Homebrew PCBs

On Sun, 31 Dec 2006 07:12:45 +0100, daviddmcnab <david@...>  
wrote:

> 2) Putting paper onto board, for 10 passes through laminator
> 3) Soaking paper+board in warm water
> 4) Peeling off the bulk of the paper (some remains stuck to board)
> 5) Removing remaining paper fragments by gently rubbing board with
> fingers under water
> 6) Using a head-magnifier and a fine knife, carefully picking off tiny
> remaining fragments of paper, taking care not to damage toner deposits
> 7) Etching in FeCl
> 8) Removing toner with acetone
> Biggest problem I'm having is with steps 5-6. This is a time-consuming
> process. If there was a way to get the paper off fairly quickly,
> without damaging toner or copper, that would be great.
> Thanks in advance for any help
> Cheers
> David


If your toner is stuck well you can engage in step 5 quite vigorously  
which will eliminate step 6. In order to reduce wear to your fingers you  
can use some aid, like a piece of plastic foam, or even a rag. After  
peeling/rolling the bulk of the paper off i will rub the board with a foam  
piece, dipping it into water from time to time. When i feel confident that  
the paper should be gone i dip it again to rinse, and then dry it (wipe  
with a towel and wave it around or put on still hot fuser). The drying  
makes any remaining paper very obvious because it turns white. Such spots  
are rubbed again, either with a finger or the sponge, adding a little  
water, until all paper is cleared.

This all should take no more than a minute or so. If your toner is not  
stuck well enough to rub with significant force, then that's your problem.

ST