Logo Etching Problems

Do you have to do anything special to get black marks on stainless ?

I've seen some lasers not work well on stainless and metals.
 
Do you have to do anything special to get black marks on stainless ?

I've seen some lasers not work well on stainless and metals.
 
Hi I responded already but I have given your problem more thought. You said that you built your own ac/dc etcher. Is it possible that your etcher is delivering a lot more voltage than it is supposed to? You said that your stencils fried. I use between 16 and 24 volts on my Personalyser plus and I have never burned a stencil yet. I still think you buy some #94 etchant from IMG but your etching unit needs to be tested with a voltmeter/ampmeter. The post from Bladsmith is probably correct about the voltage on your unit being too high. maybe the electronic store that supplied your parts made an error on one of the components. My friend Dan uses a unit that produces 36 volts and he has not had this problem. It is not the stencil or the solution that destroys your stencils so It must be the etching unit. You should not give up just yet. Maybe just bite the bullet and buy a popular etching unit...maybe a used one to save some money. I wish you good luck in curing your problem. Knifemaking should be fun in my opinion. Larry
 
I am pretty comfortable with the voltage output of the etcher (tho' I could be wrong). I rummaged around and found an old temperature controller for a soldering iron that I used to use in stained glass and I have used that to dial back the dc voltage to 8 volts. I still have a couple of stencils left from my original lot so until I can order more and some electrolyte, I will try again using a much diluted salt solution. At this point I don't have a lot to lose.
 
Thats what mine is....I thought if it was 10 amp or something, that might make a difference. If I am thinking correct when you lower voltage you increase current, but 2 amps should not be too hot.
 
Amperage won't be an issue. Every time I've tested one of my etchers, they draw less than .1 amps while etching and marking. The transformers are rated for 3 amps, but it doesn't matter. Current/amperage is drawn, not pushed.
 
if I am reading my amp meter correctly, I have 1.6amps on each lead going into the transformer but the output side reads 12.5 amps on the black wire and 12.5 and 13.5 respectively on the yellow wires depending on which one is connected. Either way I am reading about 13 vac. That ain't right. The transformer label reads 12.6v, 2A. If I hold the pad on the steel for 5sec it gets hot to the touch. Defective transformer?
I had checked the voltage on both ac and dc but I never checked the amp draw.
 
Defective transformer? There is no way physically possible to have higher amperage on one wire than the other in an AC system.
 
I called the local radio shack. They have another transformer that they will trade out under warranty. Is it possible that the transformer could boost the amperage or am I not reading the meter correctly?
 
Average 120V wiring in your house is capable of providing 15 amps. When a 60 watt lightbulb is on, is it drawing .5 amps. When it's off, it's drawing zero. Nothing you can put in the line would make that lightbulb draw more amps.

Before you tear the etcher apart, could I get you to try some paper-core q-tips instead of your felt pad? Just to rule that portion out.
 
I tested the amperage under the load while I was test etching. Does that make a difference?
 
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That's the only time you could test the load. I'm moving toward the pad at this point. Could you take a picture of your setup?
 
Well...I have already pulled the transformer Radio Shack will swap it out so I am going to eliminate that from the list of possible problems. It is only 5 min. to put it back in. There are several possibilities here" 1. The transformer is defective (probably not). 2. I don't understand the readings I am getting from my amp meter (is it possible that the amperage could spike from input side of the transformer to the output side?) 3. I have assembled the etcher incorrectly (tho I am getting proper voltage readings in both AC and DC) 4. I'm thick in the head.

Zaph1, I have never posted a picture on this forum and need to learn how but as of this minute I am unable to do so. My hand piece consists of a piece of brass 1/4" square that is 1 3/16" long. I have a brass rod threaded into this piece with a wooden hand grip. This is the part that contacts the stencil. I will try qtips again when I reassemble the etcher but my first experience was with qtips and I fried a stencil with one of them also.
 
If the transformer doesn't fix it, it's got to bet something simple. If you would ship it to me, I'll fix it for you and ship it back. That's all I can offer at this point.
 
zaph1 said:
If the transformer doesn't fix it, it's got to bet something simple. If you would ship it to me, I'll fix it for you and ship it back. That's all I can offer at this point.
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Because that's the way most knife makers are.......... We help each other. Greatest bunch of guys on the planet (of course, there are always exceptions) :)
 
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