Homebrew PCBs

1. It seems that the primary functions of the alcohol are to (a) clean the PCB and and artwork, 
and (b) dilute the effectivity of the acetone, then I do not see the need for "exotic" materials. 

2. If the function of the acetone is to soften the laser toner so that under slight pressure it will 
get "sticky" and adhere to the copper, then it seems that there is no 
requirement for a "special" type of acetone, as any acetone will soften and eventually dissolve 
laser toner. 

I don't know what type of "blending" takes place between the alcohol and the acetone, 
if there is actually anything like cross-linking, etc. I doubt it. 

3. If I can dig up some unwanted PCB artwork that was copied on a laser printer (on glossly paper), 
I'll do a quick and dirty experiment with the materials I have on hand, which would be 
90% Iso, and off-the-shelf acetone from my local hardware store. 

I'm just not understanding the need for difficult-to-obtain compounds for such a simple 
operation. 

I hope some others will try whatever materials they have and we can see if this very 
alluring process can be made totally practical. 

BTW: On YouTube, there is also a video showing how to use shipping tape, like the 
Scotch shipping tape product, to transfer laser generated artwork to PCB's 
Looks very interesting. 

I don't have a laser printer, so I can't try it. 

Regards. 

Roland F. Harriston, P.D. 


----- Original Message -----

From: "Jean-Paul Louis louijp@... [Homebrew_PCBs]" <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com> 
To: "Homebrew PCBs" <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com> 
Sent: Thursday, January 7, 2016 10:45:22 AM 
Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Heatless (cold) Toner Transfer for PCB making 



Hi Steve, 

I agree with you. I just found out about the Everclear product. 

190 proof is 95% pure ethanol, so it should work just fine for the purpose. 

73 de Jean-Paul 
N1JPL 

> On Jan 7, 2016, at 12:06 PM, alienrelics@... [Homebrew_PCBs] <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com> wrote: 
> 
> Everclear 190 proof is available for around $30 per liter, after tax. Not sure why everyone is getting worked up about getting even more pure ethanol. 
> 
> 
> Steve Greenfield AE7HD 
> 
>