The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need. |
11-24-2012, 10:38 AM
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Member
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Redneck Holler Kentucky
Posts: 24
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$30.00 etcher
Hi Againg. I mentioned in last thread about building tools is a lot of fun. Hers one you might try. I was tring to find a schematic for Chris Crawfords etcher and a very smart friend said "why Bother". He said go get a small cheap battery charger. Purchased 6-12V,1AMP charger(19.00) alligator clips (2.00) Made my own handle(0.00) stencils (9.00). Tried it out on an old kitchen knife. Surprise,suprise. Durn thing worked great. Thought you might want to know. Probably nothing new though. trog out. Used ferric chloride ans an etchent.
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11-24-2012, 11:24 AM
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Member
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Indiana
Posts: 15
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Cool, I like tinkering too. Try using salt water. Additionally, Mr. Crawford put a tutorial on his sight. It allows for AC/DC switching for the mark/etch option. It appears simple enough.
http://chriscrawfordknives.com/#/ele...nit/4535265119
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11-24-2012, 08:17 PM
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Steel Addict
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Boone, NC USA
Posts: 293
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I encourage etching stuff on occasion: the only extra note I would add in is doing a toner image transfer.
Take a look at: http://mordent.com/etch-howto/
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11-24-2012, 10:45 PM
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Steel Addict
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: AZ, Like to party in Tombstone
Posts: 127
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Imakethings
I encourage etching stuff on occasion: the only extra note I would add in is doing a toner image transfer.
Take a look at: http://mordent.com/etch-howto/
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Imakethings have you tried this? If so could you post pics? I've seen something like this but it didn't turn out as nice. this is pretty cool.
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11-24-2012, 11:11 PM
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Steel Addict
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Boone, NC USA
Posts: 293
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Yup, I've done copper, nickel, and iron.
Fiddle with a mix a bit and you've got a sulfate based plating solution.
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11-24-2012, 11:37 PM
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Hall of Famer
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Lexington,NC
Posts: 2,414
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That is pretty cool . I see all kinds of possibility's with this.
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11-25-2012, 03:36 AM
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Master
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Cebu, Philippines (or Michigan, USA)
Posts: 909
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The toner transfer method can come in handy. We used to get vinyl stickers for etching designs but the designs were limited by how thick the vinyl cutter could cut. You don't have that problem with the toner method.
It can be a bit tricky to transfer it on a knife...for example trying to get it nice and tight near the plunge line. When we first tried it we used an iron and heat gun to warm the piece but we found baking in the oven worked better. Some paper works better than others. With some of the paper the paper fibers get trapped in the toner and will create pinhole etchings all over the piece. They make paper specifically for doing this stuff (laser toner transfer paper)but its a bit pricier than regular glossy paper. One tip we picked up online was using glossy magazine pages, it can work pretty well. Also regular saltwater will work as an etchant, you don;t have to get the iron sulfate.
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11-25-2012, 11:01 AM
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Steel Addict
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Boone, NC USA
Posts: 293
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Oh, and if you do want to do some electroplating with this setup, it is possible. You're not going to get a perfect coating unless you are very careful and do a good bit of reading on the science behind it. Also I highly suggest making sure that you are aware of how to dispose of any of the etching and plating chemicals you use, some of them are toxic and should not be disposed of down the drain or anywhere that they can get into groundwater supply (nickel compounds especially).
If you want any further reading here is a site for you
http://www.substech.com/dokuwiki/dok...ickel_coatings
And if you have specific questions about plating or surface prep:
www.finishing.com
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11-26-2012, 10:18 AM
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Master
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Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 859
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You used ferric chloride for the etch? Wouldn't the ferric chloride do the etching without the use of electricity?
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11-26-2012, 02:25 PM
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Master
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Cebu, Philippines (or Michigan, USA)
Posts: 909
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Quote:
Originally Posted by metal99
You used ferric chloride for the etch? Wouldn't the ferric chloride do the etching without the use of electricity?
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Ferric will etch by itself but adding electricity speeds it up. Using electrochemical etching I can get the same depth in about 5-10mins that I would using undiluted ferric(from Radio Shack) in about 10 hours.
Thats an extreme case though...etching that fast can cause problems...I just used it as an example of how much faster adding some electricity can make it.
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11-29-2012, 07:44 AM
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Master
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Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 859
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Ahh ya that makes sense.
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Tags
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battery, building, chris, crawford, electrochemical etching, etch, etching, handle, how to, image, iron, kitchen knife, knife, made, make, making, post, simple, supply, surface, tools, tutorial |
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