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Breaktru Forum  |  eCigarette Forum  |  Modding  |  Topic: First Etching Attempt
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Author Topic: First Etching Attempt  (Read 10421 times)

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Offline jumper

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First Etching Attempt
« on: August 12, 2013, 10:05:53 PM »
Made another mini and this time I tried my first etching experiment. I learned a lot. I used M-acid and Hydrogen Peroxide and the resist was made with a Sharpie permanent marker. I did learn something the hard way. After you finish the outside and you dip it in water, you're supposed to clean the outside. What I heard was clean it with something like Comet. Unfortunately I used a piece of scotch rite along with the Comet. I ended up removing a lot of the dark marks without meaning too.... I'll know next time.

Here's some pics of my first try...




Offline zeus17

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Re: First Etching Attempt
« Reply #1 on: August 13, 2013, 10:43:05 AM »
Looks great! one day id have the skills to do something like that
good job

Online Breaktru

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Re: First Etching Attempt
« Reply #2 on: August 13, 2013, 10:57:00 AM »
Nice work  :thumbsup: Cool design.
One of these days I would like to my hand at etching too.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2013, 11:02:05 AM by Breaktru »

Offline mjacksonrigg

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Re: First Etching Attempt
« Reply #3 on: August 13, 2013, 11:51:07 AM »
Really nice etching Jumper. I like your art work and LearFX's wonderful etching too

Offline jumper

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Re: First Etching Attempt
« Reply #4 on: August 13, 2013, 01:30:50 PM »
Thanks everyone. I appreciate the kind comments. If you're interested, I will tell you what I did. I used muratic acid and hydrogen peroxide. I tried a 2 to 1 ration. The two being the peroxide. But it was too slow so I made a new batch that was 50/50 and that seemed to work the best. I wouldn't recommend any higher concentration of the acid. Another thing, I used a plain fine point Sharpie permanent marker. there are other things you can use. I've heard you can do it with an oil based Sharpie that you can get at hobby stores and you can also use fingernail polish too. There are other ways, but I don't know most of them. So here's how I did it and some things you need to know if you try this.

1. Use safety gear. Use rubber gloves, eye protection long pants and shirts. I wouldn't recommend it, but I only used the gloves.

2. Measure the peroxide first and pour it into a glass or plastic container. YOU MUST POUR THE PEROXIDE IN FIRST THEN THE ACID. It could have a bad reaction if you pour in the acid first.

3. Measure the acid and pour it into the peroxide. Pour gently because you do not want it to splash and get on anything. Also I used a tall glass for the etching solution. You don't use as much chemicals and you can put the pipe in the solution standing up NEVER USE WIRE TO SUSPEND THE COPPER IN THE CONTAINER. THE ACID WILL EAT THROUGH THE WIRE.

4. Stir the mixture (I used plastic tongs). Then put the copper pipe in the the solution. You want to stir the solution every now and then.. maybe 15 minutes apart

5. It took me about an hour before I got the results I wanted. Also, have some plain water already handy and when you get the results you want, place the copper into the water

6. While the copper is in the water, it's a good time to dispose of the solution. Use baking soda to neutralize the acid. I don't know how much I used but I know it was about 1/3 of a box (just trying to be safe). The solution will start to boil and will be white on the top. When you feel that the acid has been neutralized enough, find a safe place to pour it out. If you have animals (like me), pour it out in a place they can't get to just to be safe. When you rinse your supplies ALWAYS HAVE THE WATER ON IN THE SINK. If not, then any acid will eat into your sink. The acid will eat through almost everything except for glass and plastic.

7. Take the copper pipe out of the water and dry it off. Use some Comet and a soft rag to clean and polish the copper.... here's one thing I learned, don't use scotch pads to clean with. The Comet is abrasive enough by itself. Clean it gently, checking it periodically, then wash everything off again. After that you should have an etched copper pipe 

Hope this helps someone who may want to try this. The main thing to remember is BE VERY CAREFUL! The acid is a serious chemical. I didn't take any pictures because my heart was pounding too much.

Again, thanks for the kind complements
---------------------------------------------------
edit: I know there are other ways to do this, but this is one of the cheapest ways I've found. You can use Ferric Chloride (also used for PCB board etching), but it's more expensive. Also, don't just substitute the Ferric Chloride for the acid I used. Make sure you know how to use it first.  You can search on YouTube for videos about etching copper. You may find another way you like better than the way I did.
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Disclaimer: I am not responsible for anything that may happen to you from trying this method. It worked for me, but please be careful.
« Last Edit: August 14, 2013, 02:56:27 PM by jumper »

Offline zeus17

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Re: First Etching Attempt
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2013, 01:42:22 PM »
and I thought it would take rocket science to do that,
nice tutorial thou
will this procedure also work in chrome and ss?

nice very detailed instructions...

Offline jumper

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Re: First Etching Attempt
« Reply #6 on: August 13, 2013, 01:46:35 PM »
and I thought it would take rocket science to do that,
nice tutorial thou
will this procedure also work in chrome and ss?

nice very detailed instructions...

Nope, no rocket science, lol. Thanks about the tutorial.

I'm pretty sure it will work on SS not real sure about chrome, but I don't see why not. The different metals might etch in different time lengths, so if you try it, check on how it's doing until you see how fast the etching is going.

I'm thinking the harder metals might take longer to etch.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2013, 02:01:12 PM by jumper »

Offline jumper

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Re: First Etching Attempt
« Reply #7 on: August 13, 2013, 01:53:08 PM »
Really nice etching Jumper. I like your art work and LearFX's wonderful etching too

Yep, LearFX is the king for sure. But I'm going to try to catch up, lol. He uses computer graphics to apply the resist. The resist is the toner ink from a printed design (hope I got that right LearFX). Or the resist can also be a Sharpie, fingernail polish, or whatever. I drew mine free handed because I don't know how to do it  the toner way. The copper becomes recessed everywhere except where the resist is applied.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2013, 02:02:14 PM by jumper »

Offline zeus17

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Re: First Etching Attempt
« Reply #8 on: August 13, 2013, 02:28:13 PM »
Nope, no rocket science, lol. Thanks about the tutorial.

I'm pretty sure it will work on SS not real sure about chrome, but I don't see why not. The different metals might etch in different time lengths, so if you try it, check on how it's doing until you see how fast the etching is going.

I'm thinking the harder metals might take longer to etch.

does it really need to be a sharpie?
or can I use any marker?

Offline jumper

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Re: First Etching Attempt
« Reply #9 on: August 13, 2013, 02:43:08 PM »
does it really need to be a sharpie?
or can I use any marker?

It doesn't "have" to be a Sharpie. In fact I've heard that a Sharpie is one of the worse things to use. I imagine nail polish works better. I've also heard of people using acrylic paint (I might try that next time). If you just Google about etching copper, you will find other ways to do it. I know there are, but just can't remember them. I did a lot of reading before I tried it.

Offline jumper

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Re: First Etching Attempt
« Reply #10 on: August 13, 2013, 06:15:23 PM »
Hi zeus17, I read your reply again and I don't think I really answered your question. So here's another reply. You might be able to use any marker. But since this is my first time, I can only talk knowingly about what I did. However, I would think you could use other markers. I have fabric markers and they might work because they won't wash out (I think). You can buy a box of them in different colors for around $6.00

I also read where you can use "oil based paint markers". You can buy one of them at Hobby Lobby or other craft stores for about $10.00 (I know Hobby Lobby has them). I doubt that whiteboard markers would work, but I could be wrong. The reason I think that is because they can be wiped off easily. But I'm unsure if that's because of the marker or the whiteboard.

Anyway.... hope this helps more.

Offline zeus17

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Re: First Etching Attempt
« Reply #11 on: August 14, 2013, 10:41:50 AM »
Hi zeus17, I read your reply again and I don't think I really answered your question. So here's another reply. You might be able to use any marker. But since this is my first time, I can only talk knowingly about what I did. However, I would think you could use other markers. I have fabric markers and they might work because they won't wash out (I think). You can buy a box of them in different colors for around $6.00

I also read where you can use "oil based paint markers". You can buy one of them at Hobby Lobby or other craft stores for about $10.00 (I know Hobby Lobby has them). I doubt that whiteboard markers would work, but I could be wrong. The reason I think that is because they can be wiped off easily. But I'm unsure if that's because of the marker or the whiteboard.

Anyway.... hope this helps more.

hi thanks for the follow up answer,i bet I was not just me wondering,
will be trying to do this over the weekend,if I get the time for it thou,..

Offline jumper

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Re: First Etching Attempt
« Reply #12 on: August 14, 2013, 11:03:08 AM »
hi thanks for the follow up answer,i bet I was not just me wondering,
will be trying to do this over the weekend,if I get the time for it thou,..

Cool... Hope you do try it. Would love to see what other peoples designs look like. I gave all the steps I could to help people and to help them do it safely. You really have to be careful with the acid, so take care. Can't wait to see what you come up with. Good luck.

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