etching help...

T

therron258

Joined
Apr 8, 2009
Messages
183
i have the martronics etchomatic and Ernie's stencils, and i cannot ever seem to get a good etch.

ive tried a 8-10 second etch, as well as 4 or 5 that were 3-5 seconds long, as suggested by somebody.

it seems like there are always a letter or something that doesnt come out right, and they arent very deep etches at all, i expected them to come out deeper than they are..

what am i doing wrong?
 
I had the same trouble when I started with the Etch-o-matic. I was following the Etch-o-matic instructions and getting dismal results. Somebody on this forum came to my rescue.

If you want a deep etch, you have use the little DC adapter and etch on DC first. I wasn't etching long enough, and I wasn't letting it off-gas either. Now I etch 5 seconds on then remove the etcher for 5 seconds to off-gas, and continue this 5 seconds on / 5 seconds off for 2 minutes. This results in a deep etch without any black. If you want the black color, you can follow this with an AC etch (without the DC Adapter) to add the black.

Of course, the stencil needs to be securely taped to the blade so that it can't move.

This procedure usually leaves a light "halo" around the etch that needs a bit of flat sanding with 1000 grit before final polish or satin finish. This really sharpens up the edges.

I hope this helps.

Rick DuBois
 
GIS, is pretty much on. However, hold the wand to the stencil for 2-3 seconds and let up for .5-1 second. Continure this for a dozen times and check. Advise to check on a scrap piece of steel and check the results.. I have used a Marking Methods Etcher 300 for over 25 years and results have been great each and every time. If you are still having a problem, PM me! Good Luck!
 
I used the etch o matic for a while and its low on power but will get the job done. I agree with the breathing, really helps couple seconds on then off. Make sure the pad is just damp, I wet the pad and then touch to a paper towle, this removed excess water and give you better edges, just enough water is needed to move the electricity from the etcher to the metal.

I tape my stencil down but make a tab on the corner that I can pull up to check and the lay back down on the same place, the tape on the bottom and oposite edge will hold and let you set it back down. Look closely at the stencil, it you see a little light dot, that will be a dot on the etch, if you take the bottom cover off you can use the corner of the pad to get little spots without overetching the rest of the area.
 
My unit came with an alligator clip wrapped in a red insulator. Inside the insulator is a device that changes AC to DC. In the old days we called this a rectifier. I'm sure what they call it today.

Milt
 
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