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Loud wolf printed circuit board etch does not work.
- Thread starter Low_Boy
- Start date
What kind of water are you making the solution with?,
its best to use distilled water for etching solution so contaminants don't react with the persulfate & reduce its concentration,
also scrub the pcb with Scotch-Brite or similar abrasive pad to remove any oxidation grease & fingerprints.
its best to use distilled water for etching solution so contaminants don't react with the persulfate & reduce its concentration,
also scrub the pcb with Scotch-Brite or similar abrasive pad to remove any oxidation grease & fingerprints.
I did not use distilled water. The first time I scrubbed the board. And cleaned it with isopropyl alcohol. This time I admit I did forget to scotch bright the board. After 1 hour nothing happened. I made the solution a bit stronger and after another hour and a half nothing. I really think I need to buy ferric chloride.
If loudwolf sell it as pcb etching solution & you mix it at the right concentration it should work, something must be stopping it working for some people,
It could be your water that's no good especially if its got iron in it,
I use Ferric Chloride in distilled water & it never fails to work,
Ammonium persulfate does work on clean copper when its mixed in distilled water,
in tap water the results will vary depending on what else is in the water,
good luck..
It could be your water that's no good especially if its got iron in it,
I use Ferric Chloride in distilled water & it never fails to work,
Ammonium persulfate does work on clean copper when its mixed in distilled water,
in tap water the results will vary depending on what else is in the water,
good luck..
Bob 85 Thank you. I ordered ferric chloride. I have never did a search on that and found where it was not working for anyone.
Ferric chloride never fails. Makes a spotty mess if you don't pre-clean thoroughly, but it will eat some of it anyway.
Just don't do like my downstairs roommate 40-plus years ago. While I was visiting out of town one weekend he spilled the ferric chloride on the bathroom floor. Naturally it ran to the edge of the floor and seeped under the woodwork molding. Dribbled onto the main copper water pipe below the bathroom. Yes, it "etches" pipe, too. Big, big cold-water fountain in the basement.
Bless him, he bought a chunk of pipe and some unions, patched it back before I got home. If he hadn't told me I would never have known until the next trip to the basement.
He and I both hire contract houses for boards these days. Quality is better than if I had been practicing making them at home the last 40 years. And I don't miss drilling holes.
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Just don't do like my downstairs roommate 40-plus years ago. While I was visiting out of town one weekend he spilled the ferric chloride on the bathroom floor. Naturally it ran to the edge of the floor and seeped under the woodwork molding. Dribbled onto the main copper water pipe below the bathroom. Yes, it "etches" pipe, too. Big, big cold-water fountain in the basement.
Bless him, he bought a chunk of pipe and some unions, patched it back before I got home. If he hadn't told me I would never have known until the next trip to the basement.
He and I both hire contract houses for boards these days. Quality is better than if I had been practicing making them at home the last 40 years. And I don't miss drilling holes.
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LOL. Nomad that is funny.
I wrote loud wolf. My answer was scuff board with 220 grit. Clean with isopropyl then try it. They say that they have been selling this for 40+ years and who ever wrote me back uses it also with no problem. And said adding more Crystal's will make things worse. I have a bottle of ferric chloride on the way. Also hot water up to 95 degrees helps.
I wrote loud wolf. My answer was scuff board with 220 grit. Clean with isopropyl then try it. They say that they have been selling this for 40+ years and who ever wrote me back uses it also with no problem. And said adding more Crystal's will make things worse. I have a bottle of ferric chloride on the way. Also hot water up to 95 degrees helps.
The big-deal homebrew etchers decades ago either had an eccentric cam under one corner of the pan with a really-slow reduction gear motor. A slow slosh speeds things up.
Or an aquarium pump feeding a manifold with a lot of holes in it. Called it a "bubble etcher". Never got around to trying either of those tricks.
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Or an aquarium pump feeding a manifold with a lot of holes in it. Called it a "bubble etcher". Never got around to trying either of those tricks.
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The point of using distilled water is that you know what's in it besides H2O alone. Mostly nothing.
Tap water is a wild card in the deck. No telling what dissolved solids are there.
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Tap water is a wild card in the deck. No telling what dissolved solids are there.
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Anything that serves to move the exhausted etchant away from the surface and wash the fresher stuff over it speeds things up and makes the depth of the etch more consistent over the surface of the board.
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I am only learning this from videos and questions asked. I have never seen it done. so I am sure I will mess up a few.