Etching Aluminium Enclosures (Pictures)

[edy_wheazel]

 This is my etching method, the pictures are self explanatory:

[deadastronaut]

thinking outside the box...

[Hatredman]

Indeed. I'll try this.

[duck_arse]

edy - did you backfill the etch with black paint or similar?

[KazooMan]

It looks like more than an etch.  The striations must have been made by hand with a scratch awl or Dremel tool.  Re: Duck Arse's question, I think filling the etch with paint would help hide the scratches.

[deadastronaut]

Yep, and yep...

[FUZZZZzzzz]

sweet.. thanks!

ps. you could do with a new drill

[cloudscapes]

that's pretty cool! love how deep the result is (or looks)

[edy_wheazel]

edy - did you backfill the etch with black paint or similar?

  No.
  This method has a problem: deeper the etch, bigger the mess. In this case the depth is around 2mm and the cleaning of this thin spaces is problematic. The scratches were made when I tried to clean the etched part, I had no patience to do a clean work so I used I nail. The scratches are visible in the picture, not so visible when you hold it or use it.

If the etching is not that deep you get cleaner results, like this:

[Hatredman]

Nail? Toothbrush!

[edy_wheazel]

Nail? Toothbrush!

I tried, not good enough. I even tried with something like this:

[~arph]

A pixel grinder yeah those are rubbish.. 

But seriously, perhaps a steel brush? (would require sanding afterwards)

[edy_wheazel]

 Never tried with a steel brush. Perhaps on my next build 

[Groovenut]

I've had really good luck with steel wool magically removing the oxidation from the etching process 

[Pettol]

I used that kind of polishing wheel for my latest etch. Worked pretty well. But then again, I etch with NaOH.

[escapeplan]

Brass brushes from Harbor Freight work great for me to get rid of excess oxidation after rinsing. Also, soft enough to not leave a bunch of scratches.

[pupil]

that's just clay right? i wonder if playdoh would work.

[Neta]

Where do you get the acid? It's not something you just buy at the supermarket if it cuts through metal, right?
And how long does it take?

And one more question, how do you make it accurate? You "paint" with the acid, based on the attached print?

[edy_wheazel]

that's just clay right? i wonder if playdoh would work.

It's playdoh

Where do you get the acid? It's not something you just buy at the supermarket if it cuts through metal, right?
And how long does it take?

And one more question, how do you make it accurate? You "paint" with the acid, based on the attached print?

It's ferric chloride (FeCl3) used in PCB etching, to be precise "secon hand" FeCl3. I don't have an exact recipe regarding the concentration, I just watch the bubbles