I have been taking my pnp to my local lazerquick photocopy shop and
the copies have always turned out nice and black
About four months ago, I had some done, and when I received them
they were the same nice black color. I got busy with other things,
and stored them away. To my surprise, when I looked at them today,
and the toner has turned to a gold color. I never had this happen
before.
I asked the people at Lazerquick whether they had changed the toner
they had been using, and they assured me that they had not.
Could this be due to the fact that I did not use them immediately?
Does the toner on PnP have a shelf life? Or, could it be that the PnP
itself has a shelf life.
I plan to test one by making a trial etching using PnP with the gold
colored toner to see if it is still good, but before I did that I
thought I’d ask if any Orchidians have had this experience.
Found out that Radio Shack is no longer carrying Ferric Chloride.
Was going to order some from a chemical supply place, when I learned
that many of the people who make etched circuit boards no longer use
Ferric Chloride, but use a home brew mix of Muriatic Acid and
Peroxide as it is much cleaner than the Ferric Chloride, and etches
faster. Have any of you used this mix?
Alma: Radio Shack not carrying Ferric Chloride is news to me. I just
bought about 4 bottles there recently. Maybe it’s their old stock,
but they didn’t say anything about it being discontinued anytime
soon. Try another Radio Shack. (Incidentally mine worked perfectly).
I just now googled Radio Shack and entered PCB Etchant Solution in
the “search” box and it turned up with this (plus picture
which will not transfer here):
16 oz. PCB Etchant Solution Model: 276-1535 | Catalog #: 276-1535
$4.49 This PCB Etchant Solution is a must have for any Printed
Circuit Board projects. (it was advertised with the caveat Online:
Not available | In-stoRe: Available at most stores, find it near you.
So I have every reason to believe it is still being sold. I’d check
on line for another store near you. Maybe you asked for it by the
name “ferric chloride” and not every sales person is familiar with it
by that name. Try asking for PCB Etchant Solution and see what that
turns up.
many of the people who make etched circuit boards no longer use
Ferric Chloride, but use a home brew mix of Muriatic Acid and
Peroxide as it is much cleaner than the Ferric Chloride, and
etches faster.
Does anyone have the recipe for the Muriatic Acid / Peroxide mix?
I’ve never seen nor heard of this. Does it have a shelf live copied
onto…I’ve had some patterns on PnP for as long as 5 years, no color
change, and as long as you keep the sheets dust free and clean, they
still work fine. I used to order 100 packs. For consistency, I always
do my copies at home or if copying elsewhere, try to use the same
machine. One local copy shop had the machines named (Tweetie always
worked for me) so you could be sure of having the same machine. I
also have some PnP around that I misplaced 5 years ago and ordered
more…it’s still working fine. Maybe you could contact the company
whichs produces it and ask there?
Does anyone have the recipe for the Muriatic Acid / Peroxide mix?
First of all: this mix will not etch silver! but it is very fast on
copper.
When I use it I mix 1 part 35% peroxide (H2O2), 1 part conc.
hydrochloric acid (HCl) into 3 parts water. If you’re used to ferric
chloride this mixture is several times faster on copper. It is very
corrosive. As always, if you don’t know what you’re doing - don’t do
it.
When I use it I mix 1 part 35% peroxide (H2O2), 1 part conc.
hydrochloric acid (HCl) into 3 parts water. If you're used to
ferric chloride this mixture is several times faster on copper. It
is very corrosive. As always, if you don't know what you're doing -
don't do it.
35% H2O2 is very dangerous to handle. It is a verry different beast
from the drugstore variety. I would not use it without extensive
safety equipment and training. Below are two things to think about
before using it from the Wikipedia entry on hydrogen peroxide.
“Hydrogen peroxide vapors can form sensitive contact explosives with
hydrocarbons such as greases. Hazardous reactions ranging from
ignition to explosion have been reported with alcohols, ketones,
carboxylic acids (particularly acetic acid), amines and phosphorus.
[citation needed] The saying is ‘peroxides kill chemists’.”
“Hydrogen peroxide, if spilled on clothing (or other flammable
materials), will preferentially evaporate water until the
concentration reaches sufficient strength, then clothing will
spontaneously ignite. Leather generally contains metal ions from the
tanning process and will often catch fire almost immediately.”
James Binnion @James_Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts