Etching copper clad

Getting ferric chloride from Radio Shack is getting problematic. Is
there a common household chemical that I can use for etching a circuit
board or two? I seem to remember Jim Weir having an article about how
to do it in the not to distant past, but I can't find anything about it
in my back copies of Kitplanes.

Ernest Christley wrote:
Getting ferric chloride from Radio Shack is getting problematic. Is
there a common household chemical that I can use for etching a circuit
board or two? I seem to remember Jim Weir having an article about how
to do it in the not to distant past, but I can't find anything about it
in my back copies of Kitplanes.
How 'bout:

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=...en&btnG=Search

Charlie

Getting ferric chloride from Radio Shack is getting problematic. Is
there a common household chemical that I can use for etching a circuit
board or two? I seem to remember Jim Weir having an article about how
to do it in the not to distant past, but I can't find anything about it
in my back copies of Kitplanes.

RS seems to drift farther from their name with each passing day.

However, there are electronics parts suppliers in most urban areas and they
should have it in stock, along with a variety of circuit board blanks,
circuit board kits, and "breadboarding" kits. Try electronics, electronics
parts, and electronics supplies in the locat yellow pages. Usually, in that
sort of business, "professional" or "trade" means that you know the name or
description of what you want to buy.

Peter

A quick search on mouser.com yielded the following:

http://www.mouser.com/search/refine....erric+chloride

Ernest Christley wrote:
Getting ferric chloride from Radio Shack is getting problematic. Is
there a common household chemical that I can use for etching a circuit
board or two? I seem to remember Jim Weir having an article about how
to do it in the not to distant past, but I can't find anything about it
in my back copies of Kitplanes.

You're thinking of this post:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.a...+circuit+board

Scroll down for Jim's response to RS Hoover's intial post. Muratic
acid and Hydrogen Peroxide.

I found a good source for it at All Electronics
(http://www.allelectronics.com)
They supply the solid stuff (ferric chloride) rather than the more
'spillable' solution. I found ferric chloride works better than
anything else I've tried. I have found them to be prompt and helpful.
They are also a treasure trove of 'odds and ends' for all kinds of
projects.

If you are making PCB's, they also stock 'transfer film'. Just print
on a laser printer and iron on to the PCB. It transfers better than
laser-anything else. I was getting really frustrated (trying all kinds
of papers and other materials) until I found this stuff ... never had a
bad board since!!!! I even do double-sided with it with great results.

There are a few schematic capture and PCB layout programs for free that
seve me well ... making it much easier than 20 years ago. Hmmmmm ...
can I produce an EFIS for under $1,000?

Hope this helps.
Steve


Charlie wrote:
Ernest Christley wrote:
Getting ferric chloride from Radio Shack is getting problematic. Is
there a common household chemical that I can use for etching a circuit
board or two? I seem to remember Jim Weir having an article about how
to do it in the not to distant past, but I can't find anything about it
in my back copies of Kitplanes.
How 'bout:

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=...en&btnG=Search

Charlie

Laser print and iron onto a PCB? Wow. How things have changed. I've been
buying PCB's for my son's analog-music-synth-from-scratch project for months
now. Had I known, maybe I would have saved some money.... except I believe
ferric chloride is also a hazmat, no?

"steveukman" wrote in message
ups.com...
I found a good source for it at All Electronics
(http://www.allelectronics.com)
They supply the solid stuff (ferric chloride) rather than the more
'spillable' solution. I found ferric chloride works better than
anything else I've tried. I have found them to be prompt and helpful.
They are also a treasure trove of 'odds and ends' for all kinds of
projects.

If you are making PCB's, they also stock 'transfer film'. Just print
on a laser printer and iron on to the PCB. It transfers better than
laser-anything else. I was getting really frustrated (trying all kinds
of papers and other materials) until I found this stuff ... never had a
bad board since!!!! I even do double-sided with it with great results.

There are a few schematic capture and PCB layout programs for free that
seve me well ... making it much easier than 20 years ago. Hmmmmm ...
can I produce an EFIS for under $1,000?

Hope this helps.
Steve


Charlie wrote:
Ernest Christley wrote:
Getting ferric chloride from Radio Shack is getting problematic. Is
there a common household chemical that I can use for etching a circuit
board or two? I seem to remember Jim Weir having an article about how
to do it in the not to distant past, but I can't find anything about it
in my back copies of Kitplanes.
How 'bout:

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=...en&btnG=Search

Charlie




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September '06. Addendum...abrasion with 180 grit sandpaper/cloth does a
better and less hazmat job of removing the resist than does lacquer thinner.

Jim


"Ernest Christley" wrote in message
...

Getting ferric chloride from Radio Shack is getting problematic. Is
there a common household chemical that I can use for etching a circuit
board or two? I seem to remember Jim Weir having an article about how to
do it in the not to distant past, but I can't find anything about it in
my back copies of Kitplanes.

"Juan Jimenez" wrote

except I believe ferric chloride is also a hazmat, no?


As you recently said, get with the program. Do some reading (in this
thread, even) and report back.
--
Jim in NC

"Morgans" wrote in message
...

"Juan Jimenez" wrote

except I believe ferric chloride is also a hazmat, no?


As you recently said, get with the program. Do some reading (in this
thread, even) and report back.

Oh, did you go into "monkey see, monkey do" mode now? chuckle

Did ya miss the question mark? The difference between you and me is that I
ask, rather than pretend I know something about which I don't know squat.

The children's sandbox is -- thataway.




--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com