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Slow Etch?

Slow Etch?

2012-05-12 by John

After several false starts I got a board ready to etch. I went to Radio
Shack and bought a bottle of etchant. It was a chilly(68 F), rainy day
so I put enough etchant in a plastic dish to cover the board a quarter
of an inch. I stirred it cautiously and it had barely started to etch in
15 minutes. I warmed it gently with a small heat gun up to a little over
100 F occaisionally. It took an hour and a half to etch. I may not have
shook it up enough so my next attempt will be with the rest of the
bottle in a bigger dish.

For the moment, picking a broken drill bit out of one of the holes is
the next challenge! We don't all have success the first time around.

BTW, am I the only one to ever get the printer output to the wrong scale
and not discover it until I drilled the board?

I am getting closer!

Re: Slow Etch?

2012-05-12 by epareja2

Let me tell you that the scale thing haopened to me in a very large pcb and I was very angree with myself.

The etchant is ferric cloride?

Did you move the plastic dish in the etching process?

Bye

Show quoted textHide quoted text
--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "John" <jferrell13@...> wrote:
>
>
> After several false starts I got a board ready to etch. I went to Radio
> Shack and bought a bottle of etchant. It was a chilly(68 F), rainy day
> so I put enough etchant in a plastic dish to cover the board a quarter
> of an inch. I stirred it cautiously and it had barely started to etch in
> 15 minutes. I warmed it gently with a small heat gun up to a little over
> 100 F occaisionally. It took an hour and a half to etch. I may not have
> shook it up enough so my next attempt will be with the rest of the
> bottle in a bigger dish.
>
> For the moment, picking a broken drill bit out of one of the holes is
> the next challenge! We don't all have success the first time around.
>
> BTW, am I the only one to ever get the printer output to the wrong scale
> and not discover it until I drilled the board?
>
> I am getting closer!
>

Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Slow Etch?

2012-05-12 by Paul

Hi John

Congratulations on that first board. But don't worry, some problems
happen to all of us from time to time.

I have been making PCBs at home for years and must have made hundreds of
them. But I screwed some up yesterday. Mostly I have it sorted. I'd run
out of photo board from my usual supplier and reluctantly bought some
from my local Maplin shop. The UV exposure time is completely different
to my normal boards and as a result I ended up binning the first one. I
did know this, I've run into it before, but guess I was on remote
control and hadn't engaged brain properly!

The etch time will depend on the concentration of the etchant, the
temperature and the amount of agitation. I usually aim to etch in 5 - 10
minutes but that is in a small heated bubble tank.

Plus if you have only put a small amount of etchant in the tray then it
may have become exhausted, particularly if you were etching large areas
of copper off the board. A solution (pun intended) is rather than to use
or make up a little at a time, to etch in a much larger quantity and to
keep it for the next boards. I mix up my etchant from ammonium
persulfate powder a litre at a time, etch with it, and then store the
solution. The stuff I etched with yesterday was made up in September (I
put a date on the bottle) and still worked fine.

Regards

Paul

Show quoted textHide quoted text
On 12/05/2012 03:26, John wrote:
>
>
> After several false starts I got a board ready to etch. I went to Radio
> Shack and bought a bottle of etchant. It was a chilly(68 F), rainy day
> so I put enough etchant in a plastic dish to cover the board a quarter
> of an inch. I stirred it cautiously and it had barely started to etch in
> 15 minutes. I warmed it gently with a small heat gun up to a little over
> 100 F occaisionally. It took an hour and a half to etch. I may not have
> shook it up enough so my next attempt will be with the rest of the
> bottle in a bigger dish.
>
> For the moment, picking a broken drill bit out of one of the holes is
> the next challenge! We don't all have success the first time around.
>
> BTW, am I the only one to ever get the printer output to the wrong scale
> and not discover it until I drilled the board?
>
> I am getting closer!
>
>
>
> No virus found in this message.
> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com <http://www.avg.com>
> Version: 2012.0.2171 / Virus Database: 2425/4991 - Release Date: 05/11/12
>



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

Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Slow Etch?

2012-05-12 by Leon Heller

On 12/05/2012 03:26, John wrote:
>
> After several false starts I got a board ready to etch. I went to Radio
> Shack and bought a bottle of etchant. It was a chilly(68 F), rainy day
> so I put enough etchant in a plastic dish to cover the board a quarter
> of an inch. I stirred it cautiously and it had barely started to etch in
> 15 minutes. I warmed it gently with a small heat gun up to a little over
> 100 F occaisionally. It took an hour and a half to etch. I may not have
> shook it up enough so my next attempt will be with the rest of the
> bottle in a bigger dish.

Most FeCl3 in liquid form is concentrated, and needs to be diluted to
work properly. You should have put your etching container in a larger
container with some just boiled water in it, and agitated it
continuously. It should have taken less than 5 minutes

Leon
--
Leon Heller
G1HSM

Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Slow Etch?

2012-05-12 by Randall Morgan

Radio Shack does sell a "ready to use" solution that does not
need diluting. But heating it does make a big difference. Also, it does not
seem to work as well as it used to, from my recollection, I used some a
couple months ago and it took 30 minutes to etch a small board with
an etchant temp of 100F. I recall that 20 years ago I could etch a board
four times this size in 10 minutes. When I purchased solution from a local
electronics supplier I got much better results. My suggestion, stay away
from Radio Shacks etchant. I suspect they either have very very old stock
or have reduced the concentration.

Show quoted textHide quoted text
On Sat, May 12, 2012 at 2:11 AM, Leon Heller <leon355@...> wrote:

> **
>
>
> On 12/05/2012 03:26, John wrote:
> >
> > After several false starts I got a board ready to etch. I went to Radio
> > Shack and bought a bottle of etchant. It was a chilly(68 F), rainy day
> > so I put enough etchant in a plastic dish to cover the board a quarter
> > of an inch. I stirred it cautiously and it had barely started to etch in
> > 15 minutes. I warmed it gently with a small heat gun up to a little over
> > 100 F occaisionally. It took an hour and a half to etch. I may not have
> > shook it up enough so my next attempt will be with the rest of the
> > bottle in a bigger dish.
>
> Most FeCl3 in liquid form is concentrated, and needs to be diluted to
> work properly. You should have put your etching container in a larger
> container with some just boiled water in it, and agitated it
> continuously. It should have taken less than 5 minutes
>
> Leon
> --
> Leon Heller
> G1HSM
>
>
>



--
If you ask me if it can be done. The answer is YES, it can always be done.
The correct questions however are... What will it cost, and how long will
it take?


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

Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Slow Etch?

2012-05-12 by Leon Heller

On 12/05/2012 11:51, Randall Morgan wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> Radio Shack does sell a "ready to use" solution that does not
> need diluting. But heating it does make a big difference. Also, it does not
> seem to work as well as it used to, from my recollection, I used some a
> couple months ago and it took 30 minutes to etch a small board with
> an etchant temp of 100F. I recall that 20 years ago I could etch a board
> four times this size in 10 minutes. When I purchased solution from a local
> electronics supplier I got much better results. My suggestion, stay away
> from Radio Shacks etchant. I suspect they either have very very old stock
> or have reduced the concentration.

Ferric chloride solution shouldn't deteriorate, unlike some other etchants.

Leon
--
Leon Heller
G1HSM

Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Slow Etch?

2012-05-12 by Randall Morgan

Yes, I've heard that said. I have kept it a couple years without issue as
long as it is well sealed. So I would be curious to know the actual
concentration of Radio shack's product. The bottle does not say.... The M.
G. Chemical product worked much better.

Show quoted textHide quoted text
On Sat, May 12, 2012 at 4:27 AM, Leon Heller <leon355@...> wrote:

> **
>
>
> On 12/05/2012 11:51, Randall Morgan wrote:
> > Radio Shack does sell a "ready to use" solution that does not
> > need diluting. But heating it does make a big difference. Also, it does
> not
> > seem to work as well as it used to, from my recollection, I used some a
> > couple months ago and it took 30 minutes to etch a small board with
> > an etchant temp of 100F. I recall that 20 years ago I could etch a board
> > four times this size in 10 minutes. When I purchased solution from a
> local
> > electronics supplier I got much better results. My suggestion, stay away
> > from Radio Shacks etchant. I suspect they either have very very old stock
> > or have reduced the concentration.
>
> Ferric chloride solution shouldn't deteriorate, unlike some other etchants.
>
>
> Leon
> --
> Leon Heller
> G1HSM
>
>
>



--
If you ask me if it can be done. The answer is YES, it can always be done.
The correct questions however are... What will it cost, and how long will
it take?


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

Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Slow Etch?

2012-05-12 by Leon Heller

On 12/05/2012 14:41, Randall Morgan wrote:
> Yes, I've heard that said. I have kept it a couple years without issue as
> long as it is well sealed. So I would be curious to know the actual
> concentration of Radio shack's product. The bottle does not say.... The M.
> G. Chemical product worked much better.


I use these packs of FeCl3 and make the solution up myself according to
the instructions:

http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Equipment/Seno-Ferric-Chloride-PCB-Etchant-250g-for-1-2ltr-34-0388

Leon
--
Leon Heller
G1HSM

Re: Slow Etch?

2012-05-14 by Mike

I have started etching again after a year long break. I am using the pool acid and hydrogen peroxide etchant, but did the same with the bottle of pre-diluted Ferric Chloride I used a little while back. ANd what I did was to put the board and enough etchant to cover nearly an inch into a disposable plastic food storage bin (Glad or Tupperware). Then I placed the combination in the microwave and ran for 2-3 minutes, until a cooking thermometer registered 120F. By the way, the etchant attacks the thermometer probe, so don't leave it in and rinse it as soon as you are done. I had no trouble with arcing or other common problems of having sheets of conductive metal in the microwave, perhaps because the starter batch had changed to cuperic chloride so that there was lots of copper in the water to diffuse the microwave beams. YMMV.

Even with the hot etchant, I still seem to be seeing 30-45 minutes etch times on 1 oz double sided copper. But much slower if I do not preheat etchant and pcb.

Mike


Show quoted textHide quoted text
> need diluting. But heating it does make a big difference. Also, it does not
> seem to work as well as it used to, from my recollection, I used some a
> couple months ago and it took 30 minutes to etch a small board with
> an etchant temp of 100F.

Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?

2012-05-14 by Spencer

I use the same solution and noticed heating doesnt help either. The biggest improvement in time that I get with my board came from sticking an aquarium air pump and with a hose with a bunch of holes that I did from a sewing needle into the solution. I get about 45 minute etch time now with my 1oz boards.


________________________________
Show quoted textHide quoted text
From: Mike <mbushroe@...>
To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 11:36 AM
Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?



I have started etching again after a year long break. I am using the pool acid and hydrogen peroxide etchant, but did the same with the bottle of pre-diluted Ferric Chloride I used a little while back. ANd what I did was to put the board and enough etchant to cover nearly an inch into a disposable plastic food storage bin (Glad or Tupperware). Then I placed the combination in the microwave and ran for 2-3 minutes, until a cooking thermometer registered 120F. By the way, the etchant attacks the thermometer probe, so don't leave it in and rinse it as soon as you are done. I had no trouble with arcing or other common problems of having sheets of conductive metal in the microwave, perhaps because the starter batch had changed to cuperic chloride so that there was lots of copper in the water to diffuse the microwave beams. YMMV.

Even with the hot etchant, I still seem to be seeing 30-45 minutes etch times on 1 oz double sided copper. But much slower if I do not preheat etchant and pcb.

Mike

> need diluting. But heating it does make a big difference. Also, it does not
> seem to work as well as it used to, from my recollection, I used some a
> couple months ago and it took 30 minutes to etch a small board with
> an etchant temp of 100F.




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

Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?

2012-05-14 by Leon Heller

On 14/05/2012 19:24, Spencer wrote:
> I use the same solution and noticed heating doesnt help either. The
> biggest improvement in time that I get with my board came from sticking
> an aquarium air pump and with a hose with a bunch of holes that I did
> from a sewing needle into the solution. I get about 45 minute etch time
> now with my 1oz boards.

When I tried HCl and H2O2 it was very fast, with no heating.
Concentrated HCl is required,

Leon
--
Leon Heller
G1HSM

Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?

2012-05-14 by Confidential

We've tried 10oz copper a with Hcl/H2O2 on a ceramic dielectric. After several hours it was only about half way done. The addition of the PCB fab-in-a-box "TRF" gave us significantly better toner etchant resistance.


I'll remember the bubbler trick the next time.


-N



________________________________
Show quoted textHide quoted text
From: Leon Heller <leon355@...>
To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 11:31 AM
Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?



On 14/05/2012 19:24, Spencer wrote:
> I use the same solution and noticed heating doesnt help either. The
> biggest improvement in time that I get with my board came from sticking
> an aquarium air pump and with a hose with a bunch of holes that I did
> from a sewing needle into the solution. I get about 45 minute etch time
> now with my 1oz boards.

When I tried HCl and H2O2 it was very fast, with no heating.
Concentrated HCl is required,

Leon
--
Leon Heller
G1HSM



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

Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?

2012-05-14 by Donald H Locker

I tried HCl with H2O2 (30%HCl with 30-volume H2O2 (about 9%, IIRC)) -- etched 1oz on FR4 fully in less than 10 minutes at room temperature.

Donald.
--
*Plain Text* email -- it's an accessibility issue
() no proprietary attachments; no html mail
/\ ascii ribbon campaign - <www.asciiribbon.org>

Show quoted textHide quoted text
----- Original Message -----
> From: "Confidential" <scuba840@...>
> To: "Homebrew PCBs" <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 7:50:59 PM
> Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?
> We've tried 10oz copper a with Hcl/H2O2 on a ceramic dielectric. After
> several hours it was only about half way done. The addition of the PCB
> fab-in-a-box "TRF" gave us significantly better toner etchant
> resistance.
>
>
> I'll remember the bubbler trick the next time.
>
>
> -N
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Leon Heller <leon355@...>
> To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 11:31 AM
> Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?
>
>
>
> On 14/05/2012 19:24, Spencer wrote:
> > I use the same solution and noticed heating doesnt help either. The
> > biggest improvement in time that I get with my board came from
> > sticking
> > an aquarium air pump and with a hose with a bunch of holes that I
> > did
> > from a sewing needle into the solution. I get about 45 minute etch
> > time
> > now with my 1oz boards.
>
> When I tried HCl and H2O2 it was very fast, with no heating.
> Concentrated HCl is required,
>
> Leon
> --
> Leon Heller
> G1HSM
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links, Files, and
> Photos:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBsYahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?

2012-05-15 by Spencer W

What ratio are you using? I would love to increase my etch times

Sent from my iPhone

Show quoted textHide quoted text
On May 14, 2012, at 6:59 PM, Donald H Locker <dhlocker@...> wrote:

> I tried HCl with H2O2 (30%HCl with 30-volume H2O2 (about 9%, IIRC)) -- etched 1oz on FR4 fully in less than 10 minutes at room temperature.
>
> Donald.
> --
> *Plain Text* email -- it's an accessibility issue
> () no proprietary attachments; no html mail
> /\ ascii ribbon campaign - <www.asciiribbon.org>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Confidential" <scuba840@...>
> > To: "Homebrew PCBs" <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
> > Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 7:50:59 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?
> > We've tried 10oz copper a with Hcl/H2O2 on a ceramic dielectric. After
> > several hours it was only about half way done. The addition of the PCB
> > fab-in-a-box "TRF" gave us significantly better toner etchant
> > resistance.
> >
> >
> > I'll remember the bubbler trick the next time.
> >
> >
> > -N
> >
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: Leon Heller <leon355@...>
> > To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
> > Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 11:31 AM
> > Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?
> >
> >
> >
> > On 14/05/2012 19:24, Spencer wrote:
> > > I use the same solution and noticed heating doesnt help either. The
> > > biggest improvement in time that I get with my board came from
> > > sticking
> > > an aquarium air pump and with a hose with a bunch of holes that I
> > > did
> > > from a sewing needle into the solution. I get about 45 minute etch
> > > time
> > > now with my 1oz boards.
> >
> > When I tried HCl and H2O2 it was very fast, with no heating.
> > Concentrated HCl is required,
> >
> > Leon
> > --
> > Leon Heller
> > G1HSM
> >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links, Files, and
> > Photos:
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBsYahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>

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

Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?

2012-05-15 by Donald H Locker

Sorry, I didn't write the formula and it was over five years ago. I do recall I purchased the H2O2 from Sally Beauty Supply. I can look up the product label this evening. Maybe I wrote the formula I used somewhere.

Donald.
--
*Plain Text* email -- it's an accessibility issue
() no proprietary attachments; no html mail
/\ ascii ribbon campaign - <www.asciiribbon.org>

Show quoted textHide quoted text
----- Original Message -----
> From: "Spencer W" <upnxwood16@...>
> To: "Homebrew PCBs" <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 9:26:18 PM
> Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?
> What ratio are you using? I would love to increase my etch times
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On May 14, 2012, at 6:59 PM, Donald H Locker <dhlocker@...>
> wrote:
>
> > I tried HCl with H2O2 (30%HCl with 30-volume H2O2 (about 9%, IIRC))
> > -- etched 1oz on FR4 fully in less than 10 minutes at room
> > temperature.
> >
> > Donald.
> > --
> > *Plain Text* email -- it's an accessibility issue
> > () no proprietary attachments; no html mail
> > /\ ascii ribbon campaign - <www.asciiribbon.org>
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Confidential" <scuba840@...>
> > > To: "Homebrew PCBs" <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
> > > Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 7:50:59 PM
> > > Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?
> > > We've tried 10oz copper a with Hcl/H2O2 on a ceramic dielectric.
> > > After
> > > several hours it was only about half way done. The addition of the
> > > PCB
> > > fab-in-a-box "TRF" gave us significantly better toner etchant
> > > resistance.
> > >
> > >
> > > I'll remember the bubbler trick the next time.
> > >
> > >
> > > -N
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ________________________________
> > > From: Leon Heller <leon355@...>
> > > To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
> > > Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 11:31 AM
> > > Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 14/05/2012 19:24, Spencer wrote:
> > > > I use the same solution and noticed heating doesnt help either.
> > > > The
> > > > biggest improvement in time that I get with my board came from
> > > > sticking
> > > > an aquarium air pump and with a hose with a bunch of holes that
> > > > I
> > > > did
> > > > from a sewing needle into the solution. I get about 45 minute
> > > > etch
> > > > time
> > > > now with my 1oz boards.
> > >
> > > When I tried HCl and H2O2 it was very fast, with no heating.
> > > Concentrated HCl is required,
> > >
> > > Leon
> > > --
> > > Leon Heller
> > > G1HSM
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------
> > >
> > > Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links, Files,
> > > and
> > > Photos:
> > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBsYahoo! Groups Links
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links, Files, and
> Photos:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBsYahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?

2012-05-15 by Spencer W

This is what I use. 2 parts peroxide, one part muriatic acid

http://www.instructables.com/id/Stop-using-Ferric-Chloride-etchant!--A-better-etc/step2/Put-the-Lime-in-the-Coconut/?f=m

Sent from my iPhone

Show quoted textHide quoted text
On May 15, 2012, at 6:12 AM, Donald H Locker <dhlocker@...> wrote:

> Sorry, I didn't write the formula and it was over five years ago. I do recall I purchased the H2O2 from Sally Beauty Supply. I can look up the product label this evening. Maybe I wrote the formula I used somewhere.
>
> Donald.
> --
> *Plain Text* email -- it's an accessibility issue
> () no proprietary attachments; no html mail
> /\ ascii ribbon campaign - <www.asciiribbon.org>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Spencer W" <upnxwood16@...>
> > To: "Homebrew PCBs" <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
> > Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 9:26:18 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?
> > What ratio are you using? I would love to increase my etch times
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> > On May 14, 2012, at 6:59 PM, Donald H Locker <dhlocker@...>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > I tried HCl with H2O2 (30%HCl with 30-volume H2O2 (about 9%, IIRC))
> > > -- etched 1oz on FR4 fully in less than 10 minutes at room
> > > temperature.
> > >
> > > Donald.
> > > --
> > > *Plain Text* email -- it's an accessibility issue
> > > () no proprietary attachments; no html mail
> > > /\ ascii ribbon campaign - <www.asciiribbon.org>
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: "Confidential" <scuba840@...>
> > > > To: "Homebrew PCBs" <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
> > > > Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 7:50:59 PM
> > > > Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?
> > > > We've tried 10oz copper a with Hcl/H2O2 on a ceramic dielectric.
> > > > After
> > > > several hours it was only about half way done. The addition of the
> > > > PCB
> > > > fab-in-a-box "TRF" gave us significantly better toner etchant
> > > > resistance.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > I'll remember the bubbler trick the next time.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > -N
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ________________________________
> > > > From: Leon Heller <leon355@...>
> > > > To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
> > > > Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 11:31 AM
> > > > Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On 14/05/2012 19:24, Spencer wrote:
> > > > > I use the same solution and noticed heating doesnt help either.
> > > > > The
> > > > > biggest improvement in time that I get with my board came from
> > > > > sticking
> > > > > an aquarium air pump and with a hose with a bunch of holes that
> > > > > I
> > > > > did
> > > > > from a sewing needle into the solution. I get about 45 minute
> > > > > etch
> > > > > time
> > > > > now with my 1oz boards.
> > > >
> > > > When I tried HCl and H2O2 it was very fast, with no heating.
> > > > Concentrated HCl is required,
> > > >
> > > > Leon
> > > > --
> > > > Leon Heller
> > > > G1HSM
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------------
> > > >
> > > > Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links, Files,
> > > > and
> > > > Photos:
> > > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBsYahoo! Groups Links
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links, Files, and
> > Photos:
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBsYahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
>


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

Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?

2012-05-18 by Donald H Locker

The H2O2 I purchased at Sally Beauty Supply was Salon Care Professional 30 Volume Clear Developer. The staff were very curious about how it worked for making circuit boards.

Donald.
--
*Plain Text* email -- it's an accessibility issue
() no proprietary attachments; no html mail
/\ ascii ribbon campaign - <www.asciiribbon.org>

Show quoted textHide quoted text
----- Original Message -----
> From: "Spencer W" <upnxwood16@...>
> To: "Homebrew PCBs" <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 7:21:08 AM
> Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?
> This is what I use. 2 parts peroxide, one part muriatic acid
>
> http://www.instructables.com/id/Stop-using-Ferric-Chloride-etchant!--A-better-etc/step2/Put-the-Lime-in-the-Coconut/?f=m
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On May 15, 2012, at 6:12 AM, Donald H Locker <dhlocker@...>
> wrote:
>
> > Sorry, I didn't write the formula and it was over five years ago. I
> > do recall I purchased the H2O2 from Sally Beauty Supply. I can look
> > up the product label this evening. Maybe I wrote the formula I used
> > somewhere.
> >
> > Donald.
> > --
> > *Plain Text* email -- it's an accessibility issue
> > () no proprietary attachments; no html mail
> > /\ ascii ribbon campaign - <www.asciiribbon.org>
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Spencer W" <upnxwood16@...>
> > > To: "Homebrew PCBs" <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
> > > Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 9:26:18 PM
> > > Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?
> > > What ratio are you using? I would love to increase my etch times
> > >
> > > Sent from my iPhone
> > >
> > > On May 14, 2012, at 6:59 PM, Donald H Locker
> > > <dhlocker@...>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > I tried HCl with H2O2 (30%HCl with 30-volume H2O2 (about 9%,
> > > > IIRC))
> > > > -- etched 1oz on FR4 fully in less than 10 minutes at room
> > > > temperature.
> > > >
> > > > Donald.
> > > > --
> > > > *Plain Text* email -- it's an accessibility issue
> > > > () no proprietary attachments; no html mail
> > > > /\ ascii ribbon campaign - <www.asciiribbon.org>
> > > >
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > > From: "Confidential" <scuba840@...>
> > > > > To: "Homebrew PCBs" <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
> > > > > Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 7:50:59 PM
> > > > > Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?
> > > > > We've tried 10oz copper a with Hcl/H2O2 on a ceramic
> > > > > dielectric.
> > > > > After
> > > > > several hours it was only about half way done. The addition of
> > > > > the
> > > > > PCB
> > > > > fab-in-a-box "TRF" gave us significantly better toner etchant
> > > > > resistance.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > I'll remember the bubbler trick the next time.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > -N
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > ________________________________
> > > > > From: Leon Heller <leon355@...>
> > > > > To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
> > > > > Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 11:31 AM
> > > > > Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Slow Etch?
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > On 14/05/2012 19:24, Spencer wrote:
> > > > > > I use the same solution and noticed heating doesnt help
> > > > > > either.
> > > > > > The
> > > > > > biggest improvement in time that I get with my board came
> > > > > > from
> > > > > > sticking
> > > > > > an aquarium air pump and with a hose with a bunch of holes
> > > > > > that
> > > > > > I
> > > > > > did
> > > > > > from a sewing needle into the solution. I get about 45
> > > > > > minute
> > > > > > etch
> > > > > > time
> > > > > > now with my 1oz boards.
> > > > >
> > > > > When I tried HCl and H2O2 it was very fast, with no heating.
> > > > > Concentrated HCl is required,
> > > > >
> > > > > Leon
> > > > > --
> > > > > Leon Heller
> > > > > G1HSM
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > ------------------------------------
> > > > >
> > > > > Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links,
> > > > > Files,
> > > > > and
> > > > > Photos:
> > > > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBsYahoo! Groups Links
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------
> > >
> > > Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links, Files,
> > > and
> > > Photos:
> > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBsYahoo! Groups Links
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links, Files, and
> Photos:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBsYahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>