Muriatic acid is not a lower form of Hydrochloric acid. The two names are exactly synonymous. It's just like "baking soda" and "sodium bicarbonate" are exactly the same thing. Hydrochloric acid is simply Hydrogen chloride gas dissolved in water. Water can dissolve a lot of HCl gas, but the max amount varies by the temperature and pressure. It's impractical to dissolve more than 40% without cooling or pressurizing the container. So although the bottle says "only" 37% to 38%, that's actually FULL strength (100% strength doesn't mean anything, so don't ask for it). Under standard conditions it cannot actually be made any stronger before Hydrogen chloride gas starts to boil off the acid in thin, wispy white clouds of death (man, i can't think of a worse death than choking on Hydrogen chloride... truly I can't think of one.). Sometimes people think muriatic acid is a "less strong" form of hydrochloric acid, but that is by no means an official definition or even a conventional one. You regularly see Muriatic acid sold at 38% concentration, which is about as strong as it comes.The only "impurity" is water (actually there is a teeny tiny bit of nitric acid and stuff left over from the industrial process used to manufacture it, but that can be ignored). If it warms up at all, or if it's dry out, or you are at high altitude ,or the pressure drops then the acid will start to release HCl vapor. You often see a white vapor float out of the bottle when you open it. Do not breath in even a little bit of that vapor! Once it touches the water in your mouth or lungs or eye it readily turns back into acid. At about 20% there is little danger of it spontaneously fuming even when the solution gets hot (less than boiling), but hydrochloric acid also works MUCH faster as it warms up. This can lead to runaway reactions that cause the acid to start to boil. Hot hydrochloric acid splashed onto your skin is a fundamentally different situation (it's an emergency situation) compared to room temperature hydrochloric acid splashed onto your skin (no big deal, just rinse it off and go back to work... unless it gets in your eyes. That's also an emergency.). I'm somewhat surprised that you were able to work with it with your head right above the container. Usually after you do that a few times you will have gotten a whiff of HCL vapor and you won't do that again. I don't know if you had a fan going or if there was a constant breeze where you were working, (or maybe it was cold there?) but indoors or out you never want to have your head above an open container like that. Maybe you were using 20% concentration? It's not the splashing you have to worry about. It's the vapor that you might inhale or float into your eyes. Even with safety glasses the vapor can float right around them to reach your your eyes and it will HURT! That's been my experience. It's not a big deal as long as you keep in mind the tricky ways it can sneak up on you. I like to keep a running hose nearby when I'm working with more than a couple liters of the stuff at once. Baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, is also good to have on standby -- preferably premixed in a solution.
I think that stuff may have been diluted a bit more than the label said, and the yellowish color makes me think it might have a pretty high iron content already. When I make Ferric I use 20 baum (31.5%) muriatic from work. Its clear, and as soon as you pop the top off the barrel, those nasty white fumes start rolling out. It will dissolve the steel wool in about 30 minutes.
Thank you! I was having trouble finding Ferric Chloride locally but the Hardware store had Muriatic, H.Peroxide and steel wool! Brilliant!! Etching a couple of Damascus knives tomorrow. I'll let you know.
@@cousineddie7898 the best Feric chloride I've ever used. I was going to leave one knife in overnight. I'm glad I didn't. It would hsve been gone! Ha! Yeah, works great. Thank you!
Started using muriatic acid to acid etch artwork onto blades, found it to be weak and slow working. The addition of peroxide really works well. I can't wait to try this new recipe. Thank you for sharing. This will definitely help out.
In the process of this right now. You very precisely articulated exactly what I needed to do. Bravo on being a great teacher. Thanks man! Hopefully I’ll have my first Damascus knife finished soon 😎
Mate, thanks for putting this up! It is actually a pretty straight forward product to make ( the ingredients are easy to find) and I will be giving this one a go.
I stumbled across this in the search to etch and expose new material on my Metallic bonded CBN stones. Will this recipe work for my needs? Sorry so late, but very interesting indeed. Thanks for sharing.
I easily bought chrystallized Ferric Chloride from an Art-supplier in Sweden. Lawrence is the mark in my case. I had to buy 2 x 500 grams though. It will suffice for the rest of my life and further probably :) It was not overly expensive either. No hazzle, just make a right sullotion of high-quality soft tap-water or distilled water for lead-batterys. Very safe in the storage, since it is a solid compound.
Opening a bag and adding water wasn’t the point of the video. If someone was making fresh pasta by hand would you tell them how you just bought a box of dried pasta and dropped it in water? Yes, there are other ways to get ferric chloride, but years ago when I made this video a nationwide electronic hobby chain store here in the US that many bladesmiths relied on to get their ferric shut down and buying through a chemical company required a lot of extra forms to be filed to get accounts, most limited to education or laboratory work, not the hobby market. Obviously things change over the years, but there are still those to prefer to know ‘how the sausage is made’ so to speak.
WHOA!!!! I always was taught to add acid into other chemicals, to minimize the risk of acid reaching the boiling point.("exothermic reaction").... Also,... you should have a couple of 5 gallon buckets full of cool water, with a box of soduim bicarbonate "baking soda" dissolved into it, as an emergency rinse solution, in case you spill/splash any on yourself!!!.... and a handy, charged, garden hose!!, and, you ought to be wearing a full length, liquid-spill-resistant apron. If you dumped all of that acid onto your cotton clothes, you'd really be in bad shape, real fast!!!....
According to Harvard University EH&S, Princeton, MIT and Concordia University (All have lab procedure PDF's available online): ALWAYS add the hydrogen peroxide to the acid very slowly, never vice versa. www.ehs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/lab_safety_guideline_piranha_etch.pdf ehs.princeton.edu/laboratory-research/chemical-safety/chemical-specific-protocols/piranha-solutions web.mit.edu/cortiz/www/PiranhaSafety.doc www.concordia.ca/content/dam/concordia/services/safety/docs/EHS-DOC-019_PiranhaSolutionGuidelines.pdf
@@jwstek although I commend your research, your sources are meant for the preparation of a solution far stronger than what you’re making. 30-50% concentrated peroxide is quite a bit different than 3-5%. The rule is to always add acid to base, although hydrogen peroxide isn’t necessarily a base but a rather weak acid. Regardless, Muriatic acid should be added into the Peroxide when the solution is this diluted. Not visa versa. The inactive ingredient in your drugstore peroxide is purified water. And you ALWAYS add acid to water.
@@d.michaelphotography6124 the peroxide I’m using isn’t common drug store diluted 3%, it’s concentrated peroxide meant for salon use in hair bleaching, it’ll burn you if you get it on your skin. Regardless, I think I made this video over half a decade ago and it always surprises me how active it still is. lol perhaps I’ll do an updated version in a few weeks - this batch starting to get a little low, time to refresh it.
Just made my first batch of FeCl (thanks for video!), I'm a part-time gunsmith and want to restore a few damascus double barrels. My question, watching another video- Larry Potterfield/ Midway), he dipped his barrels in store-bought ferric chloride cut to 15%. Should I cut the stuff I just made or use it straight? Thanks.
Thanks for this video. I wanted to etch some of the knives I make to bring out the pattern but was unable to find Ferric Chloride in any stores. Thanks again!
Also, if you bake your baking soda for an hour, it changes from sodium bicarbonate to sodium carbonate, a much stronger alkaline to have on hand for cleanup purposes.
I extend to you my many thanx for your time and effort in presenting your video. Very detailed . I wish to know the best way to store this acid . Again Many Many Thanxx !
Just a point on safety a plastic type apron and a face shield might be a better choice when demonstrating on this video even a stand buy bucket of water . . Good luck from Down Under in Australia
Hi ,just thought you might like to make this even cheaper ...i think you will find that the peroxide just rapidly adds oxygen to your mix ....if you used say an air pump at a slow speed ...perhaps one from a fish tank ...drilled lots of holes in a plastic tube and caused the hcl to bubble it would convert to ferric chloride ...you would also find if you had a pump in your ferric solution when etching it would remove the etchant waste from the blade and cause a quicker reaction...best wishes from England
+JW S. thanks for the quick reply. secondly, do you just wait for the steel wool and muriatic acid to turn that blue grey colour or is there a minimum time that you would usually wait prior to adding the peroxide. thanks alot. I have my ferrous chloride working it's way right now. your videos are very informative. I like them. I watched the heat treating video last night and got a kick out of that woth the old video clips. keep up the good work
do you know of any reason why ferric chloride won't etch metal conduit? i made my ferric chloride using your procedure and it acts like it doing something when you submerge the metal but instead of etching the metal it just lifts the painted masking off after soaking for a while
I'm no expert but I would assume that you are referring to galvanized electrical conduit? I don't think the acid will react with the galv. coating as it is not ferrous.
JW S. hydrochloric acid and muriatic acid are EXACTLY the same thing! There are NO differences in purity, if you do not know the truth DO NOT spread falsified information, because all you have is the WRONG information. Do you really know how dumb this makes you seem?
What the hell are you running on about, were talking about not being able to etch galvanized conduit, no one even mentioned hydrochloric or muriatic acid. So Shona O’Neill I guess my question to you is, Do you know how really dumb it makes seem when you can’t even find the right conversation to flinging insults at….pretty dumb!!!!
i grind the layer of galvanized off and polish the remaining steel to a high gloss before i try etching and it does etch a little bit but can't leave it in very long because it takes off the pant masking. i'll get some regular steel tubing and try it again, i don't see how that will make the masking stay on better but we'll see...
Ferric chloride should be active on zinc. In fact, more so than copper because the reaction releases hydrochloric acid, which then dissolves the more zinc, if I recall correctly. But note that this may start to bubble and fizz, releasing hydrogen gas (harmless as long as there are no open flames or sparks about). Maybe your conduit has some other coating. I think some may actually have a plastic clear coat, which resists most acids.
You dont have to use steel wool. The finish will be a gunmetal grey color instead of a much darker grey or black you get when using steel wool. Just depends on the look you want.
JW Stekervetz so if hydrogen peroxide and muriatic acid make cupric chloride... (ii) turns the cupric chloride into ferrous? .. wouldn't the iron of a blade do the same? Also ,why not add Penny's for a copper chloride
Probably very slowly over time, it will happen naturally as well. However I’ve destroyed more than my share of aerators in this stuff when etching, they don’t last more than a day or two.
@@jwstek thank you sir. but if I continue using an aerator is it going to give me weaker product? or just leave it open to make it happen naturally? My plan is actually to use it in making printed circuit boards but I'm not in a hurry. I'm also hoping you can also give a suggestion. 😊😊😊 by the way I'm currently bubbling the solution while writing this. 😁
@@kevinlouiemansueto608 if it’s working for you keep at it I suppose! I have used aerators in the bottom of my 5 gallon bucket of FeCl3 when doing larger pieces where I was worried about getting an even etch over the entire surface. From my understanding, FeCl3 settles on the bottom, because of its reaction with Fe it will break down to FeCl2 which will rise to the top. So agitation on a larger piece might be recommended, but I wouldn’t keep it going all the time, just when I was etching. I’d keep the stone out of the solution when not in use, like I said they break down pretty fast.
Hi JW.. tried this method and it didn't work. Realized I made twice as much of you but only put in about the same amount of steel wool as you did. Do you think that's the reason it didn't work? Do you think if I did it again doubling up on the steel wool I would have much better results? How how important is the iron for the etching process I would hate to make another batch and throw it away
JW Stekervetz ... Also my steel wool dissolved in about 15 minutes. Not sure if that's normal. And because it is all so fast I immediately added the hydrogen peroxide. Does the muriatic acid and steel wool have to sit there for a full day before you put in the hydrogen peroxide?
JW Stekervetz .. I did use grocery store 3% hydrogen peroxide because that's all I could get my hands on conveniently. I saw other people say 3% is the way to go so figured it wasn't a huge deal. Maybe that's it. My stuff, under the ingredients label said hydrogen peroxide (stablized) but didn't say what it was stablized with. I'll try the salon stuff and see. Also is it 100% necessary to let the ferriS chloride sit over night before adding the hydrogen peroxide or just wait for the steel wool to dissolve? (In my case 15-20 mins)? Thank you for the awesome video and helping a noob out!
JW Stekervetz ... Thank you for your time replying to my questions. I do apologize if I'm bothering you. I guess my last question is does it matter if the hydrogen peroxide has the work stabilized in parentheses?
JW Stekervetz I'm asking if the hydrogen peroxide says stabilized on it should I get it or not? That seems to be all I can find... it does not say what it is stabilized with
JW Stekervetz .. thank you for your time and patience actually your video you say to stay away from trisodium something or other. Not stabilized in general so I was wondering if there was a difference thank you.
The ratio of Hydrogen peroxide to Muriatic acid is 2:1. With Hydrogen peroxide coming in 32 ounces or 946 ml. Change the formula to 16 ounces of Muriatic acid to 32 ounces Hydrogen peroxide. Why leave 46 ml (1.5 oz) in the bottle?
Should calm down in that department in a few hours/overnight but it doesn’t effect how it works, a little agitation will remove any bubbles from the surface of your steel.
after you etch you need to wipe it off, then neutralize the acid, Windex works. use liberal amounts of windex. completely wipe dry after. I would certainly wash with dish soap BEFORE using it on food. and if your dishwasher has a sterilize feature, I'd do that as well. I used to be a chef, so picking up a knife that was just cleaned with live steam is not unheard of for me
+JW S. I am trying to re-etch a damascus blade that has had the dark rubbed out of it. The only thing I have on hand is nitric acid which I am diluting 4-1 with water. I am applying to small areas to test with a q-tip. It produces a beautiful black etch, but after I stabilize with either Windex or backing soda, some (but not all) of the etch turns a weird brown color while some of the black remains. Is this because of the nitric acid or is it something I am doing wrong? (I am impatiently waiting for the ferric chloride to arrive)
+JW S. The ferric chloride arrived today. Picked up the TSP. Cleaned to crappy brown etch off both blades with some 1 micron spray and a toothbrush and then followed instructions. Thank God for great advice! They are far superior now than when I got them. Here's a couple of links to pics of how they came out.. IMG_6854.jpg zbrafish.egnyte.com/dl/YQns2fZT84 IMG_6855.jpg zbrafish.egnyte.com/dl/Cqo8eu6YS0
Can you etch stainless steel like this? Or only damascus steel??? I thought the only reason this worked was because damascus steel is just steel layered and forged over and over again? I am missing something here, any help would be appreciated.
So last night a couple hours after I made my own ferric chloride it etched a blade pretty dark pretty fast. But tonight now that the liquid is cooled I've had a piece of Steel in there for 45 minutes and it's barely a light gray color. What could have happened? Seems like it lost its power overnight
@@CNYKnifeNerd ...... In the realm of chemicals and science anything's a possibility which is why I asked the question in the first place. Should have known there would be a smart ass mouth breather on here like you making such a idiotic comment. Toodaloo now carry on
@@nathanielgerlach1857 .... Yeah I found really good hydrogen peroxide at Sally's beauty supply but it's not called hydrogen peroxide it's called salon 50 or something like that. Works fantastic
Just in case anyone stumbles on to this for help. I tried using Salon Care V40 instead of the 3% pharmacy hydrogen peroxide. Worked SO much better! Just make sure you get Salon Care CLEAR and not crème. The numbers (10, 20, 30, 40) correspond to 3%, 6%, 9% 12% hydrogen peroxide. The V50 bottle would be even better I’d assume, but they told me I had to have a professional license to buy that so I went with the V40.
Mr. Stekervetz, I've been on iforgeiron for over a year now, and I haven't been seeing any of your posts, nor can I find you in the embers list... am I just looking in the wrong spot, or the wrong name? thanks. been chatting with Frosty, Nice guy.
Way longer than it needed to be. Washing off the varnish stuff that steel wool is treated with to keep it from rusting in the bag would have allowed the acid to react on the wool much faster. Used steel wool, drill press swarf, nibbler clippings, or my favorite...jars of rusty finishing brad nails from the thrift store/re-store all will probably work faster than a virgin pad of steel wool.
+JW S. okay :) what kind of way can i fallow with %21HCL + if necessary i can find (hydrogen peroxide + copper + steel wool ) but i don't think i can find muriatic acid. thats my problem :)
+JW S. My hcl is already is concentrate cleaner its %21hcl solution i am living in turkey and people are sellin this in the name of "tuz ruhu" in here you may check and tell me if i can use this as muriatic acid so if you say yes i can fallow your video with this acid maybe if you want i can send a picture if this.
+JW S. sir. i have done my customization by etching my folding knife with your guidance and your toughts :) i think its pretty good right now is there any way that i can show the pictures of my work pelase let me know cuz you helped a lot :) i want to show it to you.
I'm not sure that I see the point in this, since a number of people are using the precursor chemicals (hydrochloric acid and peroxide) for etching without all this extra work
batticha shumami quality and control of the reaction. By mixing the two precursor chemicals and etching in just those the reaction is aggressive - granted the more you use that same solution to etch your Damascus it becomes more tempered in its reaction. The reason why? You’re slowly adding iron transforming it into ferric chloride! Again, it’s all about control. You don’t want to do a single aggressive rapid etch, you want to do multiple etches while light sanding in between to get a smooth etch vs something that may leave your steel rough and blotchy or even worse.
I Have 2 55 gallon drums of ~42% ferric chloride. They're listed on ebay for cheap but nobody has bought them I really have no use for it. If anyone is near the sacramento area and wants to buy one or both, they're welcome to. just hit me up. I can transport them but it's a pain because they're heavy. transport wouldn't be free.
6% up to 9%, depends on what's available to you. Typically not found in you local pharmacy, but check your beauty supply shops and head my warning in the video about TSP which can be found in certain beauty products.
+JW S. Already watched your video thats why i am asking to you youre one who is explaining all process very well. But i asked for only HCL use or hcl with hydrogen peroxide. Do i need copper or steel wool?
+JW S. I will already going to use it on my sainless steel. So if you say ok i can try only hcl on my knife and if you have any idea about time ot could be helpfull :)
the peroxide is used to add more oxygen to the solution. you can also just let it sit out and it will absorb oxygen from the air.. or you can use a aquarium pump for a few hours.
You could also just buy muriatic acid and iron (III) oxide Fe203 and mix it with HCl and yield FeCl3. If you want a purer yield you could purify the muriatic acid in a distillation apparatus. This should all be done either outside or under a fume hood and with a Respirator typically a 3M Respirator with the approved NIOSH Acid Gas/ Organic vapor cartridges applied. Only use a distillation apparatus if you already have the knowledge to run one. Don’t waste your time trying to get the purest HCl either as Hydrogen Chloride forms an azeotrope with water at the region of 90-100% purity. Meaning it will start to boil with only water since that’s the only thing that’s keeping the HCl a liquid because Hydrogen Chloride of course is a gas on its own at room temperature and why it has such a high evaporation rate hence the dangerous fumes. Be very safe when making this stuff. I have a full acid suit for these types of projects so I truly only recommend this if you are extremely careful and know what your doing, just like the guy said in the video be extremely careful please!
This method is also safer as there is no production of Hydrogen gas although I don’t know whether the method in the video is more cost effective. This is shown in the chemical reaction here: Fe2O3 + HCl (aq) --> FeCl3 + H20 As seen above the Hydrogen gas isn’t a problem as it bonded with the oxygen in the oxide.
Is it no longer necessary to follow the age old convention of always adding the acid to the base???? Watching this video, I cringed through most of it. So much was done wrong. My biggest problem was you sitting down with your face less than a foot away from your beeker while mixing the base to the acid. That is the exact reverse order of how things are done safely. If that would of been sulfuric acid instead of muriatic, you'd be in sad shape today.
It's funny hearing the acid safety speech. Did you know if you put 97% sulfuric acid on your skin, it would do absolutely nothing if you immediately cleaned it off? In fact, it takes up to two minutes before you even start feeling a slight burning sensation. People freak out about the acid in lead/acid batteries even though it's only 10% or less of sulfuric acid. Frankly, most acids are not as dangerous as people suggest. You'd have to spill several ounces of muriatic acid and let it soak into your skin for 30 minutes before you'd notice anything. Just sayin. I know, I know. Better safe than sorry.
go to the store and buy some muriatic acid. Stick your finger in the container. You will feel it burning instantly. 100% guaranteed fact. If you are contacting an acid that does not instantly burn your skin, its because youre dealing with very mild concentrations. Muriatic acid will instantly begin to dissolve elements. Your skin is no different. Your ignorance is showing.
nizmojoeblows I disagree. I used to clean pools. We used 12M muriatic acid, same stuff you get from the hardware store (if we ever ran out we'd buy it from lowes, so...) I used to splash it on my legs pouring it into pools all the time. The only time I ever noticed a burning feeling was when the acid dried on my skin then was rehydrated by water from another pool. Even then it wasn't that bad, just annoying and easy to wash off. Sulfuric, on the other hand, is more aggressive, dehydrating your skin pretty quickly. As far as ferric chloride, I've gotten some on my skin without issue, but I got some in a small cut on my finger once and it felt like a wasp sting. Not excrutiating, but not pleasant.
You have no clue what you are talking about. I had a car battery explode when I was a kid and ran immediately to water and was being burnt before I got to it. Higher solutions are far more dangerous.
That’s just bad chemistry! Sodium hypochlorite mixed into the acid liberates chlorine gas, which even in small amounts can cause severe irritation to eyes, mouth, lungs etc, not to mention caustic burns or even death in not that large a quantity. No thanks, we’ll err on the side of caution- this might be backyard chemistry but safety is still the rule.
In theory. But the wool will definitely do the job in short order where the nails would probably take days or weeks. I also wouldn't use anything that has been galvanized.
![Lil Uzi Vert - Chill Bae [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/D7F42F_JM3U/mqdefault.jpg)
THANK YOU. I looked everywhere to find what chemicals I needed for this process and you articulated the hazards and directions very well.
Muriatic acid is not a lower form of Hydrochloric acid. The two names are exactly synonymous. It's just like "baking soda" and "sodium bicarbonate" are exactly the same thing. Hydrochloric acid is simply Hydrogen chloride gas dissolved in water. Water can dissolve a lot of HCl gas, but the max amount varies by the temperature and pressure. It's impractical to dissolve more than 40% without cooling or pressurizing the container. So although the bottle says "only" 37% to 38%, that's actually FULL strength (100% strength doesn't mean anything, so don't ask for it). Under standard conditions it cannot actually be made any stronger before Hydrogen chloride gas starts to boil off the acid in thin, wispy white clouds of death (man, i can't think of a worse death than choking on Hydrogen chloride... truly I can't think of one.). Sometimes people think muriatic acid is a "less strong" form of hydrochloric acid, but that is by no means an official definition or even a conventional one. You regularly see Muriatic acid sold at 38% concentration, which is about as strong as it comes.The only "impurity" is water (actually there is a teeny tiny bit of nitric acid and stuff left over from the industrial process used to manufacture it, but that can be ignored). If it warms up at all, or if it's dry out, or you are at high altitude ,or the pressure drops then the acid will start to release HCl vapor. You often see a white vapor float out of the bottle when you open it. Do not breath in even a little bit of that vapor! Once it touches the water in your mouth or lungs or eye it readily turns back into acid. At about 20% there is little danger of it spontaneously fuming even when the solution gets hot (less than boiling), but hydrochloric acid also works MUCH faster as it warms up. This can lead to runaway reactions that cause the acid to start to boil. Hot hydrochloric acid splashed onto your skin is a fundamentally different situation (it's an emergency situation) compared to room temperature hydrochloric acid splashed onto your skin (no big deal, just rinse it off and go back to work... unless it gets in your eyes. That's also an emergency.).
I'm somewhat surprised that you were able to work with it with your head right above the container. Usually after you do that a few times you will have gotten a whiff of HCL vapor and you won't do that again. I don't know if you had a fan going or if there was a constant breeze where you were working, (or maybe it was cold there?) but indoors or out you never want to have your head above an open container like that. Maybe you were using 20% concentration? It's not the splashing you have to worry about. It's the vapor that you might inhale or float into your eyes. Even with safety glasses the vapor can float right around them to reach your your eyes and it will HURT!
That's been my experience. It's not a big deal as long as you keep in mind the tricky ways it can sneak up on you. I like to keep a running hose nearby when I'm working with more than a couple liters of the stuff at once. Baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, is also good to have on standby -- preferably premixed in a solution.
He's no bitch, he can take it
chill bro
Noah Spurrier wow man how much time do you use to write this comment?
I think that stuff may have been diluted a bit more than the label said, and the yellowish color makes me think it might have a pretty high iron content already. When I make Ferric I use 20 baum (31.5%) muriatic from work. Its clear, and as soon as you pop the top off the barrel, those nasty white fumes start rolling out. It will dissolve the steel wool in about 30 minutes.
good info my friend, thank you !!
Many thanks for sharing.A perfect example of the old proverb 'where there is a will there is a way'.
Oh my God man, THANK YOU so much for this video! Saved me so much money in the long run buying bottles of Ferric Chloride. Now I can just make my own.
Thank you! I was having trouble finding Ferric Chloride locally but the Hardware store had Muriatic, H.Peroxide and steel wool! Brilliant!! Etching a couple of Damascus knives tomorrow. I'll let you know.
Hi tim, just curious how your homemade ferric chloride worked for etching your knives blades?
@@cousineddie7898 the best Feric chloride I've ever used. I was going to leave one knife in overnight. I'm glad I didn't. It would hsve been gone! Ha! Yeah, works great. Thank you!
Started using muriatic acid to acid etch artwork onto blades, found it to be weak and slow working. The addition of peroxide really works well. I can't wait to try this new recipe. Thank you for sharing. This will definitely help out.
In the process of this right now. You very precisely articulated exactly what I needed to do. Bravo on being a great teacher. Thanks man! Hopefully I’ll have my first Damascus knife finished soon 😎
Mate, thanks for putting this up! It is actually a pretty straight forward product to make ( the ingredients are easy to find) and I will be giving this one a go.
This stuff works the best for acid washing, I love the dark gray color and even etching across the whole blade.
Thanks for the video...I'm wondering if there is a formula on how much steel wool to use per your recipe...can you over or under do it?
I like how you mention that you are both a black smith and knife smith, most people don't know the difference.
The BIG question is: can you reuse it? And how do you dispose of it? What type of container do you use to store it in/etch in?
I stumbled across this in the search to etch and expose new material
on my Metallic bonded CBN stones. Will this recipe work for my needs?
Sorry so late, but very interesting indeed. Thanks for sharing.
how much steel you need to put with muriatic acid in the glass container ? what are the porpotions, pls ?
VERY informative and interesting video. I will definitely be doing this for my knife business!
I easily bought chrystallized Ferric Chloride from an Art-supplier in Sweden. Lawrence is the mark in my case. I had to buy 2 x 500 grams though. It will suffice for the rest of my life and further probably :)
It was not overly expensive either.
No hazzle, just make a right sullotion of high-quality soft tap-water or distilled water for lead-batterys.
Very safe in the storage, since it is a solid compound.
Opening a bag and adding water wasn’t the point of the video. If someone was making fresh pasta by hand would you tell them how you just bought a box of dried pasta and dropped it in water? Yes, there are other ways to get ferric chloride, but years ago when I made this video a nationwide electronic hobby chain store here in the US that many bladesmiths relied on to get their ferric shut down and buying through a chemical company required a lot of extra forms to be filed to get accounts, most limited to education or laboratory work, not the hobby market. Obviously things change over the years, but there are still those to prefer to know ‘how the sausage is made’ so to speak.
WHOA!!!! I always was taught to add acid into other chemicals, to minimize the risk of acid reaching the boiling point.("exothermic reaction").... Also,... you should have a couple of 5 gallon buckets full of cool water, with a box of soduim bicarbonate "baking soda" dissolved into it, as an emergency rinse solution, in case you spill/splash any on yourself!!!.... and a handy, charged, garden hose!!, and, you ought to be wearing a full length, liquid-spill-resistant apron. If you dumped all of that acid onto your cotton clothes, you'd really be in bad shape, real fast!!!....
According to Harvard University EH&S, Princeton, MIT and Concordia University (All have lab procedure PDF's available online): ALWAYS add the hydrogen peroxide to the acid very slowly, never vice versa.
www.ehs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/lab_safety_guideline_piranha_etch.pdf
ehs.princeton.edu/laboratory-research/chemical-safety/chemical-specific-protocols/piranha-solutions
web.mit.edu/cortiz/www/PiranhaSafety.doc
www.concordia.ca/content/dam/concordia/services/safety/docs/EHS-DOC-019_PiranhaSolutionGuidelines.pdf
@@jwstek although I commend your research, your sources are meant for the preparation of a solution far stronger than what you’re making. 30-50% concentrated peroxide is quite a bit different than 3-5%. The rule is to always add acid to base, although hydrogen peroxide isn’t necessarily a base but a rather weak acid. Regardless, Muriatic acid should be added into the Peroxide when the solution is this diluted. Not visa versa. The inactive ingredient in your drugstore peroxide is purified water. And you ALWAYS add acid to water.
@@d.michaelphotography6124 the peroxide I’m using isn’t common drug store diluted 3%, it’s concentrated peroxide meant for salon use in hair bleaching, it’ll burn you if you get it on your skin. Regardless, I think I made this video over half a decade ago and it always surprises me how active it still is. lol perhaps I’ll do an updated version in a few weeks - this batch starting to get a little low, time to refresh it.
I have 34° baumé hydrochloric acid, what is the percentage of it??? With the temperature =25°C.
Just made my first batch of FeCl (thanks for video!), I'm a part-time gunsmith and want to restore a few damascus double barrels. My question, watching another video- Larry Potterfield/ Midway), he dipped his barrels in store-bought ferric chloride cut to 15%. Should I cut the stuff I just made or use it straight? Thanks.
Thanks for this video. I wanted to etch some of the knives I make to bring out the pattern but was unable to find Ferric Chloride in any stores. Thanks again!
Your recipe is so good, it made the plastic pitcher rust... lol
Also, if you bake your baking soda for an hour, it changes from sodium bicarbonate to sodium carbonate, a much stronger alkaline to have on hand for cleanup purposes.
Nick Smale I do it to make ramen, mr noodle has high allaline
You totally have a great narrating voice!
You sound like you have done big movie narratives
Great formula thanks sir
Thanks for the informative vid. Question, what is the proper way of disposing FC once used?
sandpiper9988 Contact your local hazardous waste disposal
If using for etching steel would I need to dilute this with water?
not at all, I use it as is on my steel
I used muradic acid and a 3% hydrogen peroxide. should I dilute it with distilled water now? and if so at what ratio
How does the amount of Hydrogen peroxide added correlate with the effectiveness or acidity of the Ferric Chloride?
Thank you sir but can l use oxidant for ex (l'orial) ??
It's supposed to be a 1:2 ratio of peroxide (1) and acid (2) from what I've researched
I wonder if I can bypass the H202 step by using granular ferric oxide from my aquarium supplies?
I extend to you my many thanx for your time and effort in presenting your video. Very detailed . I wish to know the best way to store this acid . Again Many Many Thanxx !
I need to make Ferric Chloride for water treatment. this is the same way right?
Just a point on safety a plastic type apron and a face shield might be a better choice when demonstrating on this video even a stand buy bucket of water . . Good luck from Down Under in Australia
Hi ,just thought you might like to make this even cheaper ...i think you will find that the peroxide just rapidly adds oxygen to your mix ....if you used say an air pump at a slow speed ...perhaps one from a fish tank ...drilled lots of holes in a plastic tube and caused the hcl to bubble it would convert to ferric chloride ...you would also find if you had a pump in your ferric solution when etching it would remove the etchant waste from the blade and cause a quicker reaction...best wishes from England
Peroxide is like a dollar… that’s a bargain for an impatient person lol😂
How much steel wool, just 1?
I hope my first time using your method ends up with a success! Thanks for the video!
Hallo JW S, will this etching prevent carbon steel knife from rust?
Goran Nikolic no it will not, if used and left on blade your blade will rust
No it will not. I recommend using it in conjunction with some hot apple cider vinegar to give it a patina that will protect from rust.
How do I store it? Does it have to be in sealed glass container?
do you have to use a plastic container when you add the peroxide? due to the heat. or can you just mix the peroxide in the glass container?
+JW S. thanks for the quick reply. secondly, do you just wait for the steel wool and muriatic acid to turn that blue grey colour or is there a minimum time that you would usually wait prior to adding the peroxide. thanks alot. I have my ferrous chloride working it's way right now. your videos are very informative. I like them. I watched the heat treating video last night and got a kick out of that woth the old video clips. keep up the good work
Any hydrogen peroxide will do it, I ask because they are of different % concentration
do you know of any reason why ferric chloride won't etch metal conduit? i made my ferric chloride using your procedure and it acts like it doing something when you submerge the metal but instead of etching the metal it just lifts the painted masking off after soaking for a while
I'm no expert but I would assume that you are referring to galvanized electrical conduit? I don't think the acid will react with the galv. coating as it is not ferrous.
JW S. hydrochloric acid and muriatic acid are EXACTLY the same thing! There are NO differences in purity, if you do not know the truth DO NOT spread falsified information, because all you have is the WRONG information. Do you really know how dumb this makes you seem?
What the hell are you running on about, were talking about not being able to etch galvanized conduit, no one even mentioned hydrochloric or muriatic acid. So Shona O’Neill I guess my question to you is, Do you know how really dumb it makes seem when you can’t even find the right conversation to flinging insults at….pretty dumb!!!!
i grind the layer of galvanized off and polish the remaining steel to a high gloss before i try etching and it does etch a little bit but can't leave it in very long because it takes off the pant masking. i'll get some regular steel tubing and try it again, i don't see how that will make the masking stay on better but we'll see...
Ferric chloride should be active on zinc. In fact, more so than copper because the reaction releases hydrochloric acid, which then dissolves the more zinc, if I recall correctly. But note that this may start to bubble and fizz, releasing hydrogen gas (harmless as long as there are no open flames or sparks about). Maybe your conduit has some other coating. I think some may actually have a plastic clear coat, which resists most acids.
How long do you leave the steel wool into the muriatic acid?
What kind of steel wool do you use?
must be cold where you are!
my steel wool dissolved in about an hour!
So at which concentration should the hydrochloric acid be? I want to buy some on sigma aldrich but dont know which one to choose.
+JW S. thanks!
How long do u leave the blade in the acid for a good etch?
Jeremy at Simple Little Life puts his in for about 10 minutes. I started shopping for the acid, then came to this video. Love it.
I just got the stuff to make some of the solution in your video. How long would you recommend soaking your knife blade?
Start with 30 seconds, lightly sand then wash it off, check the etch, repeat.
@@jwstek what grit would you use for sanding?
@@nathangines6107 I normally use a wet piece of 800 grit
You dont have to use steel wool.
The finish will be a gunmetal grey color instead of a much darker grey or black you get when using steel wool. Just depends on the look you want.
Help me ,,Ferric Chloride and Water Mix
Change a yellow how to clean and help me Ratio please help me
thank you sir, this video is so useful
I get the muriatic acid etches steel.. why the peroxide or wool .... is it to lower/neutralizes the acid
JW Stekervetz so if hydrogen peroxide and muriatic acid make cupric chloride... (ii) turns the cupric chloride into ferrous? .. wouldn't the iron of a blade do the same? Also ,why not add Penny's for a copper chloride
I know this is an old video, but I have a question. About how many knives will a batch of this etch before needing to make more?
Depends on the volume & strength of the of Ferric Chloride prepared.
@@helpdesk1467
And type of steel being etched.
Great video
do you make copper and brass mokume gane ?
I do, however, I would advise against using this solution with it and instead use patience and fine sandpaper to get the results you're looking for.
Can you store it or does it need to be used immediately
Ted Gilbertson I’ve been using the same 5 gallons for years, just keep on adding to it.
Can I just use hydrochloric acid? My local hardware store doesn't stock muriatic acid.
+Blake Christo Muriatic acid is called hydrochloric acid too (:
+Blake Christo Try a Janitor supply place or a masonry supply /tile supply place.
what if I use an aquarium-aerator instead of hydrogen peroxide will it work?
Probably very slowly over time, it will happen naturally as well. However I’ve destroyed more than my share of aerators in this stuff when etching, they don’t last more than a day or two.
@@jwstek thank you sir.
but if I continue using an aerator is it going to give me weaker product?
or just leave it open to make it happen naturally?
My plan is actually to use it in making printed circuit boards but I'm not in a hurry. I'm also hoping you can also give a suggestion. 😊😊😊
by the way I'm currently bubbling the solution while writing this. 😁
@@kevinlouiemansueto608 if it’s working for you keep at it I suppose! I have used aerators in the bottom of my 5 gallon bucket of FeCl3 when doing larger pieces where I was worried about getting an even etch over the entire surface. From my understanding, FeCl3 settles on the bottom, because of its reaction with Fe it will break down to FeCl2 which will rise to the top. So agitation on a larger piece might be recommended, but I wouldn’t keep it going all the time, just when I was etching. I’d keep the stone out of the solution when not in use, like I said they break down pretty fast.
@@jwstek Nice. Thanks again sir. 😁👍
Hi JW.. tried this method and it didn't work. Realized I made twice as much of you but only put in about the same amount of steel wool as you did. Do you think that's the reason it didn't work? Do you think if I did it again doubling up on the steel wool I would have much better results? How how important is the iron for the etching process I would hate to make another batch and throw it away
JW Stekervetz ... Also my steel wool dissolved in about 15 minutes. Not sure if that's normal. And because it is all so fast I immediately added the hydrogen peroxide. Does the muriatic acid and steel wool have to sit there for a full day before you put in the hydrogen peroxide?
JW Stekervetz .. I did use grocery store 3% hydrogen peroxide because that's all I could get my hands on conveniently. I saw other people say 3% is the way to go so figured it wasn't a huge deal. Maybe that's it. My stuff, under the ingredients label said hydrogen peroxide (stablized) but didn't say what it was stablized with. I'll try the salon stuff and see. Also is it 100% necessary to let the ferriS chloride sit over night before adding the hydrogen peroxide or just wait for the steel wool to dissolve? (In my case 15-20 mins)? Thank you for the awesome video and helping a noob out!
JW Stekervetz ... Thank you for your time replying to my questions. I do apologize if I'm bothering you. I guess my last question is does it matter if the hydrogen peroxide has the work stabilized in parentheses?
JW Stekervetz I'm asking if the hydrogen peroxide says stabilized on it should I get it or not? That seems to be all I can find... it does not say what it is stabilized with
JW Stekervetz .. thank you for your time and patience actually your video you say to stay away from trisodium something or other. Not stabilized in general so I was wondering if there was a difference thank you.
The ratio of Hydrogen peroxide to Muriatic acid is 2:1. With Hydrogen peroxide coming in 32 ounces or 946 ml. Change the formula to 16 ounces of Muriatic acid to 32 ounces Hydrogen peroxide. Why leave 46 ml (1.5 oz) in the bottle?
What are the % of the acid and Hydrogen Perioxide?. I got some 30% acid and 10% hydrogen perioxide, so im a bit unsure of the mixing ratio
2:1 Peroxide and Muriatic Acid.
Huge thank you to you friend.
Anyone know about how long it should take for the mixture to go flat once oxygenated?
Should calm down in that department in a few hours/overnight but it doesn’t effect how it works, a little agitation will remove any bubbles from the surface of your steel.
Nice video. Thank you very much.
Do you have to use hydrogen poroxide to make this mix?
Yes, it’s the oxidizer.
Why transferring in plastic tub ?
Just wanted to ask is the blade food safe after a process like this?
after you etch you need to wipe it off, then neutralize the acid, Windex works. use liberal amounts of windex. completely wipe dry after. I would certainly wash with dish soap BEFORE using it on food. and if your dishwasher has a sterilize feature, I'd do that as well.
I used to be a chef, so picking up a knife that was just cleaned with live steam is not unheard of for me
how long can the final solution be stored
+JW S. I am trying to re-etch a damascus blade that has had the dark rubbed out of it. The only thing I have on hand is nitric acid which I am diluting 4-1 with water. I am applying to small areas to test with a q-tip. It produces a beautiful black etch, but after I stabilize with either Windex or backing soda, some (but not all) of the etch turns a weird brown color while some of the black remains. Is this because of the nitric acid or is it something I am doing wrong? (I am impatiently waiting for the ferric chloride to arrive)
+JW S. The ferric chloride arrived today. Picked up the TSP. Cleaned to crappy brown etch off both blades with some 1 micron spray and a toothbrush and then followed instructions. Thank God for great advice! They are far superior now than when I got them. Here's a couple of links to pics of how they came out.. IMG_6854.jpg
zbrafish.egnyte.com/dl/YQns2fZT84
IMG_6855.jpg
zbrafish.egnyte.com/dl/Cqo8eu6YS0
What is HCI?
Can you etch stainless steel like this? Or only damascus steel??? I thought the only reason this worked was because damascus steel is just steel layered and forged over and over again?
I am missing something here, any help would be appreciated.
5:22 bubbles?
are those hydrogen bubbles from left over steel wool which reacts more quickly now, or is that chlorine?
H2, so it won't burn your lungs, but it will explode...
Because the solution it is making is FeCl3 it is hydrogen
So last night a couple hours after I made my own ferric chloride it etched a blade pretty dark pretty fast. But tonight now that the liquid is cooled I've had a piece of Steel in there for 45 minutes and it's barely a light gray color. What could have happened? Seems like it lost its power overnight
It either "lost its power" overnight, or hot acid etches steel more efficiently... Which of those situations seems more logical to you?
@@CNYKnifeNerd ...... In the realm of chemicals and science anything's a possibility which is why I asked the question in the first place. Should have known there would be a smart ass mouth breather on here like you making such a idiotic comment. Toodaloo now carry on
Did you ever get this sorted out? I just made a batch and it did the same thing as yours. Just a light grey that easily wipes off.
@@nathanielgerlach1857 .... Yeah I found really good hydrogen peroxide at Sally's beauty supply but it's not called hydrogen peroxide it's called salon 50 or something like that. Works fantastic
Just in case anyone stumbles on to this for help. I tried using Salon Care V40 instead of the 3% pharmacy hydrogen peroxide. Worked SO much better! Just make sure you get Salon Care CLEAR and not crème. The numbers (10, 20, 30, 40) correspond to 3%, 6%, 9% 12% hydrogen peroxide. The V50 bottle would be even better I’d assume, but they told me I had to have a professional license to buy that so I went with the V40.
Why does your ferric Chloride look so pale as opposed to the usual black colored store bought kind?
Mr. Stekervetz, I've been on iforgeiron for over a year now, and I haven't been seeing any of your posts, nor can I find you in the embers list... am I just looking in the wrong spot, or the wrong name?
thanks. been chatting with Frosty, Nice guy.
Exactly how long was the steel wool in there?
Way longer than it needed to be. Washing off the varnish stuff that steel wool is treated with to keep it from rusting in the bag would have allowed the acid to react on the wool much faster. Used steel wool, drill press swarf, nibbler clippings, or my favorite...jars of rusty finishing brad nails from the thrift store/re-store all will probably work faster than a virgin pad of steel wool.
I got this weird yellow nasty looking film on mine. hoping the peroxide removes it.
Thanks for the info JW. :)
is that possible that i can etch my knife with HCL or any other way with HCL ?
How could it be darker or lighter (i am pretty new about that and this is going to be first to me) tha k you for all your helping
+JW S. okay :) what kind of way can i fallow with %21HCL + if necessary i can find (hydrogen peroxide + copper + steel wool ) but i don't think i can find muriatic acid. thats my problem :)
+JW S. My hcl is already is concentrate cleaner its %21hcl solution i am living in turkey and people are sellin this in the name of "tuz ruhu" in here you may check and tell me if i can use this as muriatic acid so if you say yes i can fallow your video with this acid maybe if you want i can send a picture if this.
+JW S. You helped a lot thank you for your time to save for me i will let you know after i done my etching :)
+JW S. sir. i have done my customization by etching my folding knife with your guidance and your toughts :) i think its pretty good right now is there any way that i can show the pictures of my work pelase let me know cuz you helped a lot :) i want to show it to you.
I'm not sure that I see the point in this, since a number of people are using the precursor chemicals (hydrochloric acid and peroxide) for etching without all this extra work
batticha shumami quality and control of the reaction. By mixing the two precursor chemicals and etching in just those the reaction is aggressive - granted the more you use that same solution to etch your Damascus it becomes more tempered in its reaction. The reason why? You’re slowly adding iron transforming it into ferric chloride! Again, it’s all about control. You don’t want to do a single aggressive rapid etch, you want to do multiple etches while light sanding in between to get a smooth etch vs something that may leave your steel rough and blotchy or even worse.
@@jwstek Could be, I mostly itch PCB and it works great for me
batticha shumami then you’re making copper chloride, it’s a whole different animal and medium to work with! :)
I Have 2 55 gallon drums of ~42% ferric chloride. They're listed on ebay for cheap but nobody has bought them
I really have no use for it.
If anyone is near the sacramento area and wants to buy one or both, they're welcome to. just hit me up.
I can transport them but it's a pain because they're heavy. transport wouldn't be free.
what % is the peroxide?
6% up to 9%, depends on what's available to you. Typically not found in you local pharmacy, but check your beauty supply shops and head my warning in the video about TSP which can be found in certain beauty products.
is that possible to have etching solution with HCL + Hydrogen peroxide ? and do i need any steel wool or copper ?
+JW S. Already watched your video thats why i am asking to you youre one who is explaining all process very well. But i asked for only HCL use or hcl with hydrogen peroxide. Do i need copper or steel wool?
+JW S. I will already going to use it on my sainless steel. So if you say ok i can try only hcl on my knife and if you have any idea about time ot could be helpfull :)
Is the hydrogen peroxide at all needed or can I just make the FC by using fine iron in hydrochloric acid alone?
the peroxide is used to add more oxygen to the solution. you can also just let it sit out and it will absorb oxygen from the air.. or you can use a aquarium pump for a few hours.
An aquarium pump with some tubing will add the oxygen
Muratic acis IS hydrochloric acid, no more or less impurities..... jeez..... it ALL usually runs 30 to 35% by volume.....
thinks for this video
My acid dissolved all of the wool and turned green
Sounds like disolved copper
👍✌
VENTILATION or RESPIRATORY protection. Your lungs will thank you.
Wow, so glad you put your 2 cents in on a 5 year old video!
Acid to water not water to acid- much safer
I have some green crystals forming
I think you have some ferric 2 chlorde crystal contamination.
You could also just buy muriatic acid and iron (III) oxide Fe203 and mix it with HCl and yield FeCl3. If you want a purer yield you could purify the muriatic acid in a distillation apparatus. This should all be done either outside or under a fume hood and with a Respirator typically a 3M Respirator with the approved NIOSH Acid Gas/ Organic vapor cartridges applied. Only use a distillation apparatus if you already have the knowledge to run one. Don’t waste your time trying to get the purest HCl either as Hydrogen Chloride forms an azeotrope with water at the region of 90-100% purity. Meaning it will start to boil with only water since that’s the only thing that’s keeping the HCl a liquid because Hydrogen Chloride of course is a gas on its own at room temperature and why it has such a high evaporation rate hence the dangerous fumes. Be very safe when making this stuff. I have a full acid suit for these types of projects so I truly only recommend this if you are extremely careful and know what your doing, just like the guy said in the video be extremely careful please!
This method is also safer as there is no production of Hydrogen gas although I don’t know whether the method in the video is more cost effective. This is shown in the chemical reaction here:
Fe2O3 + HCl (aq) --> FeCl3 + H20
As seen above the Hydrogen gas isn’t a problem as it bonded with the oxygen in the oxide.
the ultimate sin you added peroxide to the acid always mix it the other way acid to peroxide
Informative video,I would suggest speaking to the camera as if you're speaking to a n older person,I had a difficult time understanding you!
Is it no longer necessary to follow the age old convention of always adding the acid to the base???? Watching this video, I cringed through most of it. So much was done wrong. My biggest problem was you sitting down with your face less than a foot away from your beeker while mixing the base to the acid. That is the exact reverse order of how things are done safely. If that would of been sulfuric acid instead of muriatic, you'd be in sad shape today.
Hydrogen Peroxide has a pH of 4.5 which makes it an acid.
Henri L even 100% h2O2 has a pH of 6.2 at 77F, 0.8 lower than even a neutral solution making it a very weak acid.
0:44 Can't emphasize this enough.. drugs and workshops don't mix!
74KU that was sodium tetraborate, welding flux. Lol, I don’t know how much you think a bladesmith makes!
At least put a fan behind you okay!!!!!!!
came here from factorio to wonder wtf this shit is
It's funny hearing the acid safety speech. Did you know if you put 97% sulfuric acid on your skin, it would do absolutely nothing if you immediately cleaned it off? In fact, it takes up to two minutes before you even start feeling a slight burning sensation. People freak out about the acid in lead/acid batteries even though it's only 10% or less of sulfuric acid. Frankly, most acids are not as dangerous as people suggest. You'd have to spill several ounces of muriatic acid and let it soak into your skin for 30 minutes before you'd notice anything. Just sayin. I know, I know. Better safe than sorry.
i dont wear gloves when handling ferric chloride, I am fine. Sometimes my skin turns yellowish where i touched it but i am fine.
go to the store and buy some muriatic acid. Stick your finger in the container. You will feel it burning instantly. 100% guaranteed fact. If you are contacting an acid that does not instantly burn your skin, its because youre dealing with very mild concentrations. Muriatic acid will instantly begin to dissolve elements. Your skin is no different. Your ignorance is showing.
nizmojoeblows I disagree. I used to clean pools. We used 12M muriatic acid, same stuff you get from the hardware store (if we ever ran out we'd buy it from lowes, so...) I used to splash it on my legs pouring it into pools all the time. The only time I ever noticed a burning feeling was when the acid dried on my skin then was rehydrated by water from another pool. Even then it wasn't that bad, just annoying and easy to wash off. Sulfuric, on the other hand, is more aggressive, dehydrating your skin pretty quickly. As far as ferric chloride, I've gotten some on my skin without issue, but I got some in a small cut on my finger once and it felt like a wasp sting. Not excrutiating, but not pleasant.
You have no clue what you are talking about. I had a car battery explode when I was a kid and ran immediately to water and was being burnt before I got to it. Higher solutions are far more dangerous.
nizmojoeblows
Yes, he doesn't know what he's talking about
If you would have used chlorine instead of peroxide you would have ended up with a better quality ferric.
That’s just bad chemistry! Sodium hypochlorite mixed into the acid liberates chlorine gas, which even in small amounts can cause severe irritation to eyes, mouth, lungs etc, not to mention caustic burns or even death in not that large a quantity. No thanks, we’ll err on the side of caution- this might be backyard chemistry but safety is still the rule.
Hey can we use nails instead of steel wool???
In theory. But the wool will definitely do the job in short order where the nails would probably take days or weeks. I also wouldn't use anything that has been galvanized.
Shri Hari Ram G
You can use any iron/steel staff, non-coated with zinc.
Also a good choice is a powdered rust.
How many hrs would you say it takes to make this