PCB vs. Electro etching...

keroscene

keroscene

Joined
Nov 9, 2013
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So, there was a thread started a few days ago asking about which way to etch a blade. Some of us recommended electro, while others suggested PCB. I decided that I would try both on the same blade to see which one worked better. I've done both in the past, but have not had a head-to-head comparison. Apologies if this has been done recently, as I'm sure it has been done before.....

For this mini-study, I used my new addition to the Becker fold, the BK2.


PCB etch beginning pic. Of course I used a q-tip and a bottle of Radio Shack PCB etchant.
20150710_180122.jpg


Supplies used for electro etch include: 9V battery, 2 wires w/ alligator clips, salt water and q-tips.***leads were swapped before I started***
20150710_182027.jpg


With the PCB, I left in on the blade for about 30 mins and repeated it 5 times. Here's the results....
IMG_4658.jpg

IMG_4664.jpg

IMG_4675.jpg


And, the results of the electro-etch. Did the etch for about 15 mins, changing the q-tip twice.
IMG_4666.jpg

IMG_4671.jpg

IMG_4674.jpg


Conclusion? Both methods are very effective. I think the PCB did a cleaner job overall, but not a very noticeable difference. Maybe results show that I'm better w/ PCB than I am with electro? Maybe they both look the same to most of you and this little study shows absolutely nothing? To me, it shows that I'm going to use PCB on all my blades in the future, even if its just one treatment to clean up the electro-etch a little......which is exactly what i did on the BK2 side. One treatment w/ PCB and it looks perfect (to me) now. Either way, it was kinda fun to do.
 
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Cool beans. I have, and have used PCB etchant, but not the electro. Judging by the photos, I have to agree that it at least appears that the PCB etchant did a cleaner job.
 
Thanks for the comparison.
I've yet to etch any blades, but I really like the look of the deeper etched logos.
I'll have to give it a go!
 
I haven't tried electro etching and by looking at the photos it seems that the pcb is a little sharper. I've got enough pcb to last my lifetime. (One bottle) Thanks for the comparison. I think I'll just stick with the pcb.
 
Jonny1280 said:
Thanks for the comparison.
I've yet to etch any blades, but I really like the look of the deeper etched logos.
I'll have to give it a go!
Click to expand...

anytime. think it gives it a semi-stamped look, and, though I'll probably end up stripping it (main purpose for this), think I'll keep the coating for a while to see if it cracks/peels/chips around where my etching was done. definitely give it a go as its too easy and cheap not to try once ;)
 
Thanks for the comparison. Not to pick nits, but in your electro-etching pic you have what appears to be the negative wire clipped to the steel.....
For electro-etching to work properly, the positive wire (anode) should be clipped to the steel; the iron atoms then flow through your electrolyte (saltwater solution) and deposit on the cathode (negative terminal) - i.e. your Q-tip. Polarity is important, since you won't get a very deep etch if you do it as you appear to have set up - kinda like AC (rapidly reversing anode and cathode) doesn't really etch. If you haven't stripped it yet, give it a go with your polarity reversed.
 
what GSOM said, positive to the steel, etch with negative. I guess it depends on the medium used as stencil; I have found that electro does give crisper lines when cutting a stenciled design on carpenter's tape over the blade. For PCB I like to do bigger drawings and use acid resistant ink to well, resist the acid :D I did 2 designs on my 4, one with each method, and the electro was crisper.
 
granitestateofmind said:
Thanks for the comparison. Not to pick nits, but in your electro-etching pic you have what appears to be the negative wire clipped to the steel.....
For electro-etching to work properly, the positive wire (anode) should be clipped to the steel; the iron atoms then flow through your electrolyte (saltwater solution) and deposit on the cathode (negative terminal) - i.e. your Q-tip. Polarity is important, since you won't get a very deep etch if you do it as you appear to have set up - kinda like AC (rapidly reversing anode and cathode) doesn't really etch. If you haven't stripped it yet, give it a go with your polarity reversed.
Click to expand...

Lol, guess I should've pointed out that I noticed this also before I started. They were switched before I did my etching. ... but good eye ;)
 
zuluninja said:
what GSOM said, positive to the steel, etch with negative. I guess it depends on the medium used as stencil; I have found that electro does give crisper lines when cutting a stenciled design on carpenter's tape over the blade. For PCB I like to do bigger drawings and use acid resistant ink to well, resist the acid :D I did 2 designs on my 4, one with each method, and the electro was crisper.
Click to expand...

Fixed the text on the pic with my electro supplies to reflect the fact that I swapped leads pre etch.

Would love to see those pics u are referring to. Very intrigued
 
I have used two 9 volt batteries relayed together, worked a lot faster. The q-tips started changing colors almost immediately.
 
not trying to hijack your thread, but this was done with electro:

13245960035_820cd944c6_b.jpg


Wherever you see screwups is where I screwed up with the resist (which was stick-on vinyl, fwiw)....I haven't used PCB etchant (for this, even tho I've some left over from actual PCB making) since I feel the e-e is a lot more controllable, specially for larger patterns. I also don't think the etch needs to be really deep; I worry a little that if done too deep, may not be especially great for the integrity of the steel, tho I have no actual proof. Good that you found what works for you.

I will say as a caveat, though, that I do have a dedicated electro etching box that I made from some spare stuff I had on hand....after the jury rigged first attempt with a car battery charger and a 16VAC alarm panel transformer worked, I decided to throw the thing together.
 
granitestateofmind said:
not trying to hijack your thread, but this was done with electro:

13245960035_820cd944c6_b.jpg


Wherever you see screwups is where I screwed up with the resist (which was stick-on vinyl, fwiw)....I haven't used PCB etchant (for this, even tho I've some left over from actual PCB making) since I feel the e-e is a lot more controllable, specially for larger patterns. I also don't think the etch needs to be really deep; I worry a little that if done too deep, may not be especially great for the integrity of the steel, tho I have no actual proof. Good that you found what works for you.

I will say as a caveat, though, that I do have a dedicated electro etching box that I made from some spare stuff I had on hand....after the jury rigged first attempt with a car battery charger and a 16VAC alarm panel transformer worked, I decided to throw the thing together.
Click to expand...

I like what u did to those blades. Very nice. Also, good to see someone else that likes to tinker with electronics. Especially someone that also knows what anode and cathode are. My life revolves around wiring and circuits. As for the subject at hand, I'm going to get a better setup for my next test run and do something on a larger scale. Thanks for the pics and info!
 
I've got a little preference for electro because you have so much more control over the outcome, and it's not nearly as messy. I've done quite a bit with PCB though:

 
Crimson, that's a crap ton of etching on one blade. shows how much control you can have using that method really well. thanks!

Zulu, I really like that a lot! Looked pretty easy and the result was amazing. Thanks for the pics/info!
 
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