Roland, OK, I have read up on it. Back to electro etching with salt water! Damn, lye is nasty stuff. Thanks, Rick -----Original Message----- From: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Rick Sparber Sent: Saturday, March 30, 2013 11:40 AM To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] lye Gloves, eye protection, all done outside. However, I will read up on it more before doing a second try. Thanks, Rick On Mar 30, 2013, at 11:32 AM, Roland Harriston <rolohar@...> wrote: > Does not matter what the metal is.........sodium hydroxide is nasty stuff. > Were you wearing eye protection?? > > A lot of stores won't carry it anymore in my neck of the woods because > it is so dangerous in the hands of inexperienced and ill-equipped > users. > > If you have the proper equipment and setup for using sodium hydroxide, > then it is okay. > > But messing around with the stuff as you are doing is not only > dangerous, but also not very smart. > > Get a hold of a few good books that tell how to do what you want to > do, and that explain what equipment/techniques you should have. > > I bet a quick "Google" will get you the intelligence you need to do > the job. > > Roland F. Harriston, P.D. > ********************** > > On 3/30/2013 8:44 AM, Rick Sparber wrote: >> >> Roland, >> >> In this case, I am etching aluminum, not copper. I know that ferric >> chloride does not do much to aluminum. >> >> I chose lye because it was easy to find at my Ace Hardware store and >> was very low cost. Yet I see that the stuff is very active at full >> strength. I assume that if I mix in more water, it would not be as >> aggressive nor generate as much heat. >> >> If I didn't use lye, what other commonly found chemical could etch >> aluminum. >> I tried drain cleaner but it was far too slow and stopped etching >> after a few minutes. I was left with a very slight roughness in the exposed area. >> >> Rick >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com >> <mailto:Homebrew_PCBs%40yahoogroups.com> >> [mailto:Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com >> <mailto:Homebrew_PCBs%40yahoogroups.com>] >> On Behalf Of Roland Harriston >> Sent: Saturday, March 30, 2013 8:34 AM >> To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com >> <mailto:Homebrew_PCBs%40yahoogroups.com> >> Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] lye >> >> Whew! >> >> A really bad idea! >> >> There are so many less dangerous materials that have been used to >> etch PCB's that have proven to be relatively safe and very effective >> over the last >> 50 or 60 >> years. >> >> The task is not that complex or hazardous.....why make it so? >> >> Roland F. Harriston, P.D. >> *********************** >> >> On 3/30/2013 7:31 AM, Rick Sparber wrote: >>> >>> Has anyone used lye to etch aluminum through photo resist? >>> >>> As a test, I put a strip of aluminum in lye plus water and after 15 >>> minutes the strip was half of its original thickness. So there is no >>> doubt that lye can etch VERY deep. But the chemical reaction >>> generated a lot of heat and the tape I had on there quickly floated >>> off. Next time I will use more water. >>> >>> I did have the lye and aluminum outside while I watched from inside. >>> Nasty fumes! >>> >>> Thanks, >>> >>> Rick >>> >>> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >>> >>> >> >> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >> >> ------------------------------------ >> >> Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links, Files, and >> Photos: >> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBsYahoo! Groups Links >> >> > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links, Files, and Photos: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBsYahoo! Groups Links > > > ------------------------------------ Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links, Files, and Photos: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBsYahoo! Groups Links
Message
RE: [Homebrew_PCBs] lye
2013-03-30 by Rick Sparber