help needed in making ferric chloride etching solution

[nightcatz]

hi,
Can anone pls tell me how can I make aferric chloride etching solution....I have ferric chloride in powder form....how much water do i need to add to ferric chloride pwder to make the solution ....do i need to add anything else other than water to make the etching solution

 

[HarveyH42]

1/4 pound makes 1 pint solution. Slowly add the powder to the water (cold), stir as you go. Don't add the powder quickly, it creates heat, might bubble and splatter (or worse). Also very difficult to clean, and will etch/discolor most any metal it comes in contact with.

 

[bananasiong]

1/4 pound makes 1 pint solution. Slowly add the powder to the water (cold), stir as you go. Don't add the powder quickly, it creates heat, might bubble and splatter (or worse). Also very difficult to clean, and will etch/discolor most any metal it comes in contact with.

Cold water? I have been using hot water since my first etching! Using FeCl3. This is what we always do in the college.

 

[Gayan Soyza]

Another method my friend is doing & got great results.

*First he takes the board (trackside upwards) & place in a bowl.

*After he takes ferric chloride powder & applies some on top of the tracks with a tea spoon.

*Now he takes hot water into the same tea spoon & fills water on top of the tracks drop by drop.

*He is not filling too much water he is filling up to two or three HEIGHTS of board thickness.

With this method the etching will be fast. Try & see the difference.

 

[HarveyH42]

I want to give the safest method of mixing the solution. The solution will get hot by the time its all disolved. He should be comfortable handling the solution properly, before taking short-cuts. Best to know what to expect before hand, then to get an unpleasant and costly surprise.

Yes, warming the solution does speed up etching, but he didn't ask about that, only mixing. I never bother heating it myself, not in that big a hurry, and room temperature in Florida is usually about right anyway...