Etching Blues

Phil705

Phil705

Basic Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2007
Messages
364
I bought a Personalizer a few months ago. Per instructions, I tried it out a few times on polished scraps metal until I got the hang of it. Or thought I did.

About half of my etches have been smudged or blurry. So I reviewed the instructions: tape the stencil down with electric tape; don't use too much electrolyte; press and hold for about 90 seconds.

I'd appreciate any tips on etching techniques. I'm tired of basically ruining a finished knife with a sloppy etch.

Thanks

Phil705
Winthrop WA
 
When I etch I hold for 10 seconds then release for 3, hold for 10 seconds etc etc. Release to let the gas build up go off. Try that. Mike
 
I second what Mike said. That gas makes it fuzzy, on smaller stencils I may only press down for 3 to 4 seconds.
 
If you are using AC, you will get poor results. DC gives much better results. I hold for 4-5 seconds, then up for 4-5. I repeat this 10-12 times. They look nice. If I want to blacken the mark, I then go to AC.

Milt
 
You definitely need to lift the pad every 5-10 seconds to allow it to gas off. That's probably the cause of the fuzzy marks.
I tape down only one end of the stencil with blue painter's tape. Taping down only one end allows me to lift the stencil to check the mark, then lay it back down in extactly the same place if the etch isn't quite right yet.
 
Thanks for the replies and tips. You would think that the manufacturer would modify the instructions!!
 
I do it the same as these guys. It has to be lifted to allow burnt oxyidized metal to flush out. Dont push down hard or the gasses will fog around the etch. Pratice on scrap first.
 
make sure your pad is not too wet, it just needs to be moist enough to transfer electrons. There should be no free water. I wet mine and then dab of a cloth. If its too wet moisture will seep through and blur you lines as well or you can get a shadow around your mark.
 
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