Homebrew PCBs

not sure what material your electrode needed to be made out of,
but there are MANY different kinds of nails.... i would advise to 
find your source on the proper electrode and then get a nail that 
matches as closely as possible...  if you got some copper on the one 
nail it sounds like your idea was working, but you may have been 
depositing other chemicals into your etching solution depending upon 
what the container, wires, and nails were actually made of...

im not a chemist, but i know that these are all factors to 
consider....



--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "dkesterline" 
<desterline@t...> wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I've been experimenting with toner transfer for a while now, and 
I'm 
> starting to see acceptable results. This group has been a great 
help 
> in my endevors.
> 
> I read some posts in the archives about recycling (revitalizing 
might 
> be a better word) Feric Chloride etchant.
> 
> As I read the instructions, using two iron nails as electrodes, 
run 
> about 1 amp through the solution. (more details would have been 
> helpfull)
> 
> I tried this and my results were less than stellar. The negative 
> terminal collected particulate copper (kinda looked like a sponge, 
> but just dust, wiped off easily) and the negative terminal did 
erode 
> some (about 1 hour). In the end my etchant looked like brown mud. 
> Then I tried etching with it and it seemed slower than before I 
did 
> it.
> 
> Perhaps sombody could advise?
> 
> Thanks,
> Denny