Is uneven etching a common problem when using ferric nitrate on silver? I get beautiful, even crisp lines when using ferric chloride to etch copper. I was hoping for the same effect…
Surface is well sanded, clean, and free of oils, resist is applied evenly. What gives??
If you have good results using Ferric Chloride, why start usung Ferric Nitrate?
Ferric chloride etches brass & copper, but not silver. Ferric nitrate etches silver.
I’ve never used ferric nitrate, so I don’t know the answer that question. Hopefully someone can chime in on some suggestions.
Jeff
Sorry, I misunderstood the situation, there was nothing about Silver in the text.
Anyhow, Ferric Nitrate is a much more complex chemical which hydrolizes easily and have three forms, so maybe temperature and age has an impact here.
Understood - will try mixing ratio again and try for a more consistent temp.
Are you using anything to agitate your solution? I don’t have first hand experience with ferric nitrate and silver, but I’ve always had a lot of luck by setting my ferric chloride and copper etching container on top of a (towel lined) running dryer. I find the warmth and slight vibration improves etchant penetration. I haven’t tried this yet but I’ll share a tip I picked up during a discussion I had with another artist who etches steel impression plates. I was told using a tank bubbler (think fish tank or small water fountain pump) is an even more effective solution to this issue. Hope that’s helpful. Good luck!
Ferric nitrate is going to work best with the work suspended with the surface to be etched facing down so that gravity can keep the participates formed by the etching from laying in the areas that are being etched. One cause of spotty etching can be caused by junk from the etching process obscuring the silver surface. Also ferric nitrate is going to work best when heated. How hot will depend on what your resist can stand. It also takes a loooong time. I have seen reports of 4-7 hours for room temperature solutions and it is faster the hotter the solution but still the better part of an hour seems normal. Also agitating the solution with an aquarium bubbler or stir plate.
Hope this helps
Well, I tend to lurk here mostly. Been here a long time, a really long time. I mostly mind my own business because there are others (Like James Binnion) who most certainly know far more than I do. I read the ferric nitrate etch on silver with some interest. Why ferric nitrate??? Personally, I quit nitric acid years ago. It just scares me. I use cupric nitrate. Beats the hell out of ferric nitrate. Takes some gettin used to because it is FAST. I mean really fast. On silver, never tried to use it on copper. Best to play with something unimportant the first time or two and control voltages and for heavens sake don’t turn you back on it. I was not kidding when I said it was fast. Much, much faster than nitric acid. Still, if you work with the voltage it gives a really clean etch without eating up the edges. Its is too damn fast to eat up the edges. I don’t think it is that hard to source. I bought a really big (lifetime supply) container years ago.Give that some thought. Maybe someone more knowledgeable than I can offer comments on cupric nitrate.
Hello Brent,
First I applaud you for using electrolysis to etch silver, I think it is much more controllable than simple chemical etch. That said, copper nitrate will only etch silver with the help of said electrolysis. Ferric nitrate will etch silver chemically with out external electrolysis, just a solution of ferric nitrate. You still need some way of keeping the etch area clean and exposed to fresh solution. I have seen people use a feather to brush off the smut residue, other techniques include directing a fine stream of air bubbles over (or under) the area (hard to control), a vibrator or a magnetic stirring pot, or just hand agitation.
To quote professor Google:
“Copper nitrate (Cu(NO3)2) will not etch silver through a standard chemical reaction. In fact, the chemistry works in the opposite direction: solid copper will react with silver nitrate to produce silver metal and copper nitrate.
However, copper nitrate is frequently used to etch silver using electrolysis (electro-etching).
In chemistry, this is determined by the activity series of metals. Copper is more reactive than silver. Because silver is “lower” on the list, it cannot displace copper from a solution.
The Copper reaction: If you put a copper penny in silver nitrate, the copper dissolves (etches) and silver crystals grow on the surface.
The Silver reaction: If you put a silver ring in copper nitrate, no reaction occurs because the silver is not reactive enough to “push” the copper out of the nitrate bond.
While it won’t work by just soaking the metal, copper nitrate is a popular, safer alternative to nitric acid when used with a power source. This process is called galvanic etching or e-etching .
The Setup: You use a DC power source (like a battery or bench power supply). The silver piece is connected to the positive terminal (anode), and a “sacrificial” piece of metal (usually stainless steel or silver) is connected to the negative terminal (cathode).
The Electrolyte: A solution of approximately 25% copper nitrate in distilled water works as the conductive medium.
The Result: The electricity forces the silver atoms to lose electrons and dissolve into the solution, effectively etching the metal where it isn’t protected by a resist (like permanent marker or vinyl).
If you do not want to use an electrolytic setup and need a solution that etches silver by simple immersion, you should use:
Ferric Nitrate: This is the standard “safer” chemical etchant for silver. Unlike Ferric Chloride (which is for copper), Ferric Nitrate will effectively bite into silver .
Nitric Acid: The traditional method, though it is much more hazardous and produces toxic fumes.”