Etching vs Decals

[Fuzz Aldryn]

Hej,

@ solderman: Thank you! They are not stereo, but rough and dirty as they are looking. Espacialy the PWM, which is a realy cool little noise maker.
@ ianmgull: I'm using cheap catalogue pages or even better very high glossy magazin sheets (like national geographic) printing the layout with 1200dpi on my cheap laser printer (Samsung ML 1640). As etchant I'm using FeCL3, but I don't have any problems like you with it anymore (at the begining I had). You have to be realy carefull with the mask! If you have any doubt that any spot isn't that thick do paint it to be sure the mask is proof. These two builds above weren't even my best etch results.
Have a look here:

and here:


Regards
Helge

[ianmgull]

Hej,

@ solderman: Thank you! They are not stereo, but rough and dirty as they are looking. Espacialy the PWM, which is a realy cool little noise maker.
@ ianmgull: I'm using cheap catalogue pages or even better very high glossy magazin sheets (like national geographic) printing the layout with 1200dpi on my cheap laser printer (Samsung ML 1640). As etchant I'm using FeCL3, but I don't have any problems like you with it anymore (at the begining I had). You have to be realy carefull with the mask! If you have any doubt that any spot isn't that thick do paint it to be sure the mask is proof. These two builds above weren't even my best etch results.

Regards
Helge

Hey thanks. One more question if I may. Are you "gravity etching" (applying small amounts of etchant to the top of the enclosure) or just dipping the whole thing face down in the drink?

[Fuzz Aldryn]

Hi,

just dipping action here. I preheat the etchant once at the beginning and then start the process. I controll it by ear and by smell. The louder the noise, the stronger the smell the faster it etches. So the time I need for the etch varies (sometimes 10min, sometime even 40min), but I can't tell you why.
Hope that was somekind of helpfull!

Regards
Helge

[jefe]

Make decals from inkjet sticker paper. Don't clearcoat it.

This works great until your playing a house party and some FREAKIN' IDIOT spills a drink on your pedals and the color runs all over the place.  But I suppose you'd just replace the label if that happened 

I might replace the label if the lettering was obliterated, but only because I might forget which knob does what. 

I also like this method because I have a fear of commitment when it comes to my final design... could I add another mod? Do I really like this color? etc...

[Jarno]

I'm a big fan of etching as well, I recently did some enclosures but the pictures are stil on my digicam. The sanding bit is a bit tedious (you have to thoroughly flatten the top surface for the toner transfer, and then after painting it I sand the top to expose the graphics).
The BB-sized enclosures I also did are a bit of a problem as a lot of them aren't perfectly flat, les of a problem with B-sized and smaller. I used press 'n wet toner transfer paper, by the makers of press 'n peel blue, somewhat less detail apparently (next I'll try blue), but very fool proof.
I started with the sponge method, but quickly got tired of this and just put the boxes face down in the etchant (FeCl). I think the etch resist layer is fragile and on both of the boxes are some spots where the etchant got to.
I etched them quite deep so I think they spent about an hour in the etchant, I au-bain-marie with boiling water to speed the process, but I did it in the shed and ambient temperature are still a bit low around here (12deg.C or so).

Best regards,

Jarno.

[aChorusofJays]

I did my first etch a month ago, and I was a little daunted by all of the steps, but it really is quite easy. I don't think I could spray-paint and clear-coat a box; I just don't have the space and ventilation needed. Or the time (takes days to dry, right?). I did the etch below in about 3 hours. That includes sanding, wet-sanding, iron-on, gravity-etch, rinse, gravity-etch, rinse, gravity-etch, rinse, gravity-etch, rinse, gravity-etch, rinse (that's 5 q-tips), then wet-sand, then clean with tooth-brush (sorry honey!).

Ferric Chloride: $10 at Radio Shack
PnP Blue: $2.00 per sheet

If you cut the PnP blue to size, tape it to a sheet of paper, then run that through the printer, you could probably do 6 "1290" sized Hammonds (assuming you didn't make any mistakes). I probably used $.10 of etchant, $.70 of PnP Blue, and I had to buy sandpaper. Oh, and I had to photocopy because i don't have a laser-printer (Kinko's).

So, I'll go out on a limb and say I spent 3 hours, and $5.00 on the 'actual' process. Doing the artwork was another story. 

The cons are that you have to be careful with the artwork, make sure you aren't doing things backwards because you have to reverse the image etc... But if you're graphically inclined, or you can draw with sharpie by hand, this really is a piece of cake. And cheap!

[Andi]

I did my first etch a month ago, and I was a little daunted by all of the steps, but it really is quite easy. I don't think I could spray-paint and clear-coat a box; I just don't have the space and ventilation needed. Or the time (takes days to dry, right?).

With a toaster oven each coat is dry and hard in under half an hour, including cooling time. I can drill, degrease, prime, colour, clearcoat, apply decal and re-clearcoat in a day, and the enclosure is ready to assemble into the next day - the last clearcoats can't be baked or the decals shrink.

[solderman]

last clearcoats can't be baked or the decals shrink.

I found that out the hard way on this one. BTW the clear coat gets yellowich as well its soppose to be white not yellow



//Solderman

[svstee]

I found that out the hard way on this one. BTW the clear coat gets yellowich as well its soppose to be white not yellow

I just got an idea for a "relic" paint job. . .

[Andi]

I think that ended up with a pleasing retro charm. This, on the other hand, just looks cackhanded.

[Kearns892]

Thanks a lot for all the opinions guys, I'm still confused on how to use magazine paper (I have tons of National Geographics lying around) I would just print over the paper in reverse then use an iron to transfer toner?

I'm all for etching now -- screw clear coat!!!11!

I read in the pictures thread you were going to post how your etching process, is there any update on that.

I scored a couple free sheets of decal paper, so my first builds will probably be those, I really want to try etching out though.

Thanks again.

[Fuzz Aldryn]

I would just print over the paper in reverse then use an iron to transfer toner?

That's  exactly what I'm doing.
Without any description of me have a look here:











Regards
Helge

[nico13]

Helge,

Thanks for you picures for each step. However could you please explain the 9th picture. Is it necessary?

[Fuzz Aldryn]

Hi,

for my satisfaction with the look it is necessary. The pure etched look has not enough contrast, so I fill it with acrylic paint (water based), which can be easily wiped away of the non etched aereas, but sticks pretty well on the etched parts. Got it?!:)

Regards
Helge

[nico13]

Hi,

for my satisfaction with the look it is necessary. The pure etched look has not enough contrast, so I fill it with acrylic paint (water based), which can be easily wiped away of the non etched aereas, but sticks pretty well on the etched parts. Got it?!:)

Regards
Helge

OK, it's a good idea.

[ForcedFire]

My least favorite part of etching is the sanding. I think railhead and fuzz aldryn have that sh!t on lockdown!

If you are using FeCl3 please use every precaution and you must make the effort to dispose of it properly. I think gravity etching can give excellent results but it is near impossible to recover the spent etchant. When you are dipping, most of it stays in the tray and you can transfer this to a sealed jar to bring to the hazardous waste disposal. Now you could argue that paint is better for this reason, but paint cans are pretty bad for the environment as well so it's a bit of a toss up there. I find spray cans near impossible to work with due to the odours.

That said, you can get good looks with both etching and painting, these are the first two I etched and sprayed, the sides are cream and then covered the whole thing with matte clear:

[solderman]

Hi All
I am overwhelmed to see the effort that all of us put in and are so engaged in the process of making our boxes and produce the design that we forget to ask what the design tells us about the box or the maker of the box and what effect do we want to get out of the box. Since this thread has deviated from the original question and sort of have become a second picture I'm about to trough in a flair with the risk of upsetting some one  but I will take my chances any way. Since the dawn of time music has bean a carrier for opinions, religious, political or moral, music has always carried a massage.  What massage do you all want to put on your boxes.  Some examples from two grate "effect builders" below. 

BSIAB IV


Trotsky Overdrive



//Solderman

[Kearns892]

Haha, personally I like a little more Ukraine in my tone, but each to his own.