A few etching questions, AMP's and such?

[Kentucky]

Well we have always used a stamp but on thin blades a stamp will bugger one up in a hurry..We ordered some stencils from Ernie today..I have a DC power supply. 13.6 Volts, 6 Amps output.Will the 6 amps be ok or will it fry the stencils or is the heat generated by the volts?(what about short burns to conserve stencil life?).
Also is the electrolite solution that much better than salt water?
Thanks for yout time

 

[Fellhoelter]

It'll only draw however many amps it needs, amps are drawn, not pushed.
You could have a 50 amp supply, and still only draw less than an amp.

Yes, the electrolyte is much better than salt water, and a $20 jug will do a LOT of blades, hundreds and hundreds.

DC is not going to get you a dark mark, for that, you need AC,

 

[Atlas Knife Company]

Here's my plans for a simple $20 etcher. You can replace the AC supply with a cheap rectifier. Use 15-20 quick, repeated etches of 2-3 per second, instead of long 30 second etches. Amazingly better results with this method.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/805772-DIY-Electro-etcher-under-20