Etch help needed

[Way-Barney]

I designed a logo based on the broken anvil I bought, I hope I have not jinxed all my projects.

I have tried a couple of etch's on a heath robinson type set up, battery charger saltwater etc, ( I dont know why I expected it to work to be honest).

First one quite happy with second one not at all.



Anyone any Ideas whats gone wrong, I am only making knives for myself and a few friends so I want to keep the process as cheap and simple as possible without spending lots of $

 

[Hengelo_77]

What works for me is an old laboratory power supply with ac and dc.
One of those two removes steel the other darkens. That way the dark is in the material and you can go over it with fine sand paper for clean lines

 

[fitzo]

Thin characters cut the best.

 

[Ken H>]

Call Patrica at img-electromark and she can talk you thru exactly what you'll need for the stencils. Either they'll make the stencils per your design, or sell you the stencil film and developer so you can do your own stencils. In years past model railroad controls were cheap and made good method of etching. You battery charger does half the work, and with just a tad of work you can get AC and DC both.

 

[Crag the Brewer]

I have an industrial etcher...... But I use a quick and easy (cheap & safe) etchant.

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vinegar
1/2 cup distilled vinegar

Mix, dissolve, damp etching pad. Not too wet.
Gently put on stencil for 3-5 secs. DC Remove for a bit. Repeat maybe 7 times.

Repeat with AC a few times. to darken
*careful, it gets Hotter with AC

 

[aareeyesee]

I have nothing useful to add but I saw the broken anvil pic and laughed. I assume you are from near Georgia and bought that anvil the dudes been trying to sale in fb market place/Craigslist for like 2 months? His pics were carefully taken so it's hard to see the whole rear is missing. Awesome etch btw, nice artwork.

 

[A.McPherson]

The bigger the surface you are trying to etch the harder it is to get good results. A bigger surface area will also probably need more amps to get the same results.

Use DC first to etch, then switch to AC to darken.

A proper enchant will also probably help. Plan on getting several and experimenting to see what gives you the best result.

 

[Way-Barney]

What works for me is an old laboratory power supply with ac and dc.
One of those two removes steel the other darkens. That way the dark is in the material and you can go over it with fine sand paper for clean lines

Thanks Henglo, I have looked everywhere for a switchable power supply, cant seem to find one I will keep looking.

Thin characters cut the best.

Thanks Fitzo, That is what I have observed, any letter with a hole in it, for want of a better word, has not worked.

Call Patrica at img-electromark and she can talk you thru exactly what you'll need for the stencils. Either they'll make the stencils per your design, or sell you the stencil film and developer so you can do your own stencils. In years past model railroad controls were cheap and made good method of etching. You battery charger does half the work, and with just a tad of work you can get AC and DC both.

Thanks Ken, I am in England so for convenience have stayed local

I have an industrial etcher...... But I use a quick and easy (cheap & safe) etchant.

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vinegar
1/2 cup distilled vinegar

Mix, dissolve, damp etching pad. Not too wet.
Gently put on stencil for 3-5 secs. DC Remove for a bit. Repeat maybe 7 times.

Repeat with AC a few times. to darken
*careful, it gets Hotter with AC

Thanks Crag, I will be trying that recipe tonight!

I have nothing useful to add but I saw the broken anvil pic and laughed. I assume you are from near Georgia and bought that anvil the dudes been trying to sale in fb market place/Craigslist for like 2 months? His pics were carefully taken so it's hard to see the whole rear is missing. Awesome etch btw, nice artwork.

Hi Aareeysee, that's not the one, I bought this from a farmer in Todmorden, in west Yorkshire, good job Its broken, I could hardly pick the bugger up as it is, whats left has gotta be 400lb, pleased that you had a chuckle. The artwork is from Silverfish Art in Southport, the steel type stencils are off the peg spine stencils(2mm) and he ships worldwide.

The bigger the surface you are trying to etch the harder it is to get good results. A bigger surface area will also probably need more amps to get the same results.

Use DC first to etch, then switch to AC to darken.

A proper enchant will also probably help. Plan on getting several and experimenting to see what gives you the best result.

Thanks A. McPherson, the first one is 2 amps but that's quite small, the second 3.7amps, the blurry letters I think is my fault, i looked at the mask later and there were lots of the little blue dots that had not stuck onto the steel, DOH! The anvil is a good 6 or 7mm square, if you get me, what amps would that need do you think?

 

[dwaterfield]

A few thoughts.

- I just got my first stencil from Electomark and it is much better then the stencils I was printing for myself on a Brother printer. I know you want to stay local, so maybe there is someone on that side of the pond making stencils?
- Looking at the logo, what have you done with it post-etching? Often I need to remove blurry/dark junk by lightly sanding or buffing. Even with the new stencil there is a little bit of a "halo" effect around the letters that has to be removed.
- While working with my self-made stencils I worked very hard to perfect my technique to improve the results. One thing I learned was just keeping everything as clean as possible. The steel, the stencil, the brass lead, the pad....all of it needs to be free from contaminants, oil, etc. Another thing was using a good etching solution. There have been good suggestions in this thread,]. I got a lot better results once I started using a fluid made for etching.
- I also changed my timing on etching. Currently I'm etching for 20 seconds, lifting the pad off to let gasses release, and repeating. If the stencil starts looking dirty I'll carefully wipe with a clean paper towel.

Just my two cents. For what it's worth I do like your logo, good luck with it.

 

[Way-Barney]

Hi dwaterfield, your opinion means a lot, thanks
I came to the conclusion that even though I cleaned everything up I didnt do it good enough, next time will be triple cleaned and more pressure on the stencil to make sure no bits do not stick.
One more thing, thanks for all the work you are doing with the young people! Altruism is not yet lost.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Another thing to make better etches is the pad should only be moist - NOT wet. I blot mine on a folded paper towel after applying a few drops of electrolyte.
Variable voltage is also a good thing.
As said - Etch on DC and mark on AC.

 

[Way-Barney]

Another thing to make better etches is the pad should only be moist - NOT wet. I blot mine on a folded paper towel after applying a few drops of electrolyte.
Variable voltage is also a good thing.
As said - Etch on DC and mark on AC.

Thanks Stacy It looks like I really messed up everything possible, I was thinking it was not wet enough and kept adding more water, keeping a puddle the size of the stencil being careful it did not spill over onto the steel!
Doh!

 

[fitzo]

One can cut an "o" just fine under the right circumstances. The knife is about 4", and the name is 1/16". A different font will help you a lot.