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**broken link removed**You can buy the etchant in liquid form or as anhydrous Ferric Chloride powder. Follow the instructions. NEVER add water to dry Ferric Chloride. Don't get any on your clothes.
pkshima said:Read again Bill, I said .... "Add it to water" not "Add water to it". Or do you mean not to do mix water to it in any way ?
I feel, yes slowly it will work, but at least it won't over-etch into the carbon coated areas, and perhaps it could be fastened by slightly increasing the temperature of the solution.jpanhalt said:Note that the commercial etchants such as the link by Pommie and this one (https://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/f1080.htm) have ferric chloride at a concentration of about 40% by weight. That means, 40 g of ferric chloride (anhydrous) in 100 g of solution. That is considerably more concentrated than a couple of teaspoons (assuming a density of 4, that would be about 40 g) in 250 mL or about 14% w/w. I am sure the more dilute solution will work. I am just pointing out that it is considerably less concentrated than commercial etchant and may work more slowly.
................................. John
Pommie said:Personally, since finding Ammonium Persulphate I would never use Ferric Chloride again. AP is so much cleaner.
mvs sarma said:I feel, yes slowly it will work, but at least it won't over-etch into the carbon coated areas, and perhaps it could be fastened by slightly increasing the temperature of the solution.
Pommie said:I just put a couple of teaspoons of Ammonium Persulphate in a Chinese takeaway container and add some boiling water from the kettle. Float the board on top and 5 minutes later its etched. As for disposal, I just throw it in the pool. The copper is a good algaecide and 200mL in 85,000L isn't going to matter anyway.
Mike.
jpanhalt said:Have you ever tried the HCl or H2SO4 plus hydrogen peroxide etchants? When my current stock of ferric chloride is gone, I was thinking of going in that direction, as the starting materials are still readily available in the US. John