Subject: Etching Brass

From: [email-masked] (TONY RUSSELL ROGERS)
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1993 04:54:51 GMT

I was wondering if some of you might know about acid etching of metal.

I've been doing some eching on knife blades rescently and have had a hard 
time getting neat, deep cuts in brass.  It just seems to turn the metal red 
and make it a bit flaky. I'm using a mixture of 1 Nitric Acid to 3.5 
Hydrochloric Acid, aged 6 wks.  This works GREAT on steel, esp. hi-carb, 
and quite well on fingers :)! 

What could I try on the brass?

Tony Rogers

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From: [email-masked] (Ole-Hjalmar Kristensen)
Date: 11 Oct 93 11:34:41

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (TONY RUSSELL ROGERS) writes:

   Path: ugle.unit.no!trane.uninett.no!sunic!pipex!howland.reston.ans.net!spool.mu.edu!news.clark.edu!netnews.nwnet.net!saturn.wwc.edu!hal207.wwc.edu!rogeto
   From: [email-masked] (TONY RUSSELL ROGERS)
   Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
   Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1993 04:54:51 GMT
   Organization: Walla Walla College
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   Tony Rogers

Don't know about brass, but for etching copper printed circuit boards,
I used to used a mix of 1 part concentrated HCl, 1 part hydrogen
peroxide (30 %) and 2 parts of water. Start with the water and mix in
the two other ingredients. The amount of HCl and peroxide is from
memory. If the mix starts to cook off, use more water. Use a face
shield when mixing, and watch your fingers.  On copper, it will do the
work in minutes.  Do this outside or in a fume hood, and discard the
solution after use.

--
Ole-Hj. Kristensen

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From: [email-masked] (David Jenkins)
Date: 12 Oct 1993 07:14:33 GMT

|> In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked]
|> (TONY RUSSELL ROGERS) writes:
|> 
|>    Path:
|>
ugle.unit.no!trane.uninett.no!sunic!pipex!howland.reston.ans.net!spool.m
mu.edu!news.clark.edu!netnews.nwnet.net!saturn.wwc.edu!hal207.wwc.edu!ro
ogeto
|>    From: [email-masked] (TONY RUSSELL ROGERS)
|>    Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
|>    Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1993 04:54:51 GMT
|>    Organization: Walla Walla College
|>    Lines: 11
|>    NNTP-Posting-Host: hal207.wwc.edu
|> 
|>    I was wondering if some of you might know about acid etching of
|> metal.
|> 
|>    I've been doing some eching on knife blades rescently and have had
|> a hard 
|>    time getting neat, deep cuts in brass.  It just seems to turn the
|> metal red 
|>    and make it a bit flaky. I'm using a mixture of 1 Nitric Acid to
|> 3.5 
|>    Hydrochloric Acid, aged 6 wks.  This works GREAT on steel, esp.
|> hi-carb, 
|>    and quite well on fingers :)! 
|> 
|>    What could I try on the brass?
|> 
|>    Tony Rogers
|> #

I have successfully etched brass (loco name plates) using ferric
chloride in a near-saturated solution.  Mind your fingers, 'cos this
stuff takes the surface off stainless steel!  And I have a nice piece
of stainless stirring rod with a nice matt finish for half its length
to prove it!  Mind you, if you've ever seen a strong solution of this
stuff your natural reaction is not to touch it...

Don't etch too long, as the solution will undercut the resist.  Expect
to get no more than 10 - 15 thou deep.

-- 

David Jenkins

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