I kind of liked the transparency of the glass. With a strong light I
could check progress without taking the board out.
I'll probably be prepared to scrap that option for a tank that holds up.
Heat welded PE or PP sounds like a good idea right now. Although HDPE
bottles do not stand up to concentrated HCl....
ST
On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 5:21 PM, designer_craig <cs6061@...> wrote:
> Heat welded HDPE or solvent welded PVC would be the best. Years back I built a tank from plywood that I coated with a couple layers of polyester resin and fiberglass cloth. It worked very well, materials are inexpensive and you can build it to any shape you like with normal wood working tools. I think I will do the next tank the same way but using MDF instead of plywood. You just need to take care to seal all the wood surfaces that may see any etchant.
>
> Craig
>
> --- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, Stefan Trethan <stefan_trethan@...> wrote:
>>
>> Slowly but surely I get the impression silicone is just not suitable
>> to make CuCl tanks with.
>> The current one has held some years, but finally sprung a leak as well.
>>
>> I was quite pleased when, after not making a board for many months, I
>> held a perfect toner transfer in hand within 5 minutes.
>> However I was less pleased when I lifted the dust cover off my tank,
>> and discovered it had leaked. Luckily it is positioned in a large
>> plastic box which contained the etchant just fine. Must have been a
>> while too, since the tank holds over 2 liters and I recovered well
>> less than one.
>>
>> I've had a number of tank leaks now, which leads me to believe that no
>> matter how wide the seams are the CuCl will eventually crawl out under
>> the silicone.
>>
>>
>> I need homemade boards so infrequently now I'm not sure if I will even
>> make a new tank just yet, but it would not be sealed with silicone.
>>
>> Are there any alternatives to welded plastic if one wants a narrow
>> shape and dimensions that can't be found in any existing tank?
>> Anyone tried two component epoxy? On glass? Some other glue?
>>
>> ST
>>
>
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