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Thread: Question about Saltwater etching materials

  1. #1

    Default Question about Saltwater etching materials

    All,

    I have read and understand ARKM's Saltwater Etching Tutorial. He mentions "Removable full sheet labels designed for use with inkjet and/or laser printers". I was wondering what type of labels these are? Or if anyone has a link to what you use.. I want to try this and want to get the correct stuff.

    Thanks,

  2. #2

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    This is one brand of it (I don't know if it's the brand I tried though)... https://www.rings-things.com/Product...sfer-Film.html

    I never had good results with it but others have so hopefully it will work for you.

    http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y23...0Saber%20Hilts

    From Wikipedia: "Internet Explorer slows down GIFs if the framerate is 20 frames per second or higher and Microsoft reports that Google Chrome and Safari also slow down some GIF animations."

  3. #3

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    Thanks for the info, I will have to look into this... Unless I get any other suggestions.

    Jon

  4. #4

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    Oops. I just remembered that the above product is not what was mentioned in my tutorial. I was confusing it with another tutorial I wrote years ago but never posted anywhere. That unposted tutorial is for the toner transfer method of saltwater etching, not the stencil and paint method that you read. Sorry about that.

    The product I used was just full sheet shipping labels that you use in an ink jet or laser printer. I have used both Avery White Shipping Labels 8165 (ink jet only) and Avery Removable Full Sheet labels 6470 (works in both ink jet and laser printers). The removable ones are what's pictured in my tutorial and will probably be the easiest to use. I hope that helps and sorry for any confusion.
    Last edited by ARKM; 04-30-2020 at 12:51 PM.

    http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y23...0Saber%20Hilts

    From Wikipedia: "Internet Explorer slows down GIFs if the framerate is 20 frames per second or higher and Microsoft reports that Google Chrome and Safari also slow down some GIF animations."

  5. #5

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    Arm,

    Thanks for the clarification, I thought I was going insane..
    I will be ordering label stock shortly as I want to begin experimenting.

    Thanks again,
    Jon

  6. #6

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    Arkm,

    Here are the results of my 2nd try... The 1st didn't come out so well because the sticker came loose and shifted... the 2nd time I used electrical tape underneath the sticker, then cut the pattern into the tape and transfered it to the piece.. ran it off my bench power supply for 30 min...
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/C7Y6DfMmuXrpFeBz9

    Jon
    Jedi Atu'karek
    Remember: Han shot first.

  7. #7

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    That's a very deep etch. With that deep of an etch, you risk etching occurring underneath the resist or having the resist itself (or the resist's adhesive), degrading/not holding up. This can be mitigated by less voltage and less etching time as well as using less salt. In fact my tutorial is probably too aggressive during the etching process (for aluminum anyways). I need to try using less voltage and/or less salt, even when using vinyl stickers as the resist. However this may mean having to increase the etching time. It's all a trade off.

    In my saltwater etching tutorial (stencil method), the sticker is just a template for paint. After painting, I remove the sticker before doing any etching.

    Electrical tape can be a good resist but if you're going to cut out designs in the tape, you will get better results using clear packaging tape instead as it is less flexible. I have not tried this myself but I've seen others do it on saber parts with great results. I hope that helps.

    http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y23...0Saber%20Hilts

    From Wikipedia: "Internet Explorer slows down GIFs if the framerate is 20 frames per second or higher and Microsoft reports that Google Chrome and Safari also slow down some GIF animations."

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by ARKM View Post
    That's a very deep etch. With that deep of an etch, you risk etching occurring underneath the resist or having the resist itself (or the resist's adhesive), degrading/not holding up. This can be mitigated by less voltage and less etching time as well as using less salt. In fact my tutorial is probably too aggressive during the etching process (for aluminum anyways). I need to try using less voltage and/or less salt, even when using vinyl stickers as the resist. However this may mean having to increase the etching time. It's all a trade off.

    In my saltwater etching tutorial (stencil method), the sticker is just a template for paint. After painting, I remove the sticker before doing any etching.

    Electrical tape can be a good resist but if you're going to cut out designs in the tape, you will get better results using clear packaging tape instead as it is less flexible. I have not tried this myself but I've seen others do it on saber parts with great results. I hope that helps.
    I will definitely try the packing tape, also I ordered vinyl stickers and I am going to try those as well. Also next time I am going to try 10 or 15 minutes instead of 30... 1 queston for you, is it Voltage or Amperage or both that determines the speed that the etching works? I measured 4.6V at 4.93A when doing this...
    Jedi Atu'karek
    Remember: Han shot first.

  9. #9

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    For some of my more detailed etching I've made a vinyl stencil to make a spray paint resist. It will depend on the design, but in some cases it will be easier to get a good result that way.

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by poconosjon@aol.com View Post
    I will definitely try the packing tape, also I ordered vinyl stickers and I am going to try those as well. Also next time I am going to try 10 or 15 minutes instead of 30... 1 queston for you, is it Voltage or Amperage or both that determines the speed that the etching works? I measured 4.6V at 4.93A when doing this...
    That's a good question. I did find one article on the net that stated that increasing the amps will make it etch faster. It also states that increasing the voltage is what increases the amperage.

    http://www.en.crujera.com/publicatio...d-voltage.html

    Here's some info on Ohm's Law.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohm%27s_law
    Last edited by ARKM; 05-26-2020 at 01:29 PM.

    http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y23...0Saber%20Hilts

    From Wikipedia: "Internet Explorer slows down GIFs if the framerate is 20 frames per second or higher and Microsoft reports that Google Chrome and Safari also slow down some GIF animations."

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