Homebrew PCBs

Lez:

If you happen to live in the southwest USA where there are lots
of backyard swimming pools, you can find muriatic acid in
the local supermarkets along with other pool  maintenance
supplies.  Most of the local Ace Hardware stores can get
muriatic acid for you if they don't already have it in stock.
Also, a lot of  construction and building supply emporiums
like Home Depot stock muriatic acid, although they
generally have it large plastic bottles, like one or five gallons.
Ace Hardware stocks it in 1 quart plastic bottles in my area.

And speaking of outgassing and corrosion: Consider the
approximately 1 liter of sulphuric acid that almost everyone
has sitting in the garage most of the time. I'm referring to
the acid in your car battery, and car battery acid is much
stronger (Baume) than domestic Muriatic acid.  And besides
some car batteries are vented!

To date, I have not noticed any of my tools, electronic
test equipment, photolab stuff being attacked by the
gaseous products from batteries in the two cars
residing in my garage, nor have I seen any ill-effects
on the automobiles, paint, wiring, trim,etc.

Personally, I detest Ferric Chloride....nasty stuff.

Roland F. Harriston

**********************
Lez wrote:
>
> On 10/01/07, Roland Harriston <rolohar@... 
> <mailto:rolohar%40comcast.net>> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Hydrochloric acid was first discovered around the year 800 AD by the
> > alchemist <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemy_%28islam%29 
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemy_%28islam%29>> Jabir ibn
> > Hayyan (Geber) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geber 
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geber>>, by mixing common
> > salt <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_chloride 
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_chloride>> with vitriol
> > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitriol 
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitriol>> (sulfuric acid
> > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfuric_acid 
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfuric_acid>>).
> >
> > In the Middle Ages, hydrochloric acid was known to European alchemists
> > as spirit of salt or acidum salis. Gaseous HCl was called marine acid
> > air. The old (pre-systematic) name muriatic acid has the same origin
> > (muriatic means "pertaining to brine or salt"), and this name is still
> > sometimes used
>
> ok, I'l stick to buying FECL at least I can find that stuff.
>
> It took me 2 years to find out what lye was.........
>
> Lez
>
>