Homebrew PCBs

"jimofc300" <jim@...> writes:

> 2) Do you think latex gloves, as you'd find in a doctor's office,
> would be safe for handling boards and etchant? They're cheap at
> Walgreens and disposable to reduce cleanup effort.

That's what I used until I got a pair of the heavy-duty rubber gloves.
Just be careful that the sharp edges of the PCB don't tear them.

> 3) If ferric chloride wouldn't destroy them, would kitchen plastic
> bags (ZipLock-type) work for etching boards? They'd probably save on
> etchant and, if I don't slop too much, reduce cleanup.

Use a plastic one-gallon milk jug.  Cut it vertically into two halves,
keeping the spout on one half and the handle on the other.  Use the
spout half as a tray, it's got a built-in funnel :-)

> 4) How nasty is used ferric chloride? Is it a HazMat material? How
> do you folks dispose of it in an eco-friendly manner?

Mine is still sitting under the lab sink in its original decades-old
bottle.  The FeCl itself is relatively harmless when diluted, but the
copper in it isn't.