HI Charlie,
I too have been at it for about 3 years. I cannot say with any certainty that any method is perfect. I like toner transfer and I like the photo process. Neither system has been perfect for me but both work well enough for my prototypes and misc. boards I create.
The photo process is certainly the most repeatable for me as long as I buy pre-coated boards - forget the dry film for reliability.
Toner transfer for me has been hit or miss. I am still not sure of the "Magic" combination that always works perfectly. I know the paper type is critical but mfgs keep changing everything so you never know what you get. Cleaning the boards is important but I have had perfect results by not cleaning them at all. I suspect ambient temp and humidity might play a bigger role than anything with this process.
Some folks have great luck with magazine paper, I had horrid results because the ink on the page also transferred. Some folks had great luck with a certain paper from Staples, I had really bad results. Some swear by the iron, others swear by the laminator. I use both to get the best results.
Some folks here have perfect results everytime with their process (TT or Photo) and others fight it over and over again. I guess it all comes down to how cheap are you?
If you want a very good board the first time around and don't mind waiting a while for it, have a service make it for you.
If you don't mind trying and trying and trying and saving a few bucks, keep messing around with the process to see what works for you. At some point you should stumble onto the magic combination.
All around I suspect there is some "Black magic" involved and finding it is different for each person. The one thing I do know, no matter which process you use - have a Sharpie pen handy and inspect your boards BEFORE etching - it saves time.
Chris
--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "gandolfreefer" <synchronousmosfet@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Guys,
>
> I started trying to make my own PCB's three years ago, and joined this group a while back.
>
> I am wondering if any of you feel 100% confident about any particular method. I've tried 'em all - I've got a stack of laminators, chemicals, photo-exposers, rub-on stuff, special papers, twenty $IR#@!! software programs, the fancy bubbler etcher, enough bottles of every type of etchant ever invented to kill half of Philadelphia if I poured them in the water supply, even the fancy stuff that tin-plates the copper after etching, and - oh, yeah - three printers....
>
> and I gotta tell ya, at the risk of sounding like a complete incompetent, I cannot for the life of me get a decent quality PCB no matter what I do, no matter what website I go to, no matter who's kit I buy.
>
> I'm just about to give up and just order the d∗'d things from Sunstone and be done with it, but i thought I'd give this onnnnnnnnnnnnne last try............
>
> Is there ONE method for DIY'ing PCB boards that WORKS?? Or are all of them still "tweaky" random-chance methods, depending upon the phase of the moon, the humidity, what type of local mold spores are blowing in the air off the surrounding desert, whether your girlfriend is having her period, etc......for the %(^$#!!! method to actually work?
>
> Honestly, I'm a perfectly good DIY'er who has made stuff on lathes, mills, by hand, in metal, wood, plastic, I mean just about everything under the sun, and some of the stuff I've made would knock your eyes out...but I can't seem to get a DIY PCB method I can depend on.
>
> Anybody out there with a proven method and equipment that You'd bet your life on?
>
> Best, Charlie
>