Homebrew PCBs

On 27/05/12 12:39, poofjunior wrote:
> Hello, everyone,
>
> I've got a question that comes with a quick back-story.
>
> Last winter, I started etching with a batch of cupric chloride that I had
> made myself.  I was hoping to aerate it for a while for reuse, so I left the
> lid off the waste container and let it sit on the garage table.
> Unfortunately, I left back to school about a week later, but thankfully my
> dad kindly covered it back up for me.
>
> Unfortunately, when I returned in the spring, I noticed that from that week
> with the lid off, the nearby power drill had developed a fine layer of brown
> rust on some of its exposed metal parts.
>
> In retrospect, I should've predicted this, but I didn't since we've all
> discussed aerating our solutions without any issues.
>
> In light of "the unintentional etch," has anyone else had this issue before?
> Also, how are y'all aerating your solution to avoid this problem?  I can
> imagine that aerating near something like a computer for a week could be
> disastrous since the vents expose the metal inside.
>
> I'd really appreciate any thoughts/hints for "responsibly" aerating!

The only aeration i do is when my PCBs are etched in the running bubble etcher. 
After that, i cover the top of the tall tank with a piece of wood to stop the 
HCl vapours escaping and corroding surrounding metal objects. I put a bit more 
HCl in every couple of months.