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<DIV>In a message dated 7/5/2005 10:50:48 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
harrybissell@prodigy.net writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>There IS
an etchant that can be used on aluminum. It is not ferric<BR>chloride.<BR>My
mother made some etched aluminum trays when I was a child. She's 75<BR>now and
I dare not rely on her memory for the chemical process
:^P<BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>..</DIV>
<DIV>I can't vouch for it's effectiveness in producing quality panel etchings,
but a sodium hydroxide (Lye) solution in water will etch aluminum. It
will covert the aluminum to a black aluminum hydroxide "smut".
It will stain if left to dry on aluminum metal. Note: in case you don't
know what Lye is: it's nasty! "Dra...no". In solid form, it reacts
violently with water, producing enough heat to burn skin (reacts with the water
in your skin!). So, if mixing or trying a solution diluted in
water, wear eye protection and latex gloves. Also, don't spill it on
anything you care about, don't drink it, keep it away from small children, pets,
etc. OK to put down the drain after dilution...it will help the flow!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>-Karl.</DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>