You are definitely on the right track for Damascus finishing. I bend small hollow copper tubing for venting but I imagine glass would work as well. I don’t know where you can get bent glass however.
With the exception of etching, the process is basically the same as for rust bluing. However, you will have to do many more iterations to get the proper contrast since the Ferric chloride removes the color from both the steel and iron portions of Damascus, abeit at a slower rate for the iron portions. You have to do many iterations to get high contrast.
I can generally do the rusting in the summer without my damp cabinet. Not so in the winter up north. But I use the damp cabinet in both summer and winter to get more consistent rusting times.
I stopped using rubber gloves to handle the barrels since some can melt a bit on the hot barrels which ruins the finish. I use heavy duty leather gloves but I imagine there are some rubber gloves that won’t cause problems.
Ferric chloride is nasty stuff. When I retire in June, I plan to experiment with a mix that will etch the barrels without the danger or problems of ferric chloride. I don’t know if it will work properly but I have high hopes. I plan to devote a lot of time to trying to improve my process of Damascus finishing.
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