How to etch metal
How to electro etch some steel. With enough time, this will comply with the ATF's .003" engraving depth. What you'll need.. Power supply: 9v battery, 12v bat...
Etching is a method of using chemicals to cut a design or pattern into a metal surface. Etching your own designs into metal is easier than it may sound, and it can be a fun and rewarding way to make your own jewelry! Learn the basics of how to choose your metals, choose your etchants, create or transfer your images with resists, and complete the etching process. Discover how to make a float boat for suspending your designs in etchant — plus find basic etching safety precautions, design considerations, and free projects. You may also want to shop our etching chemicals & supplies, including our exclusive etching tool kit. What Metals can be Etched? Because chemical etching actually cuts into the surface of the metal, you want to make sure your plate or sheet of metal is thick enough to hold an etched design well. We recommend using 22-gauge or thicker metal sheet and pre-cut metal blanks. Options we carry that will work with ferric chloride (see next section) include: 22-Gauge Copper Blanks18-Gauge Copper Blanks22-Gauge Brass Blanks20-Gauge Copper Sheet14-Gauge Copper Blanks20-Gauge Brass Sheet19-Gauge Copper Blanks20-Gauge Nickel Silver Sheet24-gauge sheet metal and 24-gauge pre-cut blankswill also work — just be sure to leave 24-gauge items in the chemical bath for less time than you would a thicker metal. See all gauges of metal blanks for more options. Choosing the Right EtchantEtchant is the chemical (or mixture of chemicals) that you'll use to cut into unprotected parts of your metal and create the finished etched design. It's important to match your metal with an appropriate etchant, because the same metal will react differently to different chemicals (and vice versa).Copper, brass and nickel silver can be etched with ferric chloride. To avoid order delays and extra shipping charges, please read and follow the shipping restrictions listed with chemicals such as ferric chloride. .999 fine silver & .925 sterling silver can be etched using a ferric nitrate solution or nitric acid. Both these etchants are more dangerous to use than ferric chloride.Aluminum etchants include hydrofluoric acid, Kellers etch, and homemade solutions made with copper sulfate and sodium bisulfate.Types of Resists A resist is what you use to protect certain parts of your metal from the etchant. Resists are typically inks (and tapes). You will apply a design or pattern to the metal with your resist. Then, when you dip your metal into the chemical bath, the covered areas will "resist" being eaten away. Those covered areas will be the high points of your design once the etching process is complete. Different artisans use different resists, and different resists work better with different aesthetic styles and methods — for example using rubber stamps, making a photo transfer, drawing by hand, etc. With practice and experimentation you'll figure out which mediums and methods you prefer, too. Resists that work on copper, brass, and nickel silver include:StazOn® & Perfect Medium™ Ink Pads work great to add rubber stamp designs to metal. StazOn Cleaner allows you to removed smudged immpressions and start over till the image comes out to your satisfaction. Press-n-Peel Transfer Film provides an easy way to create detailed photo etched designs. Use a laser printer or copier to print onto the paper, then transfer the image to metal with an iron. Sharpie Permanent Markers are a great resist for hand-drawn designs. Just keep in mind that etchants can undercut designs a little. Don't draw with too fine a line, or details could be lost. Duct Tape works great to cover the back of your metal (unless you want both sides of your metal to be etched), and or to create a frame/border around your design. Etching Tutorials & Projects Use our blog post below to take you through the full process of etching a design into metal — including the innovative use of a "float boat" instead of tape to suspend your designs in the etchant! Find more helpful hints in our safety precautions and design considerations. Get inspired with free projects. DIY Copper Etching Tutorial Blog PostSafety Tips forMetal Etching Blog PostDesign Considerationsfor Etching MetalBlog Post"Pleasant Dream"Etched Barrette Gallery ProjectEtched Metal & Leather BraceletBlog Post"Sonya Snow Skater"Etched Necklace Gallery Project For an illustrated step-by-step guide that's easy to print, see our Metal Etching 101 PDF.
Remember I said there would be a catch when it came to this freebie tutorial? Here it is - If you are not already a subscriber of my blog, now’s the time to take the plunge! I ask that you subscribe yourself and share this blog with as many friends as you think appropriate. That…
How to easily make a knife with two tone Metal Etching. We started with a water jet cut knife blank. These blanks are available on DIYeasycrafts.com The kni...
How to easily etch a design onto the blade of almost any knife. Easy metal etching without having to use any corrosive acid.
How to easily etch a name or logo into metal. Great for Knife makers.
Топор ручной работы, травление металла в домашних условиях в солевом растворе.
Очередной ЭКСПЕРИМЕНТ .Попытка протравить глубоко, на сколько это возможно. После замерки выяснилось что протравил на 0.04 мм при толщине клинка в 2 мм. Трав...
How to Metal Etch / Easy Metal Etching Using Electricity: In this video I share 2 simple ways how to metal etch using electricity. I use these same techniques on every metal restoration / modification project. This is so easily done and can substitute metal engraving with very minimal work. I have everythi…
When I set out to learn to work with imagery on metal, I found a wealth of online resources out there - blog posts and articles and tut...
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Hi all Kristin Hubick from Retrocafeart has asked me to do a tutorial for you all on how I etch metal after she saw my etched metal suitca...
DIY Knife Logo Metal Etching How To Project. How to easily etch any name or logo into metal. Great for marking your name or logo when making your own knives....
I never thought I would do anything with metal etching. Well, never say "never", right? Thanks to Meredith Arnold , I wanted to try etchin...
metal etching, drawing on metal, engraving, electrochemical metal etching,
SALT AND WATER ETCHING: !!READ ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS AND SAFETY TIPS BEFORE STARTING!! This is a simple and fast etching, also known as electrolytic etching, that is made without the use of polluting or poisonous chemicals: only water and salt, and energy. Any comments or t…
Stop Using Ferric Chloride Etchant! (A Better Etching Solution.): Ferric chloride is a traditional home-use circuit board etchant. It's easy enough to come by, and the Ferric by itself is no big environmental problem. However, once you've etched a board with it, you're left with a solution with a bunch of coppe…
Etching metal is one of my favorite metalsmithing techniques- it's a great way to create a surface pattern or image in metal. If you want to...
