Ferric chloride concentration question

SHOKR

Well-Known Member
a friend of mine will get me ferric chloride (i can get the raw material or liquid form)

i will be needing it for both stencils (marking logo) AND etching damascus steel

my question is, what is the original concentration required (dilution of the raw ferric chloride) that i can later on dilute for etching ( i hear 1:4right?) and how much for logo marking?



thanks
 
There could be different opinions out there but I've been using a saturated solution for both applications for the past 11 years. Etching logo's would take about 3-5 minutes while etching a damascus blade normally takes anything from 30 minutes to two hours depending on the composition of the blade.
 
I've never had any success etching logos with ferric, but have been etching damascus blades for many years with it. I think by "saturated" he MIGHT mean that he's using powdered ferric, and mixing it with water until no more will dissolves.

If you using/purchasing a liquid form of Ferric Chloride (such as PCB Archer etchant), you're going to want to dilute it with distilled water. Personally, I use 3 parts distilled water, to 1 part Archer etchant. Using it straight (at full strength) results in a relatively poor etch, as the etchant tends to eat away at the materials equally. The way I get my 3 to 1 ratio is easy.......using an old plastic milk jug (cleaned out), I dump in one bottle of PCB Archer Etchant....then using the bottle as a measuring cup, I fill it and dump it into the plastic milk jug three times. (with distilled water).

It's VERY important to NOT use tap water, well water, or any other water that contains chemicals or minerals. There is just no predicting what problems it will cause.....I've seen blades come out all sorts of difference colors/hues, portions etched and others not, and no etch at all.
 
I think by "saturated" he MIGHT mean that he's using powdered ferric, and mixing it with water until no more will dissolves.

Yup, exactly what I meant. At my side of the pond this is the best way to do it. If you buy it in a ready mixed form it is normally not strong enough.
 
Yup, exactly what I meant. At my side of the pond this is the best way to do it. If you buy it in a ready mixed form it is normally not strong enough.

i figured thats what saturated meant, but thought it might be much more concentrated than what Ed Caffrey uses (saw it on his video)

thanks Olivier
 
Ed, i have a friend who studies chemistry, he offered to either get me the powder ferric chloride and offered to mix it to the ratio i want or i can mix it later on, i saw on your video that mix, but i didn't even know the concentration of the PCB, thats why i was asking for the final mix (or if i know the PCB's concentration i can figure it out)


thanks for the advice
 
I use fc to etch logos and other things on carbon steel blades, but it does not work on stainless or damascus very well. I use the same concentration Ed uses, and lacquer as a resist. I've also used enamel paint, but it needs to be high quality or it will chip. I let the paint dry, then carefully scratch my logo through the paint. I also put a few extra layers of lacquer along the edge, and everywhere that will not be etched. The blade goes into the fc, and stays for approximately 1 1/2 hours. The type of steel can influence how long it takes to get a deep etch, as a general rule the brighter the alloy shows up in damascus, the longer it needs to etch. I then take the blade out of the etchant, rinse and spray with windex (the ammonia neutralizes the fc), and remove the paint with acetone (wear latex gloves, do this outdoors with a fan blowing the fumes away, you don't want to breathe the fumes or get it on your skin if you can help it) and a rag. If the blade was polished, the paint comes off easily.

If you are just going to be etching logos and not getting all artistic with it, you might want to consider an electro-etcher.
 
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