First etch FAIL! lol

[Brymus]

One way to solve this is to use the fotoresist method instead.

Perfect result all the time
Way higher resolution possible
Faster and easyer

Yeah look how awesome Soldermans boards are 

[solderman]

.............
Its alot easier with the PNP blue and my first boards came out OK off the get go,but man that stuff is expensive so I decided to save it for more demanding boards with high/thin/trace counts.
If I could do it all over, I would invest in UV process,that will have to wait a year at least for me.
I was a little daunted by etching,let alone doing the home UV stuff with out buying pre-senstized boards/making your own UV sensitive boards.
Let us know what finally works for you Phil 

Thanks'

I use a standard 15W UV tube in a standard lamp. It cost me total ~10$ or 7€. You do not need any fancy expensive UV boxes. One tube in good enough for max 50x200 mm or 1"x8" PCB's
A pre coated fotoresist cupper board is about 25% more than one of the same size without, where I buy them.
You print the PCB on a transparent film. It is very important to place a piece of glass or plexi on top of the transfer to keep the UV light from "getting under" the traces.
The exposure time is depends on the board makers. Plexi seems to give higher exposure time than glass. At first I used plexi and it gave me about 6-8 min. Now I use glass and I am down to 1.5 min.
The solution for developing the board is about 0,1 $ or 70 cent € a board.

[philbinator1]

Still soldiering away with the chemical etch process...currently on my 3rd try with matte photo paper, using a sheet of copy
paper in between iron/photopaper for 5 minutes.  results are looking promising after rubbing the paper down to the last
layer, now just soaking it for a while longer then I'll attack it again.  Toner is looking nice and thick though.  I think that my
paper is the cheap kind that has matte "gloss" on both sides, seems very dense and unyeilding as far as soaking goes.  If
it doesn't work I'll try magazine paper next.  Oh I had the iron on max this time too.

Really enjoying it all though.  Thanks for the encouragement Bryan  

[philbinator1]

Tried etch no. 3...mostly worked!  Had little cracks all over the pcb though, making breaks in the circuit...would this be from the cold
water?  I doused it in cold straight after ironing, as I read in some tutorial.  Used Ammonium Persulphate for the first time, complete
with girlfriends Darth-Vadar fumes mask...very nervous I was.  Unfortunately under-etched the board and mistook the salmon colour for
the board under the copper, d'oh!  I did have some chipping anyway, so might try the magazine method tomorrow.

It's late over in NZ, so night all!   

[philbinator1]

Pretty dead thread, but no worries.  Just thought I'd update:  Bought some Press n Peel blue (expensive!  but should last me a
wee while) and got near perfect results with the iron 3 notches away from max @ 4 minutes.  Wouldn't want to go any longer
though.  Might post a photo tomorrow.  Anyway yay!  Time for some amm. persulphate then more building!   

[Steve Mavronis]

Why don't you try using transparencies? You'll get crisp photo quality results.

[solderman]

From layout in the computer to this took me 15 min.

3  min print layout and cut to size
2  min UV exposure
2  min developing
8  min etching.

[philbinator1]

Yeah I'm commited now so gotta follow it through.  Maybe when I run out of PnP I might look at UV exposures...although
the UV-sensitive board is extremely expensive over here in NZ.  Is there a way to make it?

[deadastronaut]

hi phil..shame to hear your having grief with ya first pcb...

i use crap photo paper all the time..on full heat..straight into cold water peel..no problems..

that pnp blue is pricey ,man...

sure your scratching the copper enough man!...and not touching the copper when scratched .?..

i use a green squidgy washing up thingy with washing up liquid to scratch and degrease the suface at same time...

then lay on tissue and pat dry...

rob.

[philbinator1]

Hey Rob,  yeah i'm roughing it up with some very fine steel wool (dunno what number it is, I imagine
close to 0000 though) then cleaning it with acetone.  I usually wash my hands before and I'm sure not
to touch the copper after cleaning. 

The PnP is working great but, like you say really expensive.  When I run out I'll either try try the UV
method, or maybe try a diff. brand of photo paper, maybe some good quality glossy kodak or something.

cheers dude   

[Fender3D]

I usually wash my hands before and I'm sure not to touch the copper after cleaning. 

You may ask Grissom some latex gloves

[solderman]

Yeah I'm commited now so gotta follow it through.  Maybe when I run out of PnP I might look at UV exposures...although
the UV-sensitive board is extremely expensive over here in NZ.  Is there a way to make it?

There are fotoresist sold separately that can be applied to cupper. I have not tried so I don't know what it costs or if/how it works.