An alternative to Ferric Chloride I use for Printed circuit boards is 50:50 Hydrogen Peroxide (3% is fine) and Distilled White vinegar. (Apple cider vinegar works too if that's all you have) I add a couple table spoons of salt as well to speed things up. I also will heat up the mixture to 50C (125F ish). At room temp it could take an hour or more, 50C cuts the time down by half. Just a tip if you can't easily come by Ferric chloride. Less messy too.
Thank you for taking time to make and post this video. I took a jewelry class last year and will probably take the second half in fall. We did copper etching one time at the end of the semester and very interested in doing it again. My daughter and I took the jewelry class together at the community college and we want to learn all we can so we subscribed to your channel and thank you again.
Hi Mark, thanks for your comments! I love copper etching - it is rather addictive! It's so great that you and your daughter are learning jewelry together. My Mum and I shared a love of craft which gave me many treasured moments together. I hope you enjoy the channel. If you have any suggestions for future videos just let me know!
Very helpful , Sorry if I missed it but wish you would have talked more about how the marker protects the metal - also a little more about stamping , polishing
Thank you for sharing your etching techniques, I really enjoyed it. As usual your tutorial was clearly and fully explained, I can't wait to try this out! Thanks again!
I just would like to comment a tiny bit as to your tendency to breeze over what would certainly be considered key points in the ferric chloride copper etching process. I am new to the whole chemical addition to my jewelry making strategies and techniques, so I really seek out the most complete and informative media as I feel I can find. Ok, I'll get to the point. If you're intention is to educate and share your knowledge with the community at large, please consider including ALL the details necessary for your followers to complete your regimen safely. Thank you.
hallo. I followed your work keenly when you were with jm. I am so pleased to see you here have subscribed. love this video clear and precise. Will be an added viewer. have shared to my little group and will share on my face book page. well done.
Wow! Thanks so much. I could not figure out the process on my own...not stupid but like many women of my age, anything resembling science is off-putting. I have my ferric chloride now and I’m ready to etch. Again, thanks for the help.
Well explained, patient & clear. Very happy to find your channel Teresa. Just subscribed. Just the ticket for my own projects. Happy New Year and greetings from Ireland. Thank you.
I speed up the process by adding citric acid. Mix 1/5 citric acid solution to 4/5 ferric chloride. Citric acid solution is 1 part citric acid powder to 3 parts distilled water. It really cuts down on the time!
Ive used the circuit board blue paper. Its great in my book. But sometimes the printer doesnt act right. Have to black in where misses. I was new to it all when tried. Dont even remember what chemical i used. Yours looks great. Take care.
Great video but how do you stop the etsing? I have learnd I a bath whit backing soda. Otherwise the chloride wil not stop etsing...and what are you using for the patina?
Thanks Joos. To stop the etching, I just rinse off the ferric chloride in water. I haven't found that anything else is necessary. I use liver of sulphur to patina (check out my video at ua-cam.com/video/3NjRUpi8xmc/v-deo.html ) and a solution of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to stop the patina. In theory you can use plain water for this too, but I find the soda solution is simpler, particularly if I'm doing a batch of items.
Was just wondering can cast aluminium be etched. At this time of year I find lots of strange looking mushrooms, I freeze them and when they are hard I sand cast then I aluminium and polish them. The thing is while the shapes might be great the surface can be a bit boring , so I thought maybe a little etching of some design might be nice.
I haven't tried it myself, but apparently you can. You might need to experiment with method and timing though. From what I've seen it looks like aluminium reacts more (and fizzes!) so it might be worth trying to dip it upright, or sideways, for example. If you give it a go, I'd love to see the results! The idea of mushroom shapes with surface design sounds fabulous!
I'm not quite sure I follow you here... i have transparencies that I can print on to... used for an overhead projector back in the day... but how do you get the pattern off the transparency and onto the metal? Are you using a laser printer? Laser toner ink works as a great resist...or so I've read. I don't have a laser printer at home and I'm not about to shlepp out to a copy place to get something printed. I'm too lazy to do that...lol. instead I'd rather painstakingly draw by hand. Lol. Just curious about your process!
I coat the brass on one side with the a bright blue light sensitive material, make an envelope with thin card and the transparency, put the brass between, put it face down in UV light, expose it for 5 mins. The image comes on to the brass. Develope it with baking soda/ water 10%. put in a bath of ferric chloride.
@@bbcisrubbish Thank you for the reply! I understand now. UV resist.... that explains it! Without that ingredient, I was really scratching my head as to how you transferred the pattern. Thanks again!
Kerri Schneider It's a pleasure. I find that trying to describe things in writing is not at all easy. I don't have a clue on computer things, short cuts etc. It would be easier to use a drawing, "a picture is worth a thousand words". However, I don't know how. I am not buying anymore equipment.
@@bbcisrubbish oh I know what you mean ... I'm always talking with my hands and providing demonstrations...when I'm on the phone... like they can see me! And I know a little bit about computers ... and I know I used to be able to post a picture in a videos comments section...because I often did. Now I cannot. I've tried repeatedly to figure it out. You ask around and I'm finding the same answer ... you can't. But also as disturbing I hear that...you never could. I beg to differ. I did it for work as well. I sent a suggestion to UA-cam but I guess their hands are busy policing everyone's speech. I would find it sooo helpful when learning new things and explaining what I know! I used to be in R&D in microelectronic semiconductors industry... I used to design, make and package silicon wafer to chips and photolithograghy is a large part of the process. So once I read the UV... I instantly knew what you were talking about. That's how circuits are created on computer chips if you didn't know already. Just plating, etching, evaporating all the metals, other materials needed to run the "wires" (thickness measured in angstroms) in order to get said gizmo to power up and do as you design. Boy if only my lab was still around I could make some seriously impressive jewelry! Kinda why I started in the copper etching really. Sorry for the long diatribe. Happy creating!
Awesome video, thank you so much!! Quick question though, what did you use to patina the copper? I would like to achieve that shading effect like you see on medallions and your example blanks but I cannot find that colour method anywhere. Thanks in advance, ~Dagomara
I have tried to etch a copper tube and find that in using a stamp and an ink pad that the tube slides around on the stamp smearing the lines. Do you have any tips?
Is the tube still round, or have you flattened it? I found that stamps on metal can be a bit testing, even when it's flat. Mind you, I've had some stamping disasters just on paper before now! Some stamps are a bit more 'grabby' than others so don't slip quite as badly. I'd probably try stamping the design very lightly, then going over the design with a permanent pen. I hope that helps!
This was really helpful, thank you. Is there a need to neutralise the Ferric Chloride with anything other than water, and which patina method did you use?
Hello ,j'aime beaucoup beaucoup ce tutoriel , merci beaucoup pour vos explications ...Que faites vous du reste de Ferric Chloride après vous le remettez dans la bouteille ou vous le videz dans les toilettes ???? Merci beaucoup ..Amina
Je vous remercie! Vous pouvez réutiliser le Ferric Chloride plusieurs fois, mais il devient moins efficace à chaque utilisation, donc j'ai tendance à garder le liquide utilisé dans un récipient séparé à la nouvelle. Lorsqu'il n'est plus efficace, je l'emmène au service local d'élimination des déchets afin qu'ils puissent le traiter de façon appropriée. Je suis prudent avec les produits chimiques et ne jamais les verser dans les toilettes ou l'évier, car je ne sais pas où ils finiront et quel impact ils pourraient avoir sur l'environnement ou la santé des gens.
Thanks! Yes, you can re-use it several times, but it will get less effective each time you use it. This should be noticeable in the increasing time it takes to get the etch you want. I tend to keep my used ferric chloride separate from the new, so I've then got some new available when the old batch stops giving me the etch I want.
It's magic! Or science! 😄 Actually that was one of my questions, which was why I added the chemistry bit in the video. It's not essential information, but always nice to know why! 😃 It's still pretty exciting to lift the piece up and see what the result is though!
Hi Niamh, no solvent - I rinse the pieces from the ferric chloride, used a wire brush to remove the permanent ink (although you could use white spirit) then used liver of sulphur to patina.
No, to etch silver you need ferric nitrate. I haven't tried it yet, but I believe it has a similar action on silver to ferric chloride on copper, but is a bit more hazardous, so I'd suggest checking out the usage, storage and disposal requirements.
thank you for your reply.. good thing that i asked you. so i guess i should get some ferric nitrate and try it myself then (will be first time for me too). Cheers
You don't have to, but if you leave the piece unsealed it will continue to oxidise over time, darkening the whole piece. You can, of course, just keep buffing the high points to get the contrast back. But I tend to seal the pieces to try to keep them 'as is' for as long as possible. I always use Renaissance wax, so I'm not sure of the other lacquer options.
You're welcome! You can reuse ferric chloride several times before it is spent and won't etch any more. At that stage I take it to my waste disposal site so they can deal with it properly.
Hanh Dinh You can try a clear spray, such as Krylon; 2 or 3 thin coats, letting it dry between applications. Or, in a pinch, clear nail polish, same type of application (thin, dry between applications).
Yes. I have refrigerator copper tubing from the hardware store than I etched prior to hammering it into a bracelet. You can also get copper wire this way...but you do have to strip the covering off. But I found it's cheaper to get the really heavy gauge copper wire that way. And you can etch wire... the heavier the gauge the better!
No waffleattacks, not with ferric chloride. For sterling you need ferric nitrate. I haven't tried this, it creates the same effect but no doubt with different timescales and things to watch out for.
After etching copper in my ferric Chloride i put a piece of steel in and it was coated in copper. Can someone tell me if this is plating (ie. Permanent) or just a surface coating that will probably rub off
Plating generally requires electricity. See if it comes off with some steel wool. I'm predicting that it can be removed. Although I do not have a definitive answer. Let us know though!
Kerri Schneider It didn't come off with steel wool. I needed to use a scotchbrite wheel on my buffer. Does that indicate it just being a coating? The reaction going on is Fe+ CuCl2= Cu+FeCl2 so technically the layer of copper should only be Atomic level thickness.
@@bobbilly8476 Yeah, it's probably only angstroms thick but I was surprised to hear that steel wool didn't remove it. You can plate copper without using electricity with copper sulphate but the resulting etch solution is a cupric chloride or copper chloride. I didn't know that you could plate using the cupric without requiring hydrochloric acid in the production of the solution. I'm sure if you are aggressive enough that you can remove the copper layer eventually but I dusted off my old college chemistry books and think that you have indeed plated it. Kudos! This old dog can still learn new tricks! Yeah! Questions... what color was the solution prior to afterwards? Is it a shiny or dull copper? Have you tried repeating it? I'm going to have to give this a whirl myself and see what I can do with this new skill added to my wheelhouse!
Hey @Kerri Schneider, sorry for the late reply. 1) That batch of ferric Chloride remained the same color approx as before. 2) It was a dull copper later testing: In a 2 liter container of ferric chloride i dissolved a large amount of household electrical wire into it. The resulting solution does infact still plate the steel. ( steels used; mild, w2, o1, d2, a6)
@@bobbilly8476 Hey there ! A late reply is better than no reply! Giggles. I haven't had a chance to try this yet myself, in fact you reminded me of an experiment I wanted to do! I love when science pulls a rabbit out of its acid bath! Haha I would have never expected this result without electricity... but then I realize the older I get ... just how much I don't know! ALWAYS keep learning! I explained to my kid the other day ... if you're not failing at something it means your trying anything new! Failure is learning! Course I'm not saying you failed here or anything... but some of the best inventions came about from a whooops.
Your video is entitled How to Etch Copper with Ferric Chloride... but the actual process doesn't start until 12:02. Perhaps renaming the video might me more appropriate? "How to Mask and Etch Copper with Ferric Chloride from start to finish". I wanted to refresh my memory on the etching process only. Otherwise it was a very informative video. Thanks.
Thank you for your comment and suggestion. It is one of my early videos, so still learning about pacing and how much info to provide. But I'll have a think about the title, and perhaps some shorter refresher videos. Have fun etching!
I enjoyed until the end when you didn't mention that the liquid can be funneled back into the bottle & used again. It is also pertinent that viewers know this must be taken to a hazardous waste center. When put down the drain it is a dangerous poison in our water supply. Putting in your trash can will also end up in the ground. The copper sludge is still dangerous to the environment even if baking soda is added to the liquid.
Dont funnel back in; acid will lose potency over time much quicker. Best to store used acid separately, as you can certainly use it again. Just store separately so you dont contaminate the fresh acid!
She mentioned at the beginning not to funnel it back in as it becomes weaker over time, and she suggested keeping it separate. She also advised everyone to read all of the safety warnings on the bottle before starting, the safe disposal of it will be explained there. All in all I think she covered all of your points.
An alternative to Ferric Chloride I use for Printed circuit boards is 50:50 Hydrogen Peroxide (3% is fine) and Distilled White vinegar. (Apple cider vinegar works too if that's all you have) I add a couple table spoons of salt as well to speed things up. I also will heat up the mixture to 50C (125F ish). At room temp it could take an hour or more, 50C cuts the time down by half. Just a tip if you can't easily come by Ferric chloride. Less messy too.
Thanks for that tip. I think your Hydrogen Peroxide mix is better for the environment too.
This really works as well ? Trying to get away from so many chemicals
505Innovation thnaks
@@sherbetlemons peroxide is usually found at a pharmacy or grocery store
You get so much information across so quickly you should be a teacher, lovely work . I hope to see more , thank you
Thank you! I try my best! 😃
What a lovely well presented and filmed instructional piece
Thank you for taking time to make and post this video. I took a jewelry class last year and will probably take the second half in fall. We did copper etching one time at the end of the semester and very interested in doing it again. My daughter and I took the jewelry class together at the community college and we want to learn all we can so we subscribed to your channel and thank you again.
Hi Mark, thanks for your comments! I love copper etching - it is rather addictive! It's so great that you and your daughter are learning jewelry together. My Mum and I shared a love of craft which gave me many treasured moments together. I hope you enjoy the channel. If you have any suggestions for future videos just let me know!
Very helpful , Sorry if I missed it but wish you would have talked more about how the marker protects the metal - also a little more about stamping , polishing
Thank you for sharing your etching techniques, I really enjoyed it. As usual your tutorial was clearly and fully explained, I can't wait to try this out! Thanks again!
I just would like to comment a tiny bit as to your tendency to breeze over what would certainly be considered key points in the ferric chloride copper etching process. I am new to the whole chemical addition to my jewelry making strategies and techniques, so I really seek out the most complete and informative media as I feel I can find. Ok, I'll get to the point. If you're intention is to educate and share your knowledge with the community at large, please consider including ALL the details necessary for your followers to complete your regimen safely. Thank you.
Wow, this is my first viewing of etching. That was totally cool. Thank you
hallo. I followed your work keenly when you were with jm. I am so pleased to see you here have subscribed. love this video clear and precise. Will be an added viewer. have shared to my little group and will share on my face book page. well done.
Thanks Maria! Great to hear from you and I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Have fun etching - it really is addictive!!
Wow! Thanks so much. I could not figure out the process on my own...not stupid but like many women of my age, anything resembling science is off-putting. I have my ferric chloride now and I’m ready to etch. Again, thanks for the help.
Hi Shery,Could you help where did you get the ferric chloride?
Interesting and the puces turned out beautiful!
Well explained, patient & clear. Very happy to find your channel Teresa. Just subscribed. Just the ticket for my own projects. Happy New Year and greetings from Ireland. Thank you.
I speed up the process by adding citric acid. Mix 1/5 citric acid solution to 4/5 ferric chloride. Citric acid solution is 1 part citric acid powder to 3 parts distilled water. It really cuts down on the time!
This was super helpful for me!! I am wondering if you can use brass or other metals as well as copper?
I enjoyed your video. I think I'll try doing the edges first, so if I slip, I won't ruin the design on the surface.
Thank you! Yes, it probably is a good idea to mask off the edges first! 😃
Pretty cool!!!. Would love to find an alternative to the chemical, if possible. Love your designs and thorough explanation. 🙏🏼❤️
Thank you so much for the lesson! I’m so excited to get started
You'll love it! The magic moment of the 'reveal' is always so satisfying! 😃
Woa! That’s friggin amazing.. I had no idea lol I’m SO playing around with this! Thank you for the excellent video! :)
Ive used the circuit board blue paper. Its great in my book. But sometimes the printer doesnt act right. Have to black in where misses. I was new to it all when tried. Dont even remember what chemical i used. Yours looks great. Take care.
Very informative, very detailed thank you!
Great Tutorial! Looking forward to trying this out.
So fun! They all look awesome! Including the spiders web 😍
Wow! You keep blowing my mind! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️. Where must you dispose of the liquid! How many times can you use it?
Red sharpie actually works better as a resist than the black sharpie. Don't ask me how because I don't know lol
Very clear and informative. Thanks.
Thank you Lily for the answer!
No problem, glad to help! 😃
Great video, going to try make antennae with this technique. Thanks!
Interesting! I'd love to know how you get on!
love the work you do. keep the videos coming... great job
Thanks Carol! Will do!
If you make a new video could you explain how you cleaned them after taking out of the acid?
That is really nice work , and so accurate . Thank you
Thank you Pat, and you're welcome!
Great video but how do you stop the etsing? I have learnd I a bath whit backing soda. Otherwise the chloride wil not stop etsing...and what are you using for the patina?
Thanks Joos. To stop the etching, I just rinse off the ferric chloride in water. I haven't found that anything else is necessary. I use liver of sulphur to patina (check out my video at ua-cam.com/video/3NjRUpi8xmc/v-deo.html ) and a solution of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to stop the patina. In theory you can use plain water for this too, but I find the soda solution is simpler, particularly if I'm doing a batch of items.
Thank you for your video. I have etched various copper items for jewellery. Now how do I dispose of the ferric chloride here in the UK?
Great tutorial! Thanks!
Thank you and you're welcome!
That was a great video, thank you so much! Nice work too!
Thank you!
No kidding about the staining! This stuff seems to get everywhere and it will not come off!
Lovely work. Thank you.
Was just wondering can cast aluminium be etched. At this time of year I find lots of strange looking mushrooms, I freeze them and when they are hard I sand cast then I aluminium and polish them. The thing is while the shapes might be great the surface can be a bit boring , so I thought maybe a little etching of some design might be nice.
I haven't tried it myself, but apparently you can. You might need to experiment with method and timing though. From what I've seen it looks like aluminium reacts more (and fizzes!) so it might be worth trying to dip it upright, or sideways, for example. If you give it a go, I'd love to see the results! The idea of mushroom shapes with surface design sounds fabulous!
Good vid Thank you what temperature does ferric chloride need to be . Thanking you in anticipation
good stuff! subbed
What happens if the other side of the pendant gets into the ferric Chloride?
Over the years I have done a lot of etching from patterns drawn from my pc onto transparent overhead projector material.
I'm not quite sure I follow you here... i have transparencies that I can print on to... used for an overhead projector back in the day... but how do you get the pattern off the transparency and onto the metal? Are you using a laser printer? Laser toner ink works as a great resist...or so I've read. I don't have a laser printer at home and I'm not about to shlepp out to a copy place to get something printed. I'm too lazy to do that...lol. instead I'd rather painstakingly draw by hand. Lol. Just curious about your process!
I coat the brass on one side with the a bright blue light sensitive material, make an envelope with thin card and the transparency, put the brass between, put it face down in UV light, expose it for 5 mins. The image comes on to the brass. Develope it with baking soda/ water 10%. put in a bath of ferric chloride.
@@bbcisrubbish Thank you for the reply! I understand now. UV resist.... that explains it! Without that ingredient, I was really scratching my head as to how you transferred the pattern. Thanks again!
Kerri Schneider It's a pleasure. I find that trying to describe things in writing is not at all easy. I don't have a clue on computer things, short cuts etc.
It would be easier to use a drawing, "a picture is worth a thousand words". However, I don't know how. I am not buying anymore equipment.
@@bbcisrubbish oh I know what you mean ... I'm always talking with my hands and providing demonstrations...when I'm on the phone... like they can see me! And I know a little bit about computers ... and I know I used to be able to post a picture in a videos comments section...because I often did. Now I cannot. I've tried repeatedly to figure it out. You ask around and I'm finding the same answer ... you can't. But also as disturbing I hear that...you never could. I beg to differ. I did it for work as well. I sent a suggestion to UA-cam but I guess their hands are busy policing everyone's speech. I would find it sooo helpful when learning new things and explaining what I know!
I used to be in R&D in microelectronic semiconductors industry... I used to design, make and package silicon wafer to chips and photolithograghy is a large part of the process. So once I read the UV... I instantly knew what you were talking about. That's how circuits are created on computer chips if you didn't know already. Just plating, etching, evaporating all the metals, other materials needed to run the "wires" (thickness measured in angstroms) in order to get said gizmo to power up and do as you design. Boy if only my lab was still around I could make some seriously impressive jewelry! Kinda why I started in the copper etching really. Sorry for the long diatribe. Happy creating!
Awesome video, thank you so much!!
Quick question though, what did you use to patina the copper? I would like to achieve that shading effect like you see on medallions and your example blanks but I cannot find that colour method anywhere.
Thanks in advance,
~Dagomara
Liver of sulphur
A really closer look would have been better! Thank you for sharing
I have tried to etch a copper tube and find that in using a stamp and an ink pad that the tube slides around on the stamp smearing the lines. Do you have any tips?
Is the tube still round, or have you flattened it? I found that stamps on metal can be a bit testing, even when it's flat. Mind you, I've had some stamping disasters just on paper before now! Some stamps are a bit more 'grabby' than others so don't slip quite as badly. I'd probably try stamping the design very lightly, then going over the design with a permanent pen. I hope that helps!
Great Video. Do you have a video on how to patina copper?
Super! Can reuse chloride?
What type of copper sheets? I have dead soft for my silversmithing class.
This was really helpful, thank you. Is there a need to neutralise the Ferric Chloride with anything other than water, and which patina method did you use?
I've just found the answer. Thank you
Very nice. Thank you 8)
You have just inspired me ! Thanks for the upload
,very cool channel iv subbed so il be back to pick your brains lol
Hello ,j'aime beaucoup beaucoup ce tutoriel , merci beaucoup pour vos explications ...Que faites vous du reste de Ferric Chloride après vous le remettez dans la bouteille ou vous le videz dans les toilettes ???? Merci beaucoup ..Amina
Je vous remercie! Vous pouvez réutiliser le Ferric Chloride plusieurs fois, mais il devient moins efficace à chaque utilisation, donc j'ai tendance à garder le liquide utilisé dans un récipient séparé à la nouvelle. Lorsqu'il n'est plus efficace, je l'emmène au service local d'élimination des déchets afin qu'ils puissent le traiter de façon appropriée. Je suis prudent avec les produits chimiques et ne jamais les verser dans les toilettes ou l'évier, car je ne sais pas où ils finiront et quel impact ils pourraient avoir sur l'environnement ou la santé des gens.
Un grand merci pour avoir pris le temps de répondre ;) ainsi que pour les précisions . Amina
De rien!
Hi can this method be used to etch solid copper pcbs ?
Thanks
Great video... thanks! Can you use the ferric chloride over once you've used it once?
Thanks! Yes, you can re-use it several times, but it will get less effective each time you use it. This should be noticeable in the increasing time it takes to get the etch you want. I tend to keep my used ferric chloride separate from the new, so I've then got some new available when the old batch stops giving me the etch I want.
Hi maybe you can help I'm in Canada .Where would I be able to buy ferric chloride and copper sheets?
That is so cool! How the heck does that happen?
It's magic! Or science! 😄 Actually that was one of my questions, which was why I added the chemistry bit in the video. It's not essential information, but always nice to know why! 😃 It's still pretty exciting to lift the piece up and see what the result is though!
Hi, what solvent are you using at the end once the etching has been done?
Hi Niamh, no solvent - I rinse the pieces from the ferric chloride, used a wire brush to remove the permanent ink (although you could use white spirit) then used liver of sulphur to patina.
thank you.
no batteries?
Could this be used to make a stamp?
I try already but nothing happened. Are you sure is only ferric chloride. Please help me 🙏
amazing 💕
great demo and result. thank you .
can you etch sterling silver with Ferric chloride ?
No, to etch silver you need ferric nitrate. I haven't tried it yet, but I believe it has a similar action on silver to ferric chloride on copper, but is a bit more hazardous, so I'd suggest checking out the usage, storage and disposal requirements.
thank you for your reply.. good thing that i asked you.
so i guess i should get some ferric nitrate and try it myself then (will be first time for me too).
Cheers
Should you put a lacquer on the pieces after patina-ing? Or will the patina protect the copper?
You don't have to, but if you leave the piece unsealed it will continue to oxidise over time, darkening the whole piece. You can, of course, just keep buffing the high points to get the contrast back. But I tend to seal the pieces to try to keep them 'as is' for as long as possible. I always use Renaissance wax, so I'm not sure of the other lacquer options.
Thanks - I'll try that.
Hello again, will it work with Hydrocloride acid?
Can you etch copper wire?
Thanks for the video. How do you dispose of solution? Mary Beth 🇺🇸
You're welcome! You can reuse ferric chloride several times before it is spent and won't etch any more. At that stage I take it to my waste disposal site so they can deal with it properly.
I put it on my weeds
Can a cut out vinyl decal be used as a resist? That way I could get a very consistent design?
Very nice designs. Is there any way to protect the copper so it won't turn green when you sweat?
Hanh Dinh
You can try a clear spray, such as Krylon; 2 or 3 thin coats, letting it dry between applications. Or, in a pinch, clear nail polish, same type of application (thin, dry between applications).
Will this technique of etching work on cooper from the hardware store?
Yes. I have refrigerator copper tubing from the hardware store than I etched prior to hammering it into a bracelet. You can also get copper wire this way...but you do have to strip the covering off. But I found it's cheaper to get the really heavy gauge copper wire that way. And you can etch wire... the heavier the gauge the better!
It also works on brass.
@@kerrischneider7693 Thank you!
Great video! Does this also work with sterling silver?
No waffleattacks, not with ferric chloride. For sterling you need ferric nitrate. I haven't tried this, it creates the same effect but no doubt with different timescales and things to watch out for.
Silver is great to etch
li love you
will this work on bronze .
Yes. Ferric Chloride can be used for copper and its alloys such as brass and bronze.
After etching copper in my ferric Chloride i put a piece of steel in and it was coated in copper. Can someone tell me if this is plating (ie. Permanent) or just a surface coating that will probably rub off
Plating generally requires electricity. See if it comes off with some steel wool. I'm predicting that it can be removed. Although I do not have a definitive answer. Let us know though!
Kerri Schneider It didn't come off with steel wool. I needed to use a scotchbrite wheel on my buffer. Does that indicate it just being a coating? The reaction going on is Fe+ CuCl2= Cu+FeCl2 so technically the layer of copper should only be Atomic level thickness.
@@bobbilly8476 Yeah, it's probably only angstroms thick but I was surprised to hear that steel wool didn't remove it. You can plate copper without using electricity with copper sulphate but the resulting etch solution is a cupric chloride or copper chloride. I didn't know that you could plate using the cupric without requiring hydrochloric acid in the production of the solution. I'm sure if you are aggressive enough that you can remove the copper layer eventually but I dusted off my old college chemistry books and think that you have indeed plated it. Kudos! This old dog can still learn new tricks! Yeah! Questions... what color was the solution prior to afterwards? Is it a shiny or dull copper? Have you tried repeating it? I'm going to have to give this a whirl myself and see what I can do with this new skill added to my wheelhouse!
Hey @Kerri Schneider, sorry for the late reply.
1) That batch of ferric Chloride remained the same color approx as before.
2) It was a dull copper
later testing: In a 2 liter container of ferric chloride i dissolved a large amount of household electrical wire into it.
The resulting solution does infact still plate the steel. ( steels used; mild, w2, o1, d2, a6)
@@bobbilly8476 Hey there ! A late reply is better than no reply! Giggles. I haven't had a chance to try this yet myself, in fact you reminded me of an experiment I wanted to do! I love when science pulls a rabbit out of its acid bath! Haha
I would have never expected this result without electricity... but then I realize the older I get ... just how much I don't know! ALWAYS keep learning! I explained to my kid the other day ... if you're not failing at something it means your trying anything new! Failure is learning! Course I'm not saying you failed here or anything... but some of the best inventions came about from a whooops.
Lily-tree
👍
Your video is entitled How to Etch Copper with Ferric Chloride... but the actual process doesn't start until 12:02.
Perhaps renaming the video might me more appropriate? "How to Mask and Etch Copper with Ferric Chloride from start to finish".
I wanted to refresh my memory on the etching process only. Otherwise it was a very informative video. Thanks.
Thank you for your comment and suggestion. It is one of my early videos, so still learning about pacing and how much info to provide. But I'll have a think about the title, and perhaps some shorter refresher videos. Have fun etching!
My ferric chloride arrived this morning. My copper will arrive soon. Fingers crossed!
Thank God someone is speaking good clear English, not the USA gab.
LOL !
Don't worry, with Brexit you can stay cocooned in your own little corner forever. Apparently. So sorry that the BBC is too commie for you.
I am expert in brass steel and copper etching I am looking for a job if any vacancy in etching line c me 7620612618
I enjoyed until the end when you didn't mention that the liquid can be funneled back into the bottle & used again.
It is also pertinent that viewers know this must be taken to a hazardous waste center. When put down the drain it is a dangerous poison in our water supply. Putting in your trash can will also end up in the ground. The copper sludge is still dangerous to the environment even if baking soda is added to the liquid.
J Halfacre it's good on weeds though
Dont funnel back in; acid will lose potency over time much quicker. Best to store used acid separately, as you can certainly use it again. Just store separately so you dont contaminate the fresh acid!
She mentioned at the beginning not to funnel it back in as it becomes weaker over time, and she suggested keeping it separate. She also advised everyone to read all of the safety warnings on the bottle before starting, the safe disposal of it will be explained there. All in all I think she covered all of your points.
Were you paying attention? This was covered.
Just get on with the etch! Over 12 minutes of watching you draw a tree.
too too too tooooooo slooooow ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Thanks for the feedback. Sorry that it put you to sleep, but I hope you had a refreshing nap!
eh i thought it was good.
Haha
You can actually fast forward through the video, stopping when you want to see/hear the clear instructions.