Tips for getting a clean mark with electro-etch machine?

[Leon Husock]

My marks almost always come out a little uneven or corroded-looking, and I'm not sure why. I have an electro-chem personalizer plus, and I usually run it at the 3 setting for about one and a half or two minutes, which gets me better results than lower settings or shorter times, but is still unreliable. Anyone have any pointers?

 

[Jesse Latham]

Blot the felt until almost dry, then on for 3 seconds and off for 3 seconds. I do 5 to 10 cycles each ac and dc.

 

[Leon Husock]

Blot the felt until almost dry, then on for 3 seconds and off for 3 seconds. I do 5 to 10 cycles each ac and dc.

Do you mean switch the machine off, or pick up and then reapply the electrode? Also do you alternate your cycles, or do you do 5-10 of AC and then 5-10 of DC?

 

[Drew Riley]

Make sure your steel and stencil is clean before you etch. I like to spray a little windex on both before etching.
I also do the intermittent etch with the pad, otherwise it tends to overheat my stencil. It helps to tape your stencil on with some masking tape as well, so that while you applying your etch pad on and off you don't move the stencil.
The biggest thing that seems to help, is that after etching I will remove the stencil and tape and give it a couple of quick passes on my buffing wheel. If you don't have a buffer, some fine grit abrasive paper will also work. This helps to sharpen the etch and remove a little bit of the cloudiness around the edges.

 

[Jesse Latham]

Do you mean switch the machine off, or pick up and then reapply the electrode? Also do you alternate your cycles, or do you do 5-10 of AC and then 5-10 of DC?

Sorry. Lift then reapply. DC to etch, AC to darken. If I get haze around the mark, most times I can scrub it off with a clean piece of cardboard and not ruin the bevel or hurt the mark.