[Jewelry making - Article 00639] - Re: [Orchid] Ferric Chloride etching

[Mona Clee]

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Alma,

    When I first took etching classes I was taught to suspend the metal
    upside down, so that the bits of metal that were etched away could
    settle to the bottom and not interfere with the process. After I've
    used a batch of solution a few times, there is always some sludge at
    the bottom. I use a suspension method that is very quick and easy. I
    take a 3x4 sanding sponge from the hardware store (dense foam,
    doesn't absorb ferric chloride well, can be used over and over) and
    wind duct tape around it, stick side out. I stick the metal to that
    and suspend it in the solution. (When I etch bowls sitting right side
    up, I switch out the ferric chloride solution every 15 minutes,
    because the etching action slows down, as there's no place for the
    etched-away particles to go except the bottom of the bowl). 

    I learned silver etching from an excellent teacher, Angela Gleason
    of the Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild, and she taught us to attach an
    aquarium pump to the container holding the etchant (in this case,
    ferric nitrate) -- because when etching silver you couldn't just rely
    on gravity to pull the etched particles of metal away effectively,
    you had to agitate the solution to help the process. I've found this
    also speeds up etching with ferric chloride, although it's not as
    necessary as with ferric nitrate. 

    I have an old Toshiba copier ($15 from a friend) that uses carbon
    based toner. I had to play with the darkness setting before I got
    copies that were just right. I only run a sheet of PnP at a time, so
    the copier never gets a chance to heat up too much. I've heard of PnP
    sheets sticking, but it hasn't actually happened to me so far. I
    don't think that running one sheet at a time (i.e., one every 15
    minutes) will ruin your Canon. You could always get another old one
    (I hear you can pick them up for a few dollars at a dump or a solid
    waste recycle place) and dedicate it just to the PnP. 

Mona
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