

Plane engraving

If you have come across real hunting knives more than once (especially of the old model, and even made in a single copy), you probably noticed how often a floral ornament is used when engraving them. This is not accidental: at one time, each depicted plant had a deep sacred meaning. The lotus symbolizes immortality, laurel - glory, oak - power, palm - peace and victory, the vine (pictured below) - the sacrament of the sacrament. It was these ornaments that were most often performed in the technique of plane engraving: there was no particular need to create the texture of the same wool or feathers in them.

What is its difference from the previous type? If in the first case, grooves are cut on the surface (with long lines or dotted lines), then here we create two or more planes, using different gravers to achieve the correct shadow effect. For example, an inscription or ornament will seem to protrude from the surrounding surface or, conversely, will be deepened into it.

In the production of edged weapons, such a technique on blades is less common, as a rule, for decorating the device and scabbard.

Plate engraving (chasing)

Embossing is half rough molding, half bringing the workpiece to mind with the help of hammer cutters (bolhshtikhels, flachshtikhels, spitschtikhels). True, now it is almost impossible to meet it, it is almost completely replaced by casting. The exceptions include, perhaps, the author's weapon of the peoples of Transcaucasia.

In the photo below you can see how the roughly molded tiger's head turns into a very detailed image on the top of a hunting knife.

The tiger's head on the top of the knife: in the first two photos - a freshly cast form, in the last - processed with incisors

For incisal engraving (all three of its types), craftsmen use a diamond-shaped cutter, also known as a grabster, as well as a spitz-grab with a cross-section similar to a triangle with rounded edges, a steel needle, dyes and auxiliary tools - pencils, whitewash, magnifying glasses and microscopes, a sharpening bar, steel ruler. For other species - the same, but with a wider set of graters.

As for the materials themselves, which are used for engraving, a variety of steels and alloys are suitable (however, here you need to take into account the degree of hardening of the coating on which the work is done), titanium, aluminum, as well as non-ferrous and precious metals.

Execution technique

1. Before drawing a pattern on the surface, the master first grinds and polishes the surface, then covers it with whitewash.
2. The drawing is applied with a mechanical pencil with a lead not thicker than 0.3 mm in section *.
3. The master outlines the contours of the future drawing with steel needles. The whitewash can now be removed.
4. At this stage, in fact, the work of engraving itself begins: with perfected movements, the master gouges out with dots or carves the desired ornament with lines. For plane engraving, the background is also processed - with special notches that visually add volume. For embossing, the background, as they say, is lowered and processed with a pearl cutter.
5. To emphasize the contrast, varnishes or oxidants are used to darken the cut grooves, and polishing agents are used to lighten areas not touched by the engraving.
6. Any burrs that occur during work are removed with the finest grit you can find.

In fact, of course, there are several other ways to transfer a drawing to the surface (using plastic film or tracing paper), but drawing with a pencil is the most common option, especially for cutting techniques.

Interesting and useful things about old school engraving

• Engraving, whatever one may say, violates the integrity of the product; if it had corrosion protection, it should be restored. Most engraved items are hardened to make the steel more resistant to corrosion; if during the engraving gold and silver notches were made, then after hardening they will look even more beautiful.
• After engraving and hardening, the product is often covered with printing ink - it enhances the contrast of light and shade.
• Most of the really standing hand-engraved knives (that is, elite edged weapons) are created by members of the Guild of Armourers, and the products themselves are ranked by the Ministry of Culture as objects of cultural value. On November 1, 2002, the State Duma adopted an amendment to the law “On weapons”: along with civilian, service and military weapons, a fourth category appeared - weapons of artistic value.
• Engraving is also divided not into three, but into two types: dashed (which in this article is divided into incisal and flat) and obron (lamellar or chasing).

Modern market of engraving services for edged weapons

From the previous chapter, it probably became clear that real engraving, which was still more or less engaged in the 90s and which was already quite expensive then, has now practically disappeared - due to the fact that for much less money you can get at least not customized, but more technical and affordable solutions.

All modern methods allow, in a short time, to apply perfectly even inscriptions, emblems, logos, trademarks of any complexity to the metal, and some also quite complex drawings such as colored portraits and landscapes.

Laser engraving and laser sublimation

Such engraving is done everywhere and literally in 15–20 minutes: usually, even in small towns, there are a couple of points where you can leave the knife and get it back in half an hour with the desired inscription, emblem, pattern, and so on.

The prevalence of the method is facilitated by the relative cheapness of the equipment and the small amount of space required for its placement. The general principle of operation is as follows: a laser (light) beam evaporates part of the metal so that this trace becomes visually noticeable; the most powerful lasers cut through the metal completely - this is the essence of ultra-precise and ultra-thin laser cutting. True, this equipment itself can be both simple and limited in use, and more multifunctional.

CO 2 laser engravers are just the budget category. Most likely, such equipment is located in the mall closest to you, where, among other things, they print on mugs and T-shirts. These engravers do not have a particularly strong beam, and they mostly work on wood, plastic, leather, etc. - that is, in our case, on handles and scabbards. True, according to a special coating, if such is applied to the metal parts of the knife, for example, on enameled brass, they also quite successfully engrave. Such engravers received CO 2 marking due to the fact that the long infrared radiation with which they work is produced by molecules of carbon dioxide.

A completely different type of radiation can be found in YAG, vanadate laser and fiber laser engravers. Their working wavelength is designed to work with metals of the highest strength and hardness. The most powerful (yet transportable and capable of high resolution drawings) is the last type, the fiber laser.

See how much laser engraving differs from any archaic technique: here the dedication and the Kolovrat seem to be painted with light paint, not carved.

These lasers are good in their niche, but they cannot make color images, because they work exclusively with the evaporation of metal. To apply color to a steel surface, a method of laser sublimation is needed - a printed transfer is placed on the metal or material of the handle, which is evaporated by the laser. As a result, the transfer pattern remains forever on the surface. Actually, this is the same technology with which images are made on mouse pads, mugs, T-shirts.

Mechanical engraving

Modern mechanical metal engraving resembles the old techniques that we talked about, however, it is done, again, not by hand, but by a machine. The program guides the cutter according to the pattern that is assigned to it. A diamond tip works on the hardest materials; for polishing or working on stainless steel, special attachments for cutters are used. They not only make it possible to form relief surfaces, but also make cut-out artistic miniatures on the blade.

At the junction of modern and archaic engravings there is also a manual mechanical one - a rotating milling cutter is also used there (the instrument itself is called a pantograph), but it is not directed by a computer, but by a human hand. It is also not a very common type of work, although it is also cheaper and faster than the same traditional cutting technique.

What this engraving is good for is that it can work on any type of metal (any hardness and purity), unlike a laser, which is often limited in its scope. At the same time, the price remains almost the same, however, a master working on a mechanical engraving machine has to study much more - both the specifics of working with various materials, and pressure, etc.

Sandblasting engraving

Externally, finished products with sandblasted engraving are most similar to knives made using the old technique of plane engraving - like the previous type, it is voluminous (as opposed to laser-cut), and even more voluminous, since the metal is cut deeper here.

A stencil is placed on the metal, cut (depending on the complexity and capabilities of the customer and the engraver) manually, on a plotter or laser; then the abrasive blasting machine accurately and directed sprays abrasive powder onto the surface - of different fractions and with different pressures. By changing the indicators of the last two characteristics, we can change the depth of the picture and its resolution.

This engraving is done on other hard materials from which the knife is made - for example, on a plastic or bone handle.

Artistic electrochemical etching

Another way to remove metal particles and form patterns on its surface is electrochemical etching using an electrolyte liquid and using an electrode. To understand how this is done, you need to go back a couple of decades ago - to the days when acids were used by themselves, and not as an electrolyte.

The old school of etching already knew how to forge a Damascus steel pattern - so if you come across a cheap knife with a pattern that looks like Damascus stains, do not rush to buy it, it may be a fake. Such patterns were made using the so-called camouflage technique, when the part of the blade that was not subject to etching was varnished, and the rest was exposed to acids; lapis was used for stainless steel.

After that, the era of ultraviolet irradiation of the blade came, on which a pattern was drawn with a special conservation varnish; after that, the pattern appeared in caustic soda. Then the masters learned to use not varnish, but a specially made film for this, which, of course, made the work cleaner: such films can be ordered in specialized stores, and it is with them that they work even now.

All the master needs except this film is an electrolyte (orthophosphoric, solar and sulfuric acids) and sources of direct and alternating current. This method is suitable when the pattern is repeated on the steel (for example, when it comes to metal marking). Under the action of the current, the electrodes pull out metal particles from its surface; such a pattern is made with any depth.

Electrochemical etching is also called galvanic, since the current source is a galvanic battery. It is noteworthy that the modern method is safer for health, since the etching due to galvanization passes quickly and harmful acid vapors simply do not have time to be released.