Etching on steel

Jewelry Discussion
#1

Hi all.

I’m planning my first etching project on silver, and I have
tentatively selected electro-etching using ImagOn paper rather than
PnP. The ImagOn uses light rather than heat to transfer the design,
and I’ll have to get a small rectifier for the etching.

But now I’m wondering about the feasability of using the same process
to etch a design on the end of a steel stamp 1/4"-1/2" in diameter.
Would this process work well for that, and what chemicals would be
used in the etching bath? Would it make any difference whether the
steel were annealed or not thanks!

Allan
silvermason.com

#2

Hi,

The same process will work. You can use Iron Sulfate (which you can
order from a garden store) as the bath. Copper, nickel silver,
brass, and steel all take about twice the amount of time silver does
from what I’ve found (when I use phosphoric acid for silver).
Annealing the steel won’t matter. You need to use a piece of steel on
the negative side.

I have a tutorial on electro-etching various metals at
http://mordent.com/etch-howto/ if you are interested.

-m