ferric chloride

Z

zipp

Joined
May 3, 2000
Messages
17
If you are tring to etch with pcb (ferric chloride) how long do you let it set?
THanks in advance
 
Are you etching the entire blade or a design?

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If God did not intend for us to eat animals. Why did he make them out of meat?
 
Right now just a trade mark but all info is needed Im totally new.
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Can you use this stuff to do some decorative etching like pictures and such??

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Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!http://www.nebsnow.com/L6steel
Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms!!!
 
Zipp,I havent tried a deep etch on a logo so I would suggest taking some scrap pieces at the same hardness as your blade and try different times this will let you know how long will etch how deep.Remember the temperature of the pcb also affects this.And Yes L6 it will work for pictures and such....Just my opinion and findings,Bruce

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The Soul of the Knife begins in the FIRE !!!! Akti # A000223
 
O.K.....what would be a good average temperature to work at?

Thanks

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~~TOM~~
 
A while back somebody told about etching for 10mins. to get a gray finish, then use a scotch brite pad on it. What was the mix of ferric chloride and water, and also the temp. Should the blade be wiped down with acetone befor hand to remove oils from handling? What grit finish befor the etch?
 
When doing a logo, or customer intials,I clean the blade with acetone, MEK, or even ammonia. The etching surface must be free of oils including from your hands.I then apply the reist, for intials I use vinyl letters from an office supply store. I cut out a pattern from the vinyl laminating sheets to enclose or circle the intials, I cut out arrowheads, leafs, whatever then surround the logo with modeling clay, making a small "pond' about 1" in depth and fill with diluted ferric chloride dilute at least 5o,5o with distilled water. A slow etch is a good etch. Too fast and you get bubble trails and eroded surfaces. I put a light on my etch tank one time to speed the etch. It looked good after I sanded it back up to 400 finish and re etched SLOWER. About 70 to 78 degrees is a good temp in my opinon. Back to the logo. I let logos set about ten min. again testing your method on a scrap of the same hardness is VERY GOOD ADVICE. For full blade etch I suspend the blade In a tank made from 4" pvc and a wooden holder to keep it from tipping. Wear your glasses and keep the tank on the foor if it tips it won't spill in your face. Back to etching the Blade after 1min. pull it out and check for "shiny" spots, the shiny spots are some contamination on the blade and the blade will have to be recleaned before continuing. If you see no shiny spots. I clean the oxide off with a scotchbrite pad. and put back in the etch fro 5min. and pull out and repeat until the desiresd degree of etch is reached. Maybe 20min. altogether. I get better reults this way then leaving it in the etch 2omin. straight. When I reach the degree of etch I like I scotchbrite and rinse in baking soda, then TSP then Baking soda then Tsp. I don't get residual rust with the multi-bath rinse. a little oil after this process is beneficial also. This is the methods I've adopted after reading Wayne Goddard and Jim Hirsoulsas methods

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If God did not intend for us to eat animals. Why did he make them out of meat?
 
Thanks for the info guys. I'm sure you just saved a lot of people a lot of trail and error....for me it would be mostly error.
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One last question...I never took chemistry. To dilute, do you add the water to the acid or the acid to the water?

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~~TOM~~
 
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