Homebrew PCBs

Hi, interested to know what kind of "photo-sensitising" you did on the 
aluminum.

Is it a home-made type of photo-sensitiser or commercial type? Can you 
provide the formulation? TIA.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <JanRwl@...>
To: <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 8:47 AM
Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Totaly OFF topic .. but who cares. (case front 
panels)



In a message dated 1/10/2006 4:38:52 P.M. Central Standard Time,
onegammyleg@... writes:

Has  anyone had any success using toner transfer methods in printing
lettering  onto front panels of project boxes.?



I have never fiddled with this "toner transfer method", but I  DID make a
couple of VERY professional-looking front-panels using "PCB  techniques" in
another era.  I did the layout/lettering of the panels using  Lettraset, a 
very
high-class "rub-on lettering" brand, both for the label-words,  numbers, and
"pointers" (lines, etc.) on blue-grid paper, and then had a  negative-film 
made of
that at the right % reduction for the correct final  dimensions.  Then I
photo-sensitized the aluminum panel (after Scotch-Brite  finishing!) and 
then
photo-etched the film on that in the usual "PCB  manner."  I used FeCl\ufffd 
etchant in
the usual manner, except I WATCHED very  closely to see if it "ate" at the
right rate, etc., as the aluminum reacts  differently than copper.

After I decided it was deep enough, I rinsed, removed resist,  sprayed with
clear spray, and the etched panel looked like it came from an 
instrument-maker
factory!  Easy!  When I did this same process on a  later "one-each box," I
VERY-carefully squeegied on some very thin black  lacquer, and
thinner-wiped-off the smear, before the final clear-spray, and all  the 
lettering and lines
were BLACK-clear.  A bit nicer than  "grey".        Jan  Rowland


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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