Atlas etching machine

Diego_B

Diego_B

Joined
Aug 17, 2020
Messages
260
Anyone here have any experience with the etching machine sold by Atlas Knife and Tool? I've been looking for a etching machine for a while now and I like the idea of the Atlas one. I was set on building my own but now that school is in full swing I don't really have the time to be fiddling with something in case that it doesn't work. I would prefer to just have a plug and play system ready to be used. Anyways I know that Atlas is on these forums and I don't mean to "call out" his product, but I was just wondering would it work for just some simple etching of my makers mark?
 
I'd not really looked at it before thinking it was just a normal etching machine. Today I looked at the specs which say it "15VDC etching – pulses on/off 50 times per second for sharper etching". Normally the DC is just pure DC with no "on-off" pulsing. I'm not sure what the advantage that provides, but it's interesting. I'd like to know more about that reasoning.

Also, just what is the difference between the Kobalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi platforms? Those are 3 tool brands - what's the deal with that?
 
I have his original etcher and it has worked great for many years.
His new version looks even better.

He makes good stuff and that price is great.
 
Here is a video. Looks like you need a 20v battery from one of those companies. If you have it that is a deal. If not those batteries and chargers are gonna set you back a lot of money. A 20V battery alone can cost upwards a 100 bucks without the charger
 
AVigil said:
Here is a video. Looks like you need a 20v battery from one of those companies. If you have it that is a deal. If not those batteries and chargers are gonna set you back a lot of money. A 20V battery alone can cost upwards a 100 bucks without the charger
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Looks pretty nice to me. I took a look at his website but I guess that he is out of stock? If he wasn't I would of bought it by yesterday!
 
I completely missed that etching machine is battery powered unit. That's what the Kobalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi platforms are all about, what type of battery it uses. That my friend is a total killer on the idea of purchasing one of his etchers. I never even considered anything but 120 vac powered - just no reason for it. Unless you've already got battery powered tools that use one of the batteries, purchasing a battery and charger for the etcher would put the cost well over $200!

And, I would think there would be LOTS of folks with Black 'n Decker tools and didn't see their battery listed. B&K and Porter Cable use about the same battery. I've got both tools and switch batteries between them. Just a small mod to battery or tool allows this switching.

edit: I just watched the video linked by Adam above, they don't even have the pad to do the etching with, only a Q-tip. That's not even a complete etching tool is my way of thinking. I know there are folks who do a full etch (video shows only 1 character etched) with a Q-tip, but I don't think anybody who does much etching thinks a Q-tip is the way to etch.
 
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Experience has shown that pulsed DC etching gives a sharper etch than always-on DC etching. I can't explain it, but it seems to work so I integrated the 555-timer into the DC output to make this happen at the same rate as the AC circuit.

I am working on a standalone battery powered unit, hopefully it will be completed this winter. Currently, the USB charging circuit is giving us fits. The reason I used a battery instead of outlet is that I hate running an extension cord just to do 2 minutes of etching. I just grab a Ryobi battery off the charger, and I'm ready to go. If I'm at a hammer-in, I can just put the whole unit in my bag and not worry about power. I'm slowly working on adding different power tool brands, but Milwaukee, Dewalt, Kobalt, and Ryobi seem to hit about 75% of the market. You can buy adapters on Amazon to use different brands together.

As for the Q-tip, it just works. You always see these big 1/2" x 1" pads, which is overkill for a 1/8" x 1/4" maker logo. Q-tips are effective, cheap, and disposable. My units will work with a pad, but I'm not going to raise the price of the unit just to add something that isn't necessary to get the job done.
 
Interesting on the sharper etch with pulsing DC - At 50 times/sec that's almost AC 60 cycles, except with AC the polarity reverses each time. I'd not considered that. I guess I use a similar "pulse" since I remove the pad each 4 to 6 seconds of etch time to allow the gas to escape, and to prevent heating of stencil. With your Q-Tip the gas doesn't build up and with the tiny 1/8"X1/4" size heat isn't an issue. Many folks (myself included) have a larger logo, perhaps 1/4" to 1" by 1" to 2" in size. Not sure how a Q-tip would work with the large logo.

After thinking about it some I can see where the battery would be useful for some folks. All my etching takes place on the table with several 120 vac outlets available. Those 555 timer chips have been around many years but still do a good job. Amazing to think they're 50 yrs old! I'll bet the 555 chip provides the timer for the AC circuit also. One little chip has 4 different timer circuits available.
 
Atlas Knife Company said:
Experience has shown that pulsed DC etching gives a sharper etch than always-on DC etching. I can't explain it, but it seems to work so I integrated the 555-timer into the DC output to make this happen at the same rate as the AC circuit.

I am working on a standalone battery powered unit, hopefully it will be completed this winter. Currently, the USB charging circuit is giving us fits. The reason I used a battery instead of outlet is that I hate running an extension cord just to do 2 minutes of etching. I just grab a Ryobi battery off the charger, and I'm ready to go. If I'm at a hammer-in, I can just put the whole unit in my bag and not worry about power. I'm slowly working on adding different power tool brands, but Milwaukee, Dewalt, Kobalt, and Ryobi seem to hit about 75% of the market. You can buy adapters on Amazon to use different brands together.

As for the Q-tip, it just works. You always see these big 1/2" x 1" pads, which is overkill for a 1/8" x 1/4" maker logo. Q-tips are effective, cheap, and disposable. My units will work with a pad, but I'm not going to raise the price of the unit just to add something that isn't necessary to get the job done.
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Can a Rigid 20v battery work or are you planning to add it?
 
That voltage range will give the full spectrum of colors for Ti. I've not done any Ti work, but have read up some on what it takes to get the neat colors. Looking forward to your project.
 
IMHO, the best multi-function plating/stripping, etching, anodizing system is a variac and a bridge rectifier. A 3 to 5 amp setup should work great for our purposes. A switch between the variac and the rectifier will allow AC/DC to the output. No fancy electronics, super simple circuitry. Should be able to be built for less than $100 from brand new parts, and for $20 from used parts if you scrounge around. Parts list to build a fancy one - variac, power cord, fuse, DPDT switch, SPST switch, bridge rectifier, binding posts, etching pad and cables set. Adding meters and some lights would be good.

For a simple maker's mark etcher, a train transformer power pack is perfect. This one has variable and reversible 0-14VDC and 0-18 VAC output at about 1 amp:
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What about this little device?

Etch O Matic

Now you can permanently mark anything glass or metal with your designs in just seconds, or simply copy for pennies per mark! Etch-O-Matic provides high quality etching supplies for professionals, hobbyists, and beginners.
www.etch-o-matic.com

Would this be worth getting just for etching maker marks?
 
I suspect their stencil making stuff would work, it looks exactly like the IMG stencil making material I buy. That etching machine looks a little iffy - I prefer to get the one from Atlas. Etch-O Matic's website is pretty thin on how it all works and that makes me VERY leary about ordering from them. The price of the stencil material is pretty expensive compared to IMG.
 
Ken H> said:
I suspect their stencil making stuff would work, it looks exactly like the IMG stencil making material I buy. That etching machine looks a little iffy - I prefer to get the one from Atlas. Etch-O Matic's website is pretty thin on how it all works and that makes me VERY leary about ordering from them. The price of the stencil material is pretty expensive compared to IMG.
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I don't blame you. Their website looks a little sketchy! 😅
 
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