Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Acid required to etch aluminum
Q. Hello,
I am looking for an acid or an acid mixture that could be used to etch aluminum for jewelry products; the acid or mixture of acids needs to be relatively safe as to be accepted by my college; please note that I cannot use NaOH. Any help is appreciated.
Thanx in advance,
- Dublin, Ireland
2002
Maybe try to etch it in vinegar
⇦in bulk on
eBay
or
Amazon [affil links] like the other kiddies do, and have your mommy tell us how it worked? :-)
Hello David. Sorry, for the satire -- it's certainly not your fault, and it was very unkind of me. But this chemophobia on the part of your *COLLEGE* is so ludicrous that I lost it :-(
Drano (pure NaOH) and oven cleaner (nearly pure NaOH) is under the kitchen sink in most homes today, where it's used by absolutely untrained people by the millions daily, almost none even wearing eye protection. It's probably in a dozen janitors' closets at your school as well.
... and you're not allowed to use, under supervision, for your coursework in aluminum etching in *COLLEGE*, the accepted aluminum etchant?! Get your tuition money back.
Apologies and Best of luck.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
A. It will be slow, but very safe. Use bicarbonate of soda in water heated to 130 to 150° F. Make a saturated solution. Put in a couple drops of liquid dish soap per quart of solution, the cheapest stuff made. The high priced stuff has skin conditioners that will not help. I would guess about 5 minutes at 150° F for a fine etch, longer for a medium etch.
James Watts- Navarre, Florida
Q. What do I use for etching designs on aluminum? Hello, can I use ferric chloride ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] for etching designs on aluminum? I have used this on copper but don't know if I can use this on aluminum as well. If the answer is yes, how long should I soak it for? Thank you.
Jude D [surname deleted for privacy by Editor]art project - Bay Area, California
2006
A. Hi, Jude. Yes, ferric chloride does etch aluminum. Please search this site for "etch aluminum ferric chloride" and, with patience, you'll find a number of reports from people who are using it and what they do. Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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