Will ferri chloride stain porcelain?

[jpm83]

I'm going to do my first PBC etches using ferri chloride, so I'm asking if it will stain porcelain  sink? Because that's where I'm going to rinse my boards after etching them. I have a steel sink in my kitchen but I wouldn't want to use it for this kind of job, since I'm doing (you really can't call my heating of frozen food cooking) my food in the kitchen. So only place I can do these kind of things is my bathroom and it has a porcelain sink.

Janne

[MarcoMike]

just pour it directly in the hole...

my job at present is related to recycling and etching of metals, we use a lot of ferric chloride and many things are stained in my lab, anyway the sink still looks quite nice... just wash it right after! if you leave it there some oxides and stuff will form and they may adhere to the sink

[amz-fx]

Dilute the spent ferric chloride with some water before pouring it out.  Then pour it directly into the water of the toilet - do it slowly and do not splash any. Flush and you are done.

regards, Jack

[jpm83]

I'm only going to rinse the board in sink. I think I use the markm's method just hanging the PCBs directly to the etchant container whith fishing line. Thanks for the replies.

Janne

[darron]

here's my experience with ferric chloride and sinks



stainless steel definitely will not stain, but left there it will etch it. i haven't etched a stainless sink yet but i assume it would. very safe if you rinse it well.

porcelain doesn't really stain unless (maybe) you leave a spill there for a long time (less than overnight). it's very safe to wash boards in the sink if you don't splash it in uncontrolled places. rinse the sink out until you can't see any more of the yellow colour. it's recommended that you dispose of the unwanted ferric chloride down the toilet though. i wouldn't want the stuff sitting in copper pipes though.


now you've said porcelain, but most new homes these days use a sort of plastic that just LOOKS like porcelain, so you may very well have that. that is the worst. i have wrecked one of these sinks that way with extended rinsing of FC. i scrubbed it so much to get rid of all the stain that the sink was very gauged away. well, i did have to use some course sand papers hehe.

[jpm83]

Thanks for the info. I think that the FC thats comes of from the board won't stain the sink if it's washed away right  away. For the unwanted/old FC I think that I will take it to the recycling center.

Janne

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Well... I've stained a "stainless" steel sink with ammonium persulfate (done a damn good job of it, too...).

Poecelain would be safe, if it is actually shiny, not crazed or pitted.

[darron]

Well... I've stained a "stainless" steel sink with ammonium persulfate (done a damn good job of it, too...).

Poecelain would be safe, if it is actually shiny, not crazed or pitted.

different grades of stainless maybe? some of it's really good (medical grades) and some... crap. someone once told me that a really good stainless will not stick to a magnet. its a bit sad to see rusted stainless. even food grade stuff can be very poor.

[GonzoFonts]

I always thought that Ferric Chloride stained everything - including porcelain.

I have been wanting to etch my own PC boards and I was set on using sodium persulfate because it does not stain.

GF

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Ferric chloride might discolour porcelain - but it won't attack it, or permanently damage it. You would be able to clean it.
But I just looked at my sink - a couple of years later - lucky I live alone

[dschwartz]

oddly, FC eats "Marmolite" (as we know it here in chile)..
by marmolite i refer to the stone-like furniture around the sink that new houses often come with..

my fiance almost kills me when she saw the "bump" that few drops of FC made on the surface..

anyway..i allways clean the sink after etching..never had a problem with that

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

No wonder you got into trouble, Daniel!
just looked up 'serpentine' & it's a magnesiun silicate/hydroxide - any acid would eat that!