Day tripper. Buying Acid and etching steel.

[Bm101]

Wasn't sure where to put this tbh. Metalwork? Handtools? I'd put it in Past Mistakes but I haven't started it yet.
I'm after buying some Nitric Acid to try etching a plane blade. I've fallen down the rabbit hole and done my research. But i can't find a decent (read: cheap) supplier. After looking at the options I'd like to try etching a design into a O1 plane blade. Not because I have delusions of grandeur just because why not. Have to love learning new ways to bollix up your hard earned little projects. After looking about a bit, I'd like t try Nitric Acid on a beeswax base and etching the odd doodly tree I've been drawing over and over since i was 6.
So, any cheap reliable suppliers people are aware of. Ebay etc seem to bring up muscle tablets mostly. Any info would be highly appreciated!
I know a lot of knife makers use variations on the technique I thought I'd see what you guys think first.

Cheers as always,
Chris.

 

[oakmitre]

I have done some etching but did not use Nitric Acid due to the dangers involved.

I used the Saline-Sulphate method which is hugely safer and gives very good resolution on steel.

Details can be found at http://www.nontoxicprint.com/thenewetchingchemistry.htm

That page also links to salt electro etching which is very safe with reasonable ventilation - there are lots of videos on youtube on sodium chloride (just table salt) electro etching. Here is a good intro example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79r7iX1Qm1M

With the saline sulphate you don't need beeswax - a normal CD marker or OHP pen will usually work.Although you should practice on scrap pieces before commiting to a plane iron.Some of the thinner ink formulations may allow some etchant through, also dependent on time and agitation. For larger areas you can use nail varnish, although it takes longer to dry.

I have attached my first attempt I did a couple of years ago, it is about the size of a £2 coin. The symbols are just random (not some masonic conspiracy). I did not polish the steel beforehand, so the raised areas are textured as well as the etched areas.

 

[Bm101]

Thank you very much. A couple of great links there. Wise words about the health issues, I was aware of them but the first link made some sobering reading. Much appreciated. Time to do a little more reading! Thanks again for taking the trouble.
Edit ... Sorry meant to say... I know that's a test piece but it's very impressive. Do you mind me asking what method you use for resisting?
Cheers
Chris

 

[Aggrajag]

No idea if I'm helping here but would the drain cleaning sulphuric acid work? I got 3 litres off Amazon for £14 and it's proper corrosive, very dangerous stuff. Or does it not do metal? I'm not a chemist :/

 

[Bm101]

I'd wondered the same thing initially tbh but the more I've read up on it the warier I've become. It's more important to have a set of working lungs at the end of it. They aren't too great as it is. This from someone who wrote 'secret' as the answer to 'What type of agent is Benzine?' in my Gcse chemistry exam. True story.
(homer)

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Without much in the way of knowledge of what I was doing, I etched the iron in this plane:

plane-making-attempt-4-t84596.html

I first tried brick cleaning acid (sulphuric), which did nothing to speak of. Then I tried a fairly dilute solution of the acid, but used electrolysis at 12v, with the iron as anode and and scrap metal as cathode (any chemists confirm if I've remembered this the right way around ?). It etched quite quickly. The deficiencies in the mark were mostly down to using a positive photoresist lacquer and a laser printed transparency to photographically transfer the mark to the resist. The laser printing is not opaque enough.

 

[Bm101]

Thanks Tony. From what I've been reading you attach the + to the work. The laser printing method does seem to offer an advantage in terms of being able to get your design exact without some of the costs involved in getting stencils cut and so on. I also have a new thread to read on making planes! It looks like a beauty so thanks.
Sometimes with summat new I have the tendency to overthink it. It might be a case of settling on one method and just cracking on with some scrap. See how it turns out.
I still need to heat treat the blade and not mess that up first. Priorities were never my strong point...

 

[oakmitre]

The photo resist I used is a spray, you can either dry it in an oven or leave it overnight.
As mentioned by Tony, you place a black laser printed image between the coated surface and a UV light source.
After exposure the metal is washed with a developing solution, and depending if you use a positive or negative resist spray, either the unexposed or exposed area washes away leaving a mask for etching.

The snag can be tiny holes in the laser printing that lets through light. There are work arounds such as finding a good laser printer with a dense toner, or treating with a darkening spray. You can also go over the laser printing gently with a marker pen which will wipe off the film but fill any holes in the toner.

I have also used the unrelated toner transfer method, and etched glass that way.Porosity of the mask can be a problem.This is a very cheap method and just requires an old iron, and some inkjet glossy paper from poundland with a laser printer. It takes time to get it right though (correct iron temperature and burnishing technique)

These methods can be combined with brush plating to produce some impressive effects.

If you have artistic ability, then drawing with a resist pen (type etch resist pen into google) ( instead of the cheaper OHP / CD makers ) is a very good option.

 

[Bm101]

If you have artistic ability, then drawing with a resist pen (type etch resist pen into google) ( instead of the cheaper OHP / CD makers ) is a very good option.

Nope. but I'm delusional enough to give it a try.

 

[oakmitre]

If you have artistic ability, then drawing with a resist pen (type etch resist pen into google) ( instead of the cheaper OHP / CD makers ) is a very good option.

Nope. but I'm delusional enough to give it a try.

Using alcohol ( I use IPA - that's not pale ale btw ) you can quite easily erase and start again.

 

[Bm101]

Thanks for all the information. It really is appreciated.