Homebrew PCBs

Greetings! Thanks to all you guys posting the valuable info!
I just wandered in here a few days ago, and was looking for some 
helpful hints on starting out with homebrew PCBs. I have enjoyed the 
posts here very much!

I'm the type of DIY person that believes in KISS (Keep it simple, 
stupid), so I am using all locally available supplies. (except drill 
bits and PCB stock that I ordered).
The methods I used are surely not optimal, but extremely simple and 
readily available.
I just made my first successful PCB at home using the most basic 
items and thought I'd share my limited experiences, and maybe get 
some pointers (Especially on Etchant).

Drill:
My new but cheap drill press from Harbor Freight had so much wobble 
in the chuck it snapped the .8 mm carbide drill immediately. Upon 
inspection, I found the step pulleys were not bored properly, 
causing the wobble.

I therefore needed a way to drill some boards with my Dremel. (I 
don't have the drill-press stand attachment yet.)
I already knew that Carbide drills were very long-lasting, but 
extremely brittle.
The slightest lateral movement or wobble will break these tiny 
drills.
So I needed a way to improve my somewhat unsteady hand.
Here's what I found worked to steady the Dremel 395 enough to drill 
with Carbide Drills.
I figured that taking the weight and alignment away from hand 
control might help.
I'm a not-so-good guitarist, but I had a microphone stand with a 
boom arm attached. (Any over-hanging support can be used. Light 
fixture maybe?)

I suspended my Dremel from my boom by using 3 ordinary rubber-bands 
such that it hung straight over my board and about an inch away.
The Dremel has a wire loop at the tail, so I just used it with a 
half wrap around the cord to make it hang straight.
This allowed me to concentrate on a slight downward movement of the 
tool using only 2 fingers with a very light touch.
This transfers the alignment and load of the tool to the Boom and 
gravity.
I drilled about 60 holes using a .8 mm carbide resharpened bits from 
Drill-Bit City http://shop.store.yahoo.com/drillcity/. (These bits 
have a .125" shank and are reasonable price.)
I know that I will need a more reliable solution if I continue to 
make boards, but I thought I'd pass on this temporary solution for 
those that are just doing a few boards and don't want to invest in 
more equipment.

Board: GC #21-243 1 oz. grade FR4 Positive Resist. Advertised as GC-
603 at Abra Electronics http://www.abra-electronics.com (I believe 
that is a MG part number? Maybe they changed suppliers?)

Circuit Layout: Eagle w/12 mil traces.
I used Paint Shop Pro to Panelize these small 1" x 1" circuits, but 
had to put the holes in manually, because my Eagle 4.03 didn't do 
that when exporting the image. (It does it when printing direct, 
though).

Transfer Method: Canon F80 Ink-Jet printer on Office Depot Ink-Jet 
Transparencies.
Printed at 1200 dpi. 2 Passes on the same sheet to darken image. 
Very clean looking results!
May try single pass later.

Exposure: Mid-day Texas direct sunlight.
Test exposure used 1" strip with foil "slider". Test was 30 sec. to 
3 minutes in 30 sec intervals. 
Results showed all (even 30 sec.) worked about the same, so I tried 
one at about 35 sec. and one at 1 minute. 
The 1 Minute board over-exposed I think, because I got some pitting 
in the traces. The 35 sec. board came out pretty nice on the 12 mil 
traces and would likely have done 5 mil if  exposure was adjusted a 
little better.
As soon as it arrives, I will be trying a surplus Derma-Spec lamp 
($6.95) that has a small 6" Blacklight BLB tube and 1-Min. timer in 
it. I ordered 2, and plan on modifying the 1 min. timer circuit to 
suit the exposure time needed. Maybe this will offer a little more 
control of the exposure.

Developer: Lewis Red Devil Lye purchased from Albertson's July, 
2003. Mixed at approx 6g per Liter? 
I calculated it to be 1 Tsp per Quart. Used Lowe's 1" foam brush 
lightly. Worked great.

Etchant: I'm using 34% HCL from Lowe's Garden Center and 3% Hydrogen 
Peroxide from Albertson's mixed 1:1.
I used no water, because most recipes call for stronger Peroxide. 
This solution seems to work if you use it right away.
If you let it stand for a while it seems to be "die" or slow down. 
Why is this?
I Really could use some input on this Etchant mix. Does the HCL/H2O2 
mix always die soon after mixing? 
Does it only work while the solution is still bubbling?

Other Supplies: 3 Cheap plastic freezer containers for 
Developer/Etchant/Water. Homemade tongs fashioned from 2 plastic 
forks.

Any input/comments would be much appreciated!
Regards to all,
Byron