[sdiy] PCB etching and safety

[David Reichert]

Hello everyone,

I've decided to go ahead a start etching my own PC boards.

Before I go ahead with it I thought I'd pick the brains of those of you
who have experience.

The first concern is safety. Obviously rubber gloves, old clothing and
safety glasses are in order, what about fumes? Everything I've read
basically says that one should work in a well ventilated area (common
sense this is really).

But to what extent is necessary? I'd assume that the fumes are quite
nasty, though I've seen that Jorgen Bergfors etches his in his kitchen
(remind me not to eat at his place ;) ), so perhaps they're not as bad
as I may assume (I've worked with Hydrofluoric Acid in the past, so
nasty chemicals are nothing new to me).

Keeping in mind that I live in a small flat and my coffee table doubles
as my workshop, though my living room has two very large windows. Is
this a suitable thing to do? Can I do it without harming the squirrels
that are hibernating in my walls?

Also, most instructions state that a plastic tray is most suitable for
etching. Does this mean just about any plastic will do, even old
Tupperware containers?

Also, what are the pros and cons on Ferric Chloride vs Ammonium
Persulphate? Everything I've read seems pretty neutral between the two.

Any other advice on top of this?

Thanks in advance,
Dave