Interesting. First I've heard of someone using one of those.
Anyone using a Brother to etch?(Monochrome printer)
- Thread starter jwin615
- Start date
Nostradoomus
Well-known member
air bubbles, definitely getting better though!
I used a paneling roller, but it's a little cumbersome. Have a smaller rubber roller coming from Ali. Decent etch, wish it was deeper. But I started seeing bits of stuff flakeing off. Turns out it was the PVC glue and nail polish. The PVC glue I had on hand(white all purpose) didn't hold up that well. When it lifted, it started pulling the nail polish around the edges.
Edit: lighting glare^^^
pricklyrobot
Member
Re: etchant, I came across this method when I was first starting out:
www.instructables.com
It’s not super fumey once mixed (the muriatic acid on its own is mostly what you need to be careful with), it’s endlessly reusable (just top it up with a dash more peroxide and/or acid now and then), and it gives a good quick consistent etch.
As an aside, I sometimes see references in etching tutorials saying stuff like “safe to dump down your drain” or “do this to neutralize it before you dump it down your drain”. You can pretty much render anything chemically neutral enough to not eat up your drain one way or another, but it’s still got super fine dissolved metal particles in it that shouldn’t go down the drain (and eventually end up in rivers and streams, after they’ve not necessarily been captured by waste-water processing).
Like I said, I just keep reusing the etchant anyway, but I do periodically run it through a paper coffee filter inside of a little plastic colander. Cleans up the etchant to keep it working good. And those tiny metal bits go into the regular trash rather than the water supply.
Stop Using Ferric Chloride Etchant! (A Better Etching Solution.)
Stop Using Ferric Chloride Etchant! (A Better Etching Solution.): Ferric chloride is a traditional home-use circuit board etchant. It's easy enough to come by, and the Ferric by itself is no big environmental problem. However, once you've etched a board with it, you're left with a solution...
www.instructables.com
As an aside, I sometimes see references in etching tutorials saying stuff like “safe to dump down your drain” or “do this to neutralize it before you dump it down your drain”. You can pretty much render anything chemically neutral enough to not eat up your drain one way or another, but it’s still got super fine dissolved metal particles in it that shouldn’t go down the drain (and eventually end up in rivers and streams, after they’ve not necessarily been captured by waste-water processing).
Like I said, I just keep reusing the etchant anyway, but I do periodically run it through a paper coffee filter inside of a little plastic colander. Cleans up the etchant to keep it working good. And those tiny metal bits go into the regular trash rather than the water supply.
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pricklyrobot
Member
^ your edges look nice and sharp.
I like a deep etch myself. But it’s always a balancing act. Leave it in too long and you start losing that crisp, fine detail…
I like a deep etch myself. But it’s always a balancing act. Leave it in too long and you start losing that crisp, fine detail…
Thanks. I started seeing some black specs in the etchant, gave it a little more time and once they increased, I pulled it.
Would have definitely preferred it deeper. I made a mistake and didn't rewipe the enclosure right before applying the transfer and I think duct got in there. All a learning process but good progress from the last attempt. I think I'm close to getting the temp/time of the iron worked out. Was way over doing it before.
jessenator
Well-known member
Yeah, that would kill (almost) all the fears I have about going back to etching, and is a dang sight cheaper than a heat press! Thanks for the link.
It great for me over the years too
