# A different kind of etching



## BradG (Nov 26, 2012)

I am so close to pulling this off... the amount of experimentation i have done to get this far is untrue in itself though i feel like ive nearly cracked it, with one mask on this piece working perfectly, and the other failing which was meant to protect the closed end half of the pen and rim. Tomorrow night i will turn a new pieceand restart the process though this time it wont be closed end..simply because i dont have my chrome plating tank yet so i may as well use the chrome end piece from a kit for this project.

The theory behind this is once i have acheived a succesful etch of around 0.5mm while minimising under cutting (done this already testing) not quite anisotropic, but certainly not full blown isotropic etching, i will then use black inlace to fill the etched voids and polish it up...

I appreciate the info above is a bit vague at the mo with regards to what i am using for masks etc, but until i get this 100% correct i don't want to share information and send people down the wrong path by mistake. but bear with me... once ive got this down to the tee, il type up the whole process and share it with you. until then, stick around for the journey  im hoping to to crack this one soon

Couple of pics attached,

one showing a prototype etch tank 

the other showing tonights attempt


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## SteveG (Nov 26, 2012)

Very intriguing...look forward to your success, and to learn about the process.


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## Haynie (Nov 26, 2012)

What are you using to mask.  I read a lot on photogravure a while ago and if there was not a baby running around I might have given it a go.


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## seamus7227 (Nov 26, 2012)

Brad keep up the great work! that is gonna look fantastic once you nail it, i mean, It already looks awesome.


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## BRobbins629 (Nov 26, 2012)

Will wait patiently.


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## Buzzzz4 (Nov 26, 2012)

It already looks really cool. Way to stick with it. You are way above my head on it.


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## johncrane (Nov 26, 2012)

This looks cool Brad good luck mate!


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## BradG (Nov 27, 2012)

Patience Haynie :biggrin: Il reveal all when its done. by itself, the mask i use would fail under normal etching circumstances. Ive tweaked the etchant to work how i need it to.

Thanks for all the comments guys... it makes perseverance all the more worth while. Keep your fingers crossed for me, here's hoping that tonight is the night. All in all i think I have tried this 17 different ways up to know - though i have successfully ruled out 17 ways which do not work


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## Dalecamino (Nov 27, 2012)

Awesome Brad. I'm totally confident you will work it out. I'll be waiting too.:biggrin:


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## joefyffe (Nov 27, 2012)

I look forward to your total success, though I'm sure it won't be easy to duplicate!  (most likely impossible )


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## BradG (Nov 27, 2012)

I think you may be suprised... Yes absolutely there are a hundred ways it can be done wrong, but im hoping il rule that out for everyone so others don't make the same mistakes.

So long as the turner is using the same mask, and the same etchant recipe, then i see no reason why anyone would get different results, other than by how long they leave it in the solution for. I seem to be hovering around 30 seconds (yes you read that right, 30 seconds to remove 0.5mm - its quick) obviously the longer you leave it in the more will etch away and the greater the damage with regards to under cutting... dont leave it in long enough and the cut wont be deep enough to take resin for instance... but of course you can keep taking it out and looking at it every 5 seconds if you choose to and just putting it back in for another 5.. its easier to take it off little by little, than it is trying to put it back on again 

The good news is, that although the etchant is corrosive, its not particularly harmful so long as your not silly with it... EG wear eye protection and an apron, though thats more to protect your clothes from being stained by the yellow Ferric Chloride. in this i add Citric acid (same used in sweets and beverages) which creates an edinburgh etch. This helps remove the smut from the work piece which acts as an insulator stopping the etch going down and then it seems to work outwards more creating an under cut where it eats away underneith the masking. I use an air pump to help here too. I also have another metal dissolved in the bath which creates an exothermic reaction with aluminium, hence the 30 sec time. it gets hot, rapidly quick, so much so wax masking just melts off in seconds... dont mess around with this until ive done the how to video


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## BradG (Nov 27, 2012)

At last!!!!!! :RockOn:



So i am now happy with my method of etching. the lid is complete, and went very smoothly. Even to the degree of moving from the tank twice and washing it to get a good feel of how deep it was before continuing a bit longer.

I know its not too pretty to look at, but once its been cleaned, inlaced, sanded and polished this will be a beauty

tonight i hope to do the pen body, and if time permits, il get the inlacing on too... it takes a couple of days to cure, but can now breathe a nice sigh of relief. Rum & coke required me thinks arty: :drink:


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## BRobbins629 (Nov 27, 2012)

Having tried a little etching myself and dealing with many of your issues make this even more impressive.  Bravo!!


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## Twissy (Nov 27, 2012)

Awesome work Brad!! Really looking forward to seeing the end product.
You deserve more than one rum and coke!


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## SteveG (Nov 27, 2012)

As I mentioned in my first post...you really have my interest. Looking forward to your final result and the "How To". Thanks for sharing!
Steve


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## glycerine (Nov 27, 2012)

Very cool Brad!


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## BradG (Nov 27, 2012)

and thats that job jobbed.

Resin applied to both sections of the pen, using my pen finish Rotisserie, which rotates at 2.5RPM. Jeff Powel was kind enough to share his design with me over at masterscroller.com Thanks Jeff, it was a great idea

So time to put my feet up for a couple of days while this cures well 

PS i think im high off resin fumes. added bonus


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## duncsuss (Nov 27, 2012)

looks like this will be superb when finished


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## Kretzky (Nov 27, 2012)

I've used Ferric Chloride on copper & was going to give it a try on some brass tubes to see how it worked. I also wanted to try some galvanic-etching (salt water & a power supply) looks like you got there before me.
But wow! that's some agressive etching 30 sec for 0.5mm  Be very interesting to see what your process is Brad.


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## BradG (Nov 27, 2012)

Kretzky said:


> I've used Ferric Chloride on copper & was going to give it a try on some brass tubes to see how it worked. I also wanted to try some galvanic-etching (salt water & a power supply) looks like you got there before me.
> But wow! that's some agressive etching 30 sec for 0.5mm  Be very interesting to see what your process is Brad.


 
Ferric chloride is a great substance with it being pretty safe to use. experiment! brass tubes are cheap enough  you will find the results the same as copper, as brass is a copper alloy.

*Dont* go down the route of salt water and a power supply. salt water is sodium chloride, using any chlorate in this process will generate chlorine gas. When chlorine gas is inhaled, it reacts with moisture turning back into acid. not exactly what you want in your respiratory tract or eyes. if you do want to play with this, then sulphuric acid diluted to 15% strength will work wonders as an electrolyte. Though just be sure to do plenty of reading before trying  safty first and all that.

Im presuming you were considering a clear cast if you were to etch graphics onto a tube.


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## bluwolf (Nov 28, 2012)

Brad, that is slick as snot on a brass door knob! Can't wait to see the finished product. But just that etching itself is outstanding.Well done.

Mike


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## BradG (Nov 29, 2012)

Thanks Mike. 
Just having a battle of patience now. felt the blanks this morning and think they could be more cured... will see what they are like this evening but give them another day before turning. Kept myself occupied last night by turning a finial and centre band, anodising them etc. Never have been into the waiting game lol.


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## mredburn (Nov 29, 2012)

stick them in sunlight,  Really great stuff there Brad


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## ugrad (Nov 29, 2012)

Sunlight! In a famous seaside place called Blackpool, that's noted for fresh air and fun, went Mr & Mrs Ramsbottom with young Albert, their son.

Although there will be sunlight in Blackpool at some point before next summer it may be quicker to use a sunlamp.

I am not disparaging Blackpool just the English sunshine, I think the French are always using too much and we only get what's left.

I too can't wait to see Brad's tutorial, it looks superb.

Regards
Peter


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## mredburn (Nov 29, 2012)

ROFLMAO,  I forgot about English sunshine, its mostly wet!  Maybe I can box some up and ship it over.:biggrin:


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## BradG (Nov 29, 2012)

mredburn said:


> ROFLMAO, I forgot about English sunshine, its mostly wet! Maybe I can box some up and ship it over.:biggrin:


 
Please do,  there's ice everywhere and the skys laden with rain clouds.

Il pop them under a halogen lamp when i get home if they are still off, but i suspect they will be fine for tonight.


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## Haynie (Nov 29, 2012)

BradG said:


> PS i think im high off resin fumes. added bonus



Your next project "Pen turning with Timothy Leary."


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## underdog (Nov 29, 2012)

I skimmed through this thread, but didn't notice if you'd mentioned the material you are etching.

Is it copper, brass, or....?

And what a great idea! Nice looking work too.


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## BradG (Nov 29, 2012)

Haynie said:


> BradG said:
> 
> 
> > PS i think im high off resin fumes. added bonus
> ...


 
Along with a chap who lost a finger for not being "with it" while oeprating machinery 



underdog said:


> I skimmed through this thread, but didn't notice if you'd mentioned the material you are etching.
> 
> Is it copper, brass, or....?
> 
> And what a great idea! Nice looking work too.


 
It's aluminium. My method for a 30 second etch won't work with copper alloys unfortunately, so i will use wax for a mask with those and go for the traditional 9 hour etch time.


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## BradG (Nov 29, 2012)

Done it :biggrin: so pleased.

Pen is here:
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f13...-celtic-gent-black-inlace-104328/#post1471801


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## underdog (Nov 29, 2012)

Just fantastic!

If I can figure out what to use as a blank, I'll try it on copper or brass. I have the etching solutions for that...


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## BradG (Nov 30, 2012)

Brass is a joy to turn Jim, Copper is a royal pain in the ass. that piece of copper i last turned was nearly thrown through the window lol. because its such a good conductor of heat it expands and contracts alot, in turn gripping the drill bit.


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## BradG (Nov 30, 2012)

For those who havent spotted it on the other thread, the video of this pen in the making is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi8I3lEVyZw


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## Dalecamino (Nov 30, 2012)

Watched it Brad. Awesome, and good music. Thanks a lot friend.


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## BradG (Dec 1, 2012)

Here we go again

Etched a touch deeper... maybe a little too deep.. will see how it holds up when i drill it.

I have a different type of filling in mind for this one though :wink: though that wont be delivered until mid week at a guess.. no doubt this one will be finished for next weekend

I should add, the three pics below are of the same blank. first showing the back, second the front, third the sides


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## glen r (Dec 1, 2012)

Beautiful work Brad.


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## BradG (Dec 9, 2012)

Heres the tutorial guys 






ExoEtching Aluminium

Dont forget to click the cog at the bottom and change it to 720P HD for better viewing


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## Fishinbo (Jan 3, 2013)

Cool etching! I know that it will turn out to be perfect. Looking forward to more details and photos. Awesome job!

BandSaw Blades Online - Custom Welded Band Saw Blades


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