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Hi, first time posting but long time follower of Dakka.

Firts time giving this a go but im trying to make a set of decals for photo etching. Im thinking of a legion of the damned, blood angels and some space wolf themed set.


I dont have a setup for the acids and transfers but i found some cheap brass. 0.3mm and 0.1mm. That should be enough to beginwith.


Here is my first set of prints to be etched i should have a setup by the time im done with the digital work.

Keep in mind the manner in which the metal is etched.

Assuming you will be doing a simple single sided, single layer etching - the metal will be dissolved from the front...and it sort of "erodes" under the resist material. Really narrow parts - those narrower than the thickness of your material especially - can prove problematic as the etching chemicals erode in from both sides and then work up from the bottom to the resist material on the top. It doesn't look like any of these in particular will have a problem there (hard to say really...but the narrowest part looks to be about 1mm or so...but that could just be the rasterization process).

The other thing is...that is a lot of white space. My goal is usually 75% or so of actual useable metal out of a sheet. I often fail...but that is still my goal. The first image looks to be 50% or so, while the second looks to be somewhere down around 33%. You can rearrange those parts to have a much higher density of useful items and less metal that is getting dissolved by the etchant. This does several things...the first is you save on metal costs. One or two sheets of metal are not that expensive - but if you decide you like doing them, you might find yourself doing a whole 4x6 table worth of etched brass accessories. That can run a hundred dollars or more in metal costs. The other is that you will be able to reuse the etchant more. If you are using toner transfer paper as a lot of DIY kits do - it will also save you on paper costs (depending on your source...a dollar a sheet or so starts to add up pretty quick).

By using the same alternating side positioning on the smaller fern leaf things as you did on the larger ones - you could probably get those up to 75-80% without even changing any shapes. Also, straight is a very useful shape with etched metal. Once it is etched you can bend, twist or otherwise form it as needed.

Other than that - they look pretty good. You can actually start etching with vinegar and peroxide (think those are the two...interwebs should have the specific ratios and items). Bit slower than full strength etchants, but then again, they are also less likely to burn a whole in your hand.

Didn't realise you could etch with vinegar, peroxide, and salt.

Any tips, suggestions, or a tutorial you can share concerning etching parts with it ?

I googled and all I found on vinegar, peroxide, and salt etching was all concerning do it yourself circuit boards

The home brew stuff isn't really my solution of choice...I tend to prefer the stuff that will burn a hole in my hand instead, patience and all.

Anyway, if my chemistry is remembering correctly - the resulting compound from the solution is peracetic acid. Should work on your copper, brass, zinc and silver metals and various related alloys. Won't work so well on things like stainless steel and aluminum. Trying to think what use the salt might be...but I guess it could break down to be a free chlorine/sodium to enhance the corrosion in some way (again, not my compound of choice).

In terms of how...ummm. It all tends to work in roughly the same way. Coat your metal, dip, wait, rinse. Not sure what the exact molar concentration would end up being of the home brew solution (would depend somewhat on what you use to make it) so figuring a time is a bit tough. I would start with 10-15 minutes and inspect to see how much etching has happened and go from there.

You will likely see a corroded layer form, so a pair of gloves and either something like a foamie paint brush or sponge to gently wipe it off (without removing your resist) would be helpful to allow for inspection and faster etching.

If you have the bits on hand (as many do) you can give it a go without much effort. Although there are a lot of better, purpose made, resists out there...but most anything will work. I have done them using Sharpies and Micron pens as well as hand painted stuff (more artsy then technical - but it gets you going with little effort). Paint the backside of your metal fully, draw out a few designs on the front, mix it up and go...

Still not sure what the salt is for though... IIRC you should also be able to buy peracetic acid from Feed & Seed places as it is used as a disinfectant for a lot of milk handling industries including diary farms (probably also restaurant type stores too for cleaning the stainless steel tables and counters).

Thank you for your explanation.

When I googled photo etching without salt and vinegar I got a lot more hits. I understand the process better now. Think I just needed to see a few pics along the way to help it sink in.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234944044-how-to-make-photo-etched-parts-at-home/

http://www.nigellawton009.com/Etching_for_Beginners_Version_5.htm

Yeah im changing the designs a bit. They look more eficiant now. and i found the brass for relatively cheap. I got all these for around 10$. The edges are kind of bent but after cleaning it should be fine



Im having dificulty finding photo rezist though. Im probably going to have to order from online stores. I also found a local chemical depo where i can get peroxide by the gallons. I wasnt too shure between feric cloride or a peroxide solution. Availability will determine wich one i guess.


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Hm. That vinegar solution sounds more atainable. Would normal household vinegar and %5 peroxide work? Any ratios that you guys could advise? And im thinking of using the blue uv photo resist films. Alibaba has them at 1$ per sheet.

 adamsouza wrote:
Thank you for your explanation.

When I googled photo etching without salt and vinegar I got a lot more hits. I understand the process better now. Think I just needed to see a few pics along the way to help it sink in.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234944044-how-to-make-photo-etched-parts-at-home/

http://www.nigellawton009.com/Etching_for_Beginners_Version_5.htm

Both of those show the use of resist film to create your resist. It is a very accurate and generally more reliable way of doing it - but good quality laser printers can do it too (as can paint, markers, anything that is resistant to the etching chemicals). For the laser printer version - print on paper, place on your metal...printed side touching the metal...iron to transfer the printing from the paper to the metal. Other tutorials go into more detail regarding the paper selection, iron settings and all of that.

Both of them are also double sided etchings. Good in that they provide more detail and definition than a single sided etching...bad in that they offer more places to screw up. The first go around, I wouldn't worry too much about a double sided design.

Beyond that - a few specific points. The lightbulb heater helps to accelerate the etching process. The aquarium pump is there to help remove the corroded sludge from the metal face (I mentioned dealing with that above by wiping it off). For a beginner - I would recommend skipping on both. Not because they are dangerous or difficult to use - rather because they can speed things up too much. I have been distracted once or twice while etching parts only to come back to find no solid metal left in my tank. With the stronger concentrations, higher heat and built in agitation (I use an aerated, heated, rocker tank) - the time to fully etch through metal is down around 5 minutes. Once it has fully etched through, it will really start working backwards up to your resist material till there is nothing left. That takes about 7 minutes...

By slowing things down a bit till you get a handle on things, you can etch a sheet in 30 minutes or so and the built up crud helps to protect the metal you want to keep slowing things down till you clean it off again. Still plenty fast.


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romulus wrote:
Im having dificulty finding photo rezist though.

See above. Rereading the "Brass Etching for Beginners" article - he actually is using acetate film (which is what I use most often). The actual photo resist has some benefits - but it also has limitations (cost being a significant one). Here in the US, you can go through companies like MicroMark and pick up kits that have the etchant and a couple of resist sheets to get started (and order those separately IIRC).


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romulus wrote:
Hm. That vinegar solution sounds more atainable. Would normal household vinegar and %5 peroxide work? Any ratios that you guys could advise? And im thinking of using the blue uv photo resist films. Alibaba has them at 1$ per sheet.

See further above and above. The strength of the etchant will work...pretty much no matter what. It comes down to how fast it will work. I haven't used the vinegar/peroxide = peracetic acid solution myself. What would amount to a 50/50 mix (based off from actual active concentrations...so 5% peroxide you will want 5% acetic acid in your vinegar...for a 1 to 1 ratio). If your peroxide is 3% and your vinegar is 9% you would need to adjust accordingly.

On the UV Photo Resist Films - remember, those will need to actually be developed before using. This adds another step and a different set of chemicals (plus the UV light to develop the film).

Hey Sean_OBrien, thank tou for all the info. I think it would be wise to start slow as you sudgested. Im pretty shure the first few will be not quite there. Thats why ill start with the plants as that will be more forgiving interms of over and under desolving.

Hm. As i have time and different recources ill give the ironing method a go first. I live in Turkey and some things are not available or hard to find. Ill keep you updated.

One of the reasons I have switched almost entirely to the laser printer/transfer method as opposed to photoresists is because of availability (removing an extra step helps too...).

You should have access to almost everything you need to get started pretty much anywhere in the world. Some of the more exotic chemicals and materials used are harder to come by. Not every neighborhood grocer sells ferric chloride or hydrochloric acid/peroxide (Super O) that I use. They will sell something that you can use to etch with though...and most people either have or have access to a printer.

So should i print on photo paper or acetate for the iron on method. Hm a laminator would have been good i guess

ok i got to work on the templates a bit more:





and if anybody else out there wants to give it a go here is the autocad file. I'm quite curious as to how its going to turn out so if anybody gives it a try please put up photos as ill probably not be able to do any actual etching for a few months.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2702121/Brass-Etch_Fern-Vine.dwg

here are the images that i some how want to incorporate into power armour. i have some shoulder pad designs and shin guard designs. i also want to have neck guard that covers the helmet a bit more




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ok so im trying to come up with a good way to name my space marines. i have a template for the 25mm bases that will hopefully wrap around them displaying the name. the Gothic and Parchment fonts seem suitable but they are illegible. Sample:



any input would be much appreciated.

Interesting, very interesting....

ok so i have had a go at making some of the face plate things that some SM's have. i think that could be an interesting way of adding detail to a squad. still so much work to do.



say what parts you like and ill try to work on them a bit more. any comments and criticism is appreciated

The face/neck guards are a good idea.

I am largely neutral on any GW related bits (more the processes that I have interest in...).

One thing to keep in mind though is that for something like that - you will need to think about working with a double etching.

You can either dip twice to get your end result (easy to do at home) or professionals will actually etch both sides at the same time (faster - but easier to screw up).

Basically you will have the details that you want to etch partially through on one resist template. Things like the raised edge details and what not. The other resist would be the parts that will etch the whole way through. Holes, your actual parts and part frame...

When you go to etch, you cover the back fully in resist, apply the partial to the front. Etch for long enough to get your details as deep as you want on the face of the brass. Pull it out, rinse and clean the etching. Now, cover the whole of the front in resist material and apply the through cut resist to the back. Etch till it goes all the way through.

Remove from the etching solution and clean up the resist material. It will leave you with a raised pattern like you find on a lot of the Forgeworld etchings.

Hey Sean_Obrien. Thanks for the info. I think later on i would like to try multi steped etching. For these i was thinking of having the rezist aligned on both sides. Tough i have a long way to go interms of design and gathering materials.




Here is my setup for now. I have a few of these boxes and i was thinking i could glue them together, cut open the top and it would be a good size for 10cmx20cm and for smaller things. I got an aquarium bubbler (blue thing on the right) as sudgested.

Just a quick test.