Etched enclosures

[Boobslappy]

My first etch.....by no means perfect. Used PnP blue on a brother laser printer and etched in muriatic acid and peroxide. Prep work could have been better but damn the sanding is work!
GGG BMP with mid control and feedback loop with 1M light resistor (next to the LED)

[ch1naski]

My first etch.....by no means perfect. Used PnP blue on a brother laser printer and etched in muriatic acid and peroxide. Prep work could have been better but damn the sanding is work!
GGG BMP with mid control and feedback loop with 1M light resistor (next to the LED)

looks....um.....nice! (Not the words my fiance used, tho )

[Hexjibber]

Hey,

I'm just building my first pedal and want to try etching the enclosure after seeing the results on this forum, rather than go down the waterslide/decal route.

I have a question, has anyone here tried using Caustic Soda/Lye/NaOH as opposed to Ferric Chloride? I've read that the etch can come out cleaner but from watching some aluminium vs. caustic soda vids on YouTube it looks like a lot more of a violent reaction with some pretty dangerous fumes so don't want to approach it half-heartedly! 

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated! 

Cheers

[Jdansti]

Haven't tried caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) for etching, but I've used it working in a lab. Getting a drop on your skin is just as painful as acid. As you noted, use extreme caution. Wear eye protection AND a face shield. Also wear gloves and long sleeves. Expect holes in your clothing if you even get the smallest droplets on them. Have a source of running water close by in the event that you need to flush your eyes or skin.

[defaced]

I've played in that sand box - accidentally.  I was using potassium hydroxide (more reactive than sodium hydroxide, but very similar) drain cleaner to remove the resist from a box I etched (these were part of my experiments in photo etching).  Unsure of the concentration of the potassium hydroxide, I just dipped the box in (big mistake).  After a few seconds there were intense fumes, a good bit of heat, and a box that was quite scared by the event (I was not prepared for this - big mistake #2).  So yes, it will etch, and it is a serious reaction.  If I were to do this again I would massively mix down the concentration of the potassium hydroxide.  In addition to Jdansti's suggestions, I'd advise a way of providing good ventilation/fume removal and/or use of a breathing mask.  

[Hexjibber]

Thanks for the replies chaps,

I'm intending to use a pipette to apply the NaOH to the unmasked areas as opposed to dipping so hopefully that will reduce the inherent risks involved. The guide I am following says to pipette on, leave for 2-5mins, wipe it off, rinse with water then repeat the procedure until desired result is achieved. I will be sure to wear glasses, gloves etc as it sounds like potentially painful stuff!

I think I will follow the usage instructions in terms of mixing/concentration and try an area on the rear panel to see how it goes, if it all gets a bit crazy I can then reduce the concentration if need be.

I haven't got all the materials to do it yet but I will post my results on here once I'm done, hopefully with most of my limbs still intact! 

[deadastronaut]

^ looking forward to your results...

TAKE CARE THOUGH!!!

[Jdansti]

Good idea to use small quantities incrementally. Just beware that diluting with water will generate heat, so do this slowly.

[electrosonic]

Remember if diluting acid, add acid to water not the other way around.

http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/safety/faq/always-add-acid.shtml

I don't know why electro etching with copper sulfate isn't more popular, it is much safer. 

[endorphin]

"Pinocchio Theory" my first reverse etch.

A nice simple Devi ever build,

[deadastronaut]

''ohhhhhhhhhhhh my god, its a FLYING SAUCER'' ...........(theremin sounds)>.....whooohoooooeeeeeeooooooohhhoooooowweeeeeehooooo......







reverb.

Middle led is white (always on)

Outer leds blue on/off

text could have done with being larger to get a better etch....but hey this is mine anyway....love it.

[Pettol]

NaOH (caustic soda) is my first choice. The etched areas is a lot smoother than with acid.

I'm intending to use a pipette to apply the NaOH to the unmasked areas as opposed to dipping so hopefully that will reduce the inherent risks involved. The guide I am following says to pipette on, leave for 2-5mins, wipe it off, rinse with water then repeat the procedure until desired result is achieved. I will be sure to wear glasses, gloves etc as it sounds like potentially painful stuff!

That's exactly how I do it. Works very well, but I need to find a more alkali resistant paint for touch ups.
Example:

[Perrow]

That compressor looks almost like surgical equipment, in a good way

[deadastronaut]

+1 pettol, that is very clean..nice!.

[TG Flatline]

NaOH (caustic soda) is my first choice. The etched areas is a lot smoother than with acid.

I'm intending to use a pipette to apply the NaOH to the unmasked areas as opposed to dipping so hopefully that will reduce the inherent risks involved. The guide I am following says to pipette on, leave for 2-5mins, wipe it off, rinse with water then repeat the procedure until desired result is achieved. I will be sure to wear glasses, gloves etc as it sounds like potentially painful stuff!

That's exactly how I do it. Works very well, but I need to find a more alkali resistant paint for touch ups.
Example:

That's just ace. Wicked etch, and the knobs really complement the design. Also like the footswitch as low in the box as possible, I do the same wherever I can!

[Pettol]

Thanks a lot guys!

[defaced]

Excellent etch! What concentration of NaOH are you using? Or have you found it to be fairly insensitive?

[Pettol]

Thanks. I've used a 17  % (w/w) solution. No reason for that specific concentration - was about to discard it in the lab. A bit lower  would probably work great too.

[Hexjibber]

Hi guys,

Just trying to get going with etching and tried using glossy magazine paper but after four attempts and a lot of swearing I've conceded defeat! I've sanded the enclosure from 400-2000 grit paper so looks nice and smooth but the toner is just not sticking to the enclosure properly, it's smudged and weird looking, any ideas?

Has anyone got any other suggestions or am I probably better off just going with Press N Peel as it does seem to produce consistent results?

Cheers!
Graham

[TG Flatline]

Hi guys,

Just trying to get going with etching and tried using glossy magazine paper but after four attempts and a lot of swearing I've conceded defeat! I've sanded the enclosure from 400-2000 grit paper so looks nice and smooth but the toner is just not sticking to the enclosure properly, it's smudged and weird looking, any ideas?

Has anyone got any other suggestions or am I probably better off just going with Press N Peel as it does seem to produce consistent results?

Cheers!
Graham

Hi Graham,

Are you pressing down hard with the iron? If you've not come across it already, have a look at Slade's tutorial as it is very useful. I use PnP with consistent results, but have used glossy paper without issue before, and a load of guys on here do it that way. Make sure you're patient when waiting for the toner to transfer. Some images can take a little while to get onto the box.

Don't give up on it though whatever you do, some of the best boxes on this forum are etched Good luck!