Homebrew PCBs

Roland,

In this case, I am etching aluminum, not copper. I know that ferric chloride
does not do much to aluminum.

I chose lye because it was easy to find at my Ace Hardware store and was
very low cost. Yet I see that the stuff is very active at full strength. I
assume that if I mix in more water, it would not be as aggressive nor
generate as much heat.

If I didn't use lye, what other commonly found chemical could etch aluminum.
I tried drain cleaner but it was far too slow and stopped etching after a
few minutes. I was left with a very slight roughness in the exposed area.

Rick

-----Original Message-----
From: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Roland Harriston
Sent: Saturday, March 30, 2013 8:34 AM
To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] lye

Whew!

A really bad idea!

There are so many less dangerous materials that have been used to etch PCB's
that have proven to be relatively safe and very effective over the last
50 or 60
years.

The task is not that complex or hazardous.....why make it so?

Roland F. Harriston, P.D.
***********************



On 3/30/2013 7:31 AM, Rick Sparber wrote:
>
> Has anyone used lye to etch aluminum through photo resist?
>
> As a test, I put a strip of aluminum in lye plus water and after 15 
> minutes the strip was half of its original thickness. So there is no 
> doubt that lye can etch VERY deep. But the chemical reaction generated 
> a lot of heat and the tape I had on there quickly floated off. Next 
> time I will use more water.
>
> I did have the lye and aluminum outside while I watched from inside. 
> Nasty fumes!
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rick
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> 



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



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