Etching boxes

[birt]

Birt, if by 'salpeter acid' you mean nitric, be careful!! quite apart from the danger of the acid as a corrosive, the fumes are VERY BAD INDEED!! worse than hydrochloric, or even chlorine. It's a major damage for art etchers.

i know, i was in art school and that class was allways full of the fumes of:
nitric (i suppose it's bthe same thing), different kinds of laquer and melted resin (melted with a gas burner onto the sink and it was powder so that floated around in the air too), burnt stuff, different types of ink and paint, acetone, white spirit (i washed my hands with it to get the ink of), amoniac, thinner and fixative. i took the sink out of the etchant with my bare hands, it was only six percent but that's enough to get your fingertips yellow.
i used to be there allmost every day for 2 years.

quite healthy huh? :lol:

[Gabriel Simoes]

So ... as I see the use of ferric chloride is not adequate for etching aluminium ... and maybe even cooper ...

I bought a kit 2 months ago and they say that the fumes are not toxic, even the ones that we see when mixing the ferric and water ..... but I "googled" today for this and a lot of people say just the oposite ...
The fumes from the cooper etching are toxic too opening my window and truning a "roof ventilator" on is enougth for protecting myself

I loved those etched boxes, and I was (and still am) just thinking about doing this, but for plastic boxes , with aluminium foils .... 2mm ones ...

Is that safe to use aluminium and ferric chloride ?
How to dispose the FC after loosing the etching power ?

Thanks and sorry for my bad english
Gabriel

[SteveB]

So ... as I see the use of ferric chloride is not adequate for etching aluminium ... and maybe even cooper ...

Well, ferric chloride will dissolve aluminum quickly. I build model cars, & have used ferric chloride for making my own scratch built grilles, & it will literally burn through thin aluminum & leave a smoky mess. I have read about others having success by diluting the solution with water.

I bought a kit 2 months ago and they say that the fumes are not toxic, even the ones that we see when mixing the ferric and water ..... but I "googled" today for this and a lot of people say just the oposite ...
The fumes from the cooper etching are toxic too opening my window and truning a "roof ventilator" on is enougth for protecting myself

I have read that too, but never seen or smelled anything bad while etching circuit boards or brass sheet for model car parts. Still, it would be be better do do it outfdoors or in a garage or something. Now, thin aluminum will smoke violently in unthinned ferric chloride.

I loved those etched boxes, and I was (and still am) just thinking about doing this, but for plastic boxes , with aluminium foils .... 2mm ones ...

Is that safe to use aluminium and ferric chloride ?
How to dispose the FC after loosing the etching power ?

Not sure about the foil, but I do know that it is said that you can flush old etchant down your toilet to dispose of it.

I think those boxes look really cool, too!

Steve

[soggybag]

SteveB: I have been planning to try etching some brass. Do you use Ferric chloride for this? I haven't tried it yet, but I figured it might work.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Etch brass with ferric chloride? Sure can! according to these guys:

http://www.gasenginemagazine.com/archive/0403/0403_feature1.html

(and you thought diy-stompboxing was an obscure & fanatical hobby!)

[jimbob]

Thanks paul- from that link i found this for those who werent sure about the process. http://www.techniks.com/how_to.htm

[Pushtone]

finding good, high contrast, images that are suitable for etching is not easy and soggybag has created original art for etching. Way to go!

At this point, a tutorial on how to make seamless patterns in Photoshop would seem appropriate.   The skull and crossbones I used on the BSIAB II is a seamless pattern. It can fill any size "box" with a repeating pattern that has no visible seams.

I don't want to hijack your thread, but is anyone interested?

[soggybag]

Designing graphics is a whole topic to itself. Probably deserves a whole forum!

[SteveB]

SteveB: I have been planning to try etching some brass. Do you use Ferric chloride for this? I haven't tried it yet, but I figured it might work.

Yes sir! Relief etching ( not etching all the way through & through) works really well with brass, & it's all a matter of how crisp the artwork is, & how well it transfers to the brass sheet. I used PnP Blue on a .005" brass sheet to make a dash insert for a 1/25 scale '56 Pontiac.

Try it out!

Steve

[formerMember1]

any one want to help clear this up for me it would be appreciated! :wink:

To etch an aluminum hammond box i do the following,

1.sand box, clean, etc.
2.print my labels/art onto PnP using laser printer.
3.Iron Pnp to top of box, just like i would to copper clad (when making pc boards)
4.run under cool water
5.remove PnP leaving toner stuck to box
6.Put box in Ferric Chloride to etch.
7.Remove carefully and rinse with cold water.
8.use 0000 steel wool to remove toner.
9.Finished!

I read some say that FC etches aluminum really quickly compared to copper boards...?

PS:I am only going to etch so i could label my box.  I want to etch my RM and tuner mute/true bypass box.

thanks be to you :wink:


Man those pictures of etched boxes are truly inspiring
fantastic work!!!

[soggybag]

I think you covered all of the steps.

I find the PNP works best on a smoother surface. Try and get the surface as smooth as possible. I found it easier to place the PNP on the box cold with a piece of tracing paper over it and then begin ironing. Some suggest heating the surface first before placing the PNP. Doing this causes the PNP to stick to the hot surface. I think it's harder to align if the surface has been preheated.

Make sure to mask off the areas not covered by PNP that are not meant to be etched or they will turn black. For this reason I think it's also best to etch the box before drilling. I have started to mark the points to be drilled in my design so these spots get etched.

[formerMember1]

thanks sounds good,  

I read you use black electricians tape to mask the box off?  I already have the box drilled,but i don't mind if the inside gets black, I assume the black isn't a residue or anything, right? Like if the inside gets black that doesn't hurt anything?

[soggybag]

Get acid inside I don't think is that big a problem. You can block off the holes from the inside or outside with electricians tape. The acid fumes even seem to seep into the tiny gaps where the tape overlaps and leave marks. Try and seal everything up as tight as possible to save yourself time cleaning up after you etch.

[Joe Kramer]

Hi!

I've been doing these etched boxes since about 2000:

http://mcclean.org/distort/

I use a Sharpie to hand-draw and serial-number each one.   Hope you like.

Joe

[SteveB]

Those are cool looking, Joe!

Steve

[gez]

Indeed, very nice!

[soggybag]

Those look great. I like the color, did you spray paint and sand them down?

[Joe Kramer]

Many thanks guys.  All these years I was keeping my etched stuff a secret because I didn't want copycats,  but now that the beans are spilled. . . .   :wink:  

But seriously, nice-looking work Soggybag!

Yes, after the etching was done, I steel-wooled, cleaned with acetone, and then painted.  After the paint cures, it takes another long process of steel wooling to get the image to show through without taking off the background paint.  Lots of hours go into those things.  


Joe

[soggybag]

Thanks Joe, you are right on the money the process is very time consuming. I felt like I was sanding for days just getting the box ready for to apply the PNP.

[Joe Kramer]

Well, you're quite a ways ahead of the game with the PnP approach.  I sat under a desklamp breathing Sharpie fumes for hours and did about three or four of each of those pedals, one at a time by hand.

To prepare the boxes, I actually took them to a machine shop and had them polish the tops, since I was doing ten or so at a time.  

There are probably other ways to automate the process.  I considered getting a small silk-screening rig and screening enamel ink for the resist.

I got the best etching results by doing multiple dips.  I would hold the box in the ferric just until it got almost too hot to hold, then take it out and let it cool.  About five dips proved to give a pretty deep etch.  

Anybody trying this beware: sometimes the ferric will pop if the aluminum gets too hot--I've seen flames.  Wear goggles and do it outside.


Joe