Rogue9607's Satele Saber (Version 2)

[rogue9607]

Thank you. I'm using a solution of water, salt, and copper sulfate (Zepp's Root Killer) for the etchant, toner transfer as a resist, and a capped segment of pvc pipe for a container.

[YoRn Mangers]

Ahh I never thought to use copper sulfate. And I'm assuming you use a car battery as well? Thanks for the tip.

[Silver Serpent]

It's an acid etch, so electricity isn't required.

[South-Paw Jinn]

Maybe I missed it, sorry. First of, gorgeous saber. Is this steel that you are etching? I have been looking for an aluminum etchant, can you point me in the right direction?

Last night was a bit of a short night in the garage with continued sanding and filing... The fins really feel like the most tedious part of the build.

At lunch today I stopped by a sign shop to talk to them about cut vinyl to us as a resist and they gave me a sample piece. I used one of my wife's die cutters and did a quick test. The etchant I was using was rather old and weak, but the resist performed really well. After the etch, I was still able to peel the vinyl sticker up and reapply it securely to another piece. I'd like to go a bit deeper, that that's more a result of the etchant rather than the resist.


1. Pre-etch, 2. Immediately post-etch, 3. After buffing (low angle), 4. After buffing (high angle)

[Silver Serpent]

I use Ferric Chloride (PCB etchant) for aluminum etching. I dilute mine in a 2:1 acid to water solution, to slow the reaction down a bit. Copper Sulfate (Zep's Root Kill) is what is being used by rogue9607 on the saber in this thread. I'm not sure what specific concentrations he is using.

[rogue9607]

I'll be rather slow replying since I'm heading to Dragon*Con.. . Thanks for the replies Silver Serpent.

All of my etching has been in aluminum, without electricity. If I remember correctly, for the last batch I used 1.5 cups of root killer, 1.5 cups salt, and 8 cups of water. I can share links when I get back to my computer next week.

[South-Paw Jinn]

Thanks Silver. The FC, is that a paste solution? I'm trying to avoid submerging, I really only want to do a small emblem, or similar, and would like to avoid masking the whole piece to etch a 1X1" section, you know?

I use Ferric Chloride (PCB etchant) for aluminum etching. I dilute mine in a 2:1 acid to water solution, to slow the reaction down a bit. Copper Sulfate (Zep's Root Kill) is what is being used by rogue9607 on the saber in this thread. I'm not sure what specific concentrations he is using.

[Silver Serpent]

I mask my parts with clear wide packing tape, and use it to close off the open ends.

The Ferric Chloride solution I use is a liquid. If you don't want to mask the entire piece, then there is an alternative method:

Get some latex gloves, safety goggles, a sponge, some FC etching solution, and a bucket of water. Mask your part as normal, then put on your gloves and goggles, and use the sponge to apply full-strength etchant to the exposed aluminum. Be careful, as spilling the etchant will leave stains or chemical burns. It's best to do this outside, to avoid buildup of toxic fumes. Dunk your part in the water when you are done etching, to stop the reaction.

You can get a visible etch after wiping the sponge over the part for a minute or two. Keep it up until you get the depth you're looking for.

[koko kama]

WOW! there's certainly no slowing you down.

Well I'm gonna give the sliding switches a go on my current scrap parts saber,
its not really a Satele saber more like a Corran Horn saber really.

will post a link rather than hijack your thread ha ha

[slothfurnace]

Looking fantastic! Giant slothpoints to you!!