j.w.s. Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Well, I was wondering about electro-chem etching for a while and I think I'm making some progress on it on my own. So far I've looked at several machines ranging from $80 to $250 and I couldn't help but think this was somewhat of a rip off so out to the shop I went. I started by putting together some basic equipment: A used car battery, a 12v trickle charger, some insulated copper wire and alligator clips. I hooked the battery up to the trickle charger and let it do its thing. I attached the alligator clips to the lengths of wire and then attached the wire to the battery terminals. Next I made an electrolyte solution by dissolving table salt in warm tap water until it reached its saturation point. For a stencil I used blue mylar sheets and free hand cut my stencil with a Dremel tool and a fine point bit. So far the stencil results aren't perfect but I'd imagine I'll improve the process over time. I clipped the positive lead to an old somewhat polished blade and the negative to a small ball of steel wool which I then wrapped in a small piece cut from a clean shop rag. I taped my stencil down and then soaked the rag end in the saltwater solution - after making contact I almost immediately heard a small sizzling sound. I kept the negative lead in contact with the blade for about 3 seconds and then removed it so the mylar wouldn't heat up and melt - then I repeated the process several times - after about the fourth time I had a very nice deep etch in my steel. After washing the blade off with dish soap and a green scrubby I have to admit I was thoroughly impressed. The etch is definitely deeper than I would have predicted, I can easily feel it under my finger and even trace the edges with my finger nail. I've only spent about $5 so far and that was on the mylar sheets, the rest were things that I've had in my shop for some time - the trickle charger was about $20 and I use it to keep my cycle charged during the winter and it may not be all that necessary. The battery is just one that I never disposed of, it was a friends that I changed out because it wasn't holding a charge very well. Essentially, the equipment is very basic - the only improvements that I think could be made would be using felt instead of a shop rag and a better stencil - I will probably place an order for a few sheets of photo-emulsioned silk screen meshes later this week just to toy around with the idea. These may produce the stencil I'm looking for - essentially print my design onto transparency using my laser printer and then laying it over the mesh and exposing it to uv light. I'm also going to see if a friend of mine will cut out a few mylar stencils using her computer operated craft cutting machine, provided it can do a fine cut under 1cm. Just figured I'd share my experimentation and progress for anyone else looking for a similar process. I'll take some pictures tomorrow afternoon of my current results and will keep refining the setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Here is a link I found useful for etching information Electrolytic Etching of Brass | The Steampunk Workshop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.w.s. Posted December 15, 2009 Author Share Posted December 15, 2009 I've been reading Jake's site for several years.. some great info in there.. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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