Etching

Jimbo670

Jimbo670

Joined
Dec 25, 2005
Messages
77
Ok, I have determined etching sucks. I bought the Etch-O-matic and can not get it to etch good. I did not have luck with making stencils. I will try once again over the long weekend and if it doesn’t work you will see it on the fore sale section. I have encountered the same issues that I have seen in previous threads. I know that this has been discussed a bunch but any advise?:mad::mad::mad:
 
Jimbo670 said:
Ok, I have determined etching sucks.
Click to expand...

Etching works well for a great many people, so perhaps you meant "my etching experience sucks"?

Perhaps if you described what you did so people can try to point out things to improve, that will work better.

What did you do to make your own stencils? Are you using photo-etch type or the carbon paper crap?

People can help, but they will need more information.

BTW, you can't sell in the For Sale area without a paid Knifemaker membership.
 
My etching sucked until I had professional stencils made. Now my makers mark etches beautifully!
 
Ok, fair enough "my etching experience sucks".
I am going to contact to have stencils made and go over the process again. Then I will vent again.
I am a paid member. Do I need a higher level to sell
 
Jimbo670 said:
Ok, fair enough "my etching experience sucks".
I am going to contact to have stencils made and go over the process again. Then I will vent again.
I am a paid member. Do I need a higher level to sell
Click to expand...

You need a knifemakers or higher level to sell.
 
http://www.tustech.com/

BTW, should you prefer to have your paid membership displayed as such, one can go to "User CP" and then "Group Memberships" and select to have the membership displayed.

Good luck with the prepared stencils. We can help you to make it work well should you need.
 
its funny every time i see a post about etching i cringe and hide in the corner ever sence that "how to make an etcher" post. but i etch and love it.
 
Hi Jimbo, most of the techniques, methods, and how-to's described here on BF work well for the person(s) describing them because of much trial & error. Very seldom do I try a new skill and have it work out perfectly the first time. I try to take times, temperatures, techniques, materials etc. that are described as nothing more than guidelines and a starting point to figure out what will work for me and the tools I have to work with. You couldn't be in a better place to get the guidelines for a start than here on BladeForums ShopTalk. Most makers here will give you more help than you could ever imagine. Just don't give up :)
 
JTknives said:
its funny every time i see a post about etching i cringe and hide in the corner ever sence that "how to make an etcher" post. but i etch and love it.
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Me too!!!

But here I go again.

When you contact TUS, do yourself a favor, and tell them what kind of steel you'll be etching, and buy some electrolyte as well.
Good electrolyte and stencils are crucial...
Really speeds up the learning curve.
 
JTknives said:
its funny every time i see a post about etching i cringe and hide in the corner ever sence that "how to make an etcher" post. but i etch and love it.
Click to expand...

Don't. I built that etcher and am very pleased with it. I use the TUS stencils and my marks are coming out great. I turn it on to 24vdc wet the pad covering the negative stainless piece with salt water and then press the pad to a sponge then press the pad to the stencil taped to the blade for 3 seconds. I do that about 15- 20 times. I then switch to ac and do 3 seconds 10 times and end up with a great mark.

I do have one question. How many Marks should I get from a stencil before it goes bad. I did 8 with mine and the center in the top of the A is gone and 2 of the other letters are now open to each other. I will not use that one again.
Is my voltage to high? Is it the salt water? To many hits? I did one with 12 volts and it was not near as deep.
 
ib2v4u said:
Is my voltage to high? Is it the salt water? To many hits? I did one with 12 volts and it was not near as deep.
Click to expand...
Yes...

I use 12-14v with store bought electrolyte (from TUS) and it works great in CPM 154

The Stencils are so inexpensive I only mark 8-10 and chuck 'em
It's not worth screwing up a finished knife to save $2
 
24v is kinda high. does it get realy hot. 12v works you just need to etch a little longer. so the salt water is working for you. thats all i use, its cheep. my last post was a joke, im fine building etchers just be safe.
 
If you are set on using stencils go with the professional ones. But for me, I press my name in. Just play with it and have fun. -----:yawn:
 
I built my own etcher about 3 years ago from parts bought at Radio "Slack".

I use 12V and it works great.

Stencils came from http://www.img-electromark.com/. Patricia Bruno is who you should talk to. She is a super nice person and is used to dealing with us crazy knifemakers. Their stencils will mark many blades before you have to replace them. The key to longevity is make short (3-4 seconds) contacts and allow a few seconds for cooling between contacts.

Clean your stencils after you are finished. I just blast a little Windex through the stencil, then blast a little water from a spray bottle, then place the stencil between a folded paper towel until I need it again.

I also bought a quart bottle of etchant, and haven't even used 10% of it. Stuff goes a long way. I use "felt". Got a piece of felt at Wally-World large enough to last for years for about $2.00

Hope this rambling helps someone.

Robert
 
Wow lots of information. THANKS

I am actually looking forward to trying some of this out this weekend. This concerns me about my mental health.:(:o
 
In my view, etching is very naff and unless done really well&tastefully, drags down any blade. How do you get it OFF without too much trouble is what I'd like to know?
 
24v will generate too much heat and ruin stencil life. I use ~10v for 5 seconds with an interupted circuit so that it cuts current 4 times per second. I do this 3 times and i get a nice deep etch. I actually like the look of a deep etch without going to AC to deposit oxide and 'blacken' it so I dont usualy switch over on my smaller stencil for blades. I use the AC setting to blacken the mark when I use my larger mark on big objects.
 
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