[regal]

I guess I was looking for a brand/supplier.  My experience has been that buying etching solution (years ago) is like buying laundry detergent,  some of it is watered down.

 

[MrTom]

Quote:

I guess I was looking for a brand/supplier.  My experience has been that buying etching solution (years ago) is like buying laundry detergent,  some of it is watered down.

 
If you were getting ferric chloride (it's a good method despite the mess - I can only talk about this etch method is it's the only one I have used), you can buy it in granulated form which seems to be pretty standard in potency. The benefit of this is that you can make it really strong if required.  I have never purchased the solutions as, like yourself, I have doubts of the strength. I just like control

 
I think it's 250 g to make .5 l, but of course, you can tune this

 
I'm not sure if you can get the Ammonia type chemical this way, I wouldn't even know what it looks like!
 
As suppliers go, I'm in the UK and use Mega, via Farnell.
 
Good luck in your search

 

[Fred_fred2004]

I get the ammonium persulphate from
 
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Ammonium-Persulfate-1-lb-Oxidizing-Agent-Copper-Etchant-/330482761518?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf24ebf2e
 
its a white powder
 
cheers
FRED

 

[regal]

Great idea,  just ordered some ferric chloride from ebay.   I'm afraid the wife wouldn't want me experiementing with an ammonium salt

 

[MrTom]

Nice one regal!!
 
Fred_fred, that is CHEAP!! How do you find it compares with the ferric chloride with regard to etch times and setup complexity?

 

[Fred_fred2004]

The Ammonium persulfate is very clean it mixes into a clear solution, which turns blue as it absorbs the copper, the reaction will not work unless the solution is warm,
 
I just make it up with some hot water, a couple of table spoons in 500ml of hot water seems to be a reasonable mix.
 
I just keep reusing it until the etching gets to slow, then make a fresh batch.
 
The best thing is it doesn't stain everything like the ferric and as its a clear solution its very easy to see how the etching is progressing
 
cheers

 

[dBel84]

Just a word of warning regarding APS. It will make quick nasty work of your lungs if you happen to inhale the fine powder. I used this stuff for years when I was s running acrylamide gels and it is a pretty potent exothermic catalyst/oxidant. It also happens to carry static very well and sticks to everything - I always wore a face mask or used it in the hood. I was erring on caution and do not follow these principles nearly as closely with ferric chloride. The biggest advantage of APS as an etchant is as Fred noted; it is clear and you can monitor the progress very easily. 
 
Does anyone have an idea how to generate a "non-solid" ground plane in eagle?
 
..dB
 
ps - I use liquid ferric chlorride in a glycerine base, I will check the manufacturer but it is a well known industrial chemical house. 

 

[MrTom]

Cheers guys - interesting and informative!!

 

[dBel84]

The etchant I use is made by MGM Chemicals 
 

 
..dB

 

[Fred_fred2004]

The powder I get from eBay is about the consistancy of sugar so inhaling it has never been an issue, but its a good warning if you happen to get a fine powder version
 
cheers

 

[Zaubertuba]

Quote:

...Use the toner transfer method on the component side of the board to look like you silk screened it....

 
This makes me curious...
 
If you had a copper faceplate, would this be useful for doing your own "iron-on" faceplate label?  Perhaps adding a clearcoat finish to protect it?  If it worked that way, perhaps an easy way to do a very high-tolerance template for your drilling/machining?
 
Are there other metals/materials for which the toner transfer method works?

 

[qusp]

no reason why not

 

[Fred_fred2004]

I've never tried so I could be wrong, but ironing onto a front panel may be difficult,
it would act like a pretty decent heatsink and you may have trouble getting it hot enough for the toner to melt and transfer
 
cheers

 

[qusp]

might take a little while, but I dont see why it wouldnt work, copper does indeed sink heat very well, but it doesnt dissipate it well at all, so it would continue to get hotter and hotter unlike al which does a pretty good job of transferring it to the air. of course I could be wrong too, worth a try though

 

[Avro_Arrow]

pre-heat it in the oven first...
 
Quote:

might take a little while, but I dont see why it wouldnt work, copper does indeed sink heat very well, but it doesnt dissipate it well at all, so it would continue to get hotter and hotter unlike al which does a pretty good job of transferring it to the air. of course I could be wrong too, worth a try though