Tried HCL/H202 and water for etchant

[mramos1]

I bought the items to try this quite some time ago and I needed a small relay board today and figure I would try it. Normally I use Ferric Chloride.

I was thinking I need to get rid of the acid since it had been sitting for some time in the garage.

It was a little bit faster (about 1/2 the time), I think less water would have worked much faster (did 1 acid x 1 h202 x 4 water; then added more acid and peroxide when I saw this was going too slow.) . So I estimate 1x1x1 in the end. Added the water, then H202 then HCL. Nothing blew up. Used rubber gloves as well not knowing what I might be getting into.

The price of the items were a lot less money though you delude and throw them out when done. Some of the acid dripped on the concrete floor and I received a good nose full and ran for the hose. The fan did not move it fast enough so I did get a good sniff. So it's the messy FC or breath something that burns if you make a mistake?

All in all, I will try it again and think I might like it better after I perfect the mix. It is great in a pinch anyway. The blue water was nice to look at.

The board looked pretty clean as well. Other than a trace I hit with a sharpie. Also, I would not leave it and forget it like FC, otherwise you might have no copper in the end.

 

[tcmtech]

My brother does the exact same etching method. Cheap, reliable, and works well!

 

[mramos1]

tcmtech:

I thought I would try it out before I watered down the acid or gave it to a neighbor with a pool and pitch the the dollar store peroxide.

It did not go like my normal routine at all at the start, but the results were not bad at all, very clean. And it was 1/2 the time (10 minutes or so) not 5 minutes like I read.

I will try it again if I do not have a sore throat in the morning.

 

[Pommie]

I use Ammonium Persulphate which is equivalent to Sulphuric Acid and Peroxide. It is very clean and completely odour/fume less. When your done etching you have a solution of Copper Sulphate that is easy to dispose of. If you have a pool suppliers nearby you can probably get Sodium Persulphate (dry acid) which works just as well.

Mike.

 

[Sceadwian]

Easy to dispose of how? Copper salts and ionic copper solutions aren't really all that environmentally friendly. I guess you could actually plate the copper out of the solution on some metal slabs.

 

[Pommie]

I throw it in my pool - it acts as an algaecide. However if you want to be extra environmentally friendly then throw some sodium bicarb in to the solution and the copper will precipitate out as copper carbonate that can then be thrown in the trash.

Mike.

 

[Sceadwian]

I like the idea of using it as a copper overplate, for PCB's, to thicken them up. You need super clean coper to plate over though. Sorry, I'm speaking from the experience of a plating shop person =) Everythign seems to relate to it.

 

[tcmtech]

City people and their disposal issues.

If its liquid it goes in the driveway.
If its gaseous it goes in the wind.
if its solid it goes in to the rock pile.
If its flammable it goes in the boiler.
If its metal it goes in the scrap pile.
If it was alive but not any more it goes in the ground.

If it does not fit into one of these categories it doesn't exist!
I love country living!

 

[Speakerguy]

If it was alive but not any more it goes in the ground.

Coyotes stay where they lay

 

[mramos1]

I use Ammonium Persulphate which is equivalent to Sulphuric Acid and Peroxide. It is very clean and completely odour/fume less. When your done etching you have a solution of Copper Sulphate that is easy to dispose of. If you have a pool suppliers nearby you can probably get Sodium Persulphate (dry acid) which works just as well.

Mike.

Mike,

Where do you get the Ammonium Persulphate? Might try that as this board using this method looked sharp, maybe because it etched faster.

 

[Pommie]

I buy the Ammonium Persulphate from the local electronics shop.

Mike.

 

[mramos1]

All we seem to have left if Radio Shack. Maybe MPJA.COM will have it, they are local for me.

Thanks