Hello everyone. I've been trying to get some ferric chloride set up for etching some damascus I've been working one. I bought some muriatic acid from home depot and started the process of turning it to ferric chloride but it seems to be leaking through the PVC pipe I have to hold it. I've looked around and I didn't see anyone else come up with a similar issue. I'm storing it in a 4" pvc cutoff with an end cap on the bottom. I thought maybe the acid was eating through the glue but the cap is still stuck on there well and I don't see any holes in the pvc. What do you all use to store hold your acid when etching?

Mr. D. Nebulah,

Greetings,

Generally, plastics are not attacked by most acids. (probably all acids).  

There should be a poly vinyl chloride  (P.V.C.) sealant, on the market, that is acid resistant. Any plastic like sealant should be acid resistant too.

Ask a plumber for such a recommendation.  (the big box hardware store employees probably do not have that knowledge).

I suspect that you have a defective seal or a very small crack in your pipe set-up. 

One way to spot such a leak, is to "coat " the pipe with a solution of water, some baking soda dissolved in it and, (optionally),   just a touch of dish detergent.

Leaking acid will react with the soda and produce bubbles.  The dish detergent would enhance the bubbling, though its use is,  probably,  not necessary.

Give it a try.

SLAG.

Store the muriatic acid in a cool dark place, away from any source of heat. And preferably away from machinery,  pets and children.

 

Average Joe buys the clear PVC cement and calls it good.  But, if you look in the section where the PVC cement is sold you will also fins PVC cleaner, and you will find PVC Primer.  The best joints are made by cleaner, primer, then cement.  You can often get away without the whole process, but sometimes you won't. Not saying you're not above average . You just may not have known about the whole process. No one knows everything about everything.

I use a piece of 3" dia black ABS with a threaded top that I also use to dunk my blades in.  So far 3+ years without any leaking.

 

Also, you should be able to buy ferric chloride to avoid having to do the work changing it yourself.  I got mine from Radio Shack when they still had box stores, and it's sold as PCB etchant.

read an story about a man that  used a mason jar to store his Hydrofluoric acid,  left quite a mess on the floor later.

Hydrofluoric acid  (HFl),  is very corrosive and will attack glass.

The vapor is still used to frost glass.

Most other acids cannot do that.

Hence those acids are usually stored in glass bottles.  (I suspect that some thrifty manufacturers may be using plastic?  YECCHH).

In the olden times hydrofluoric acid was stored in glass bottles. But the bottles had s thick inside layer of wax.

Although HFl. is very useful,  it must be used with extreme care.

(and then there is hot chromic acid, Yippeee!) not.

SLAG.

If you store acids in a building, shop, garage, etc and leaks of liquid or vapor will turn the area into a vapor chamber. This allows the acid vapor to come into contact with metal and can create rust.