Case in point, make sure to check back in here over the next few weeks as I try silver etching. I have some design ideas in my mind that I am itching to make a reality, but first I need a slew of tools and materials. I just purchased 500g of Ferric Nitrate, a small bottle of liver of sulfur gel and a 6 pack of triple refined butane fuel. Well, the butane fuel isn't part of the etching experiments but the tiny bottle I have is just about out and nothing sucks more than being in the middle of soldering a project and realizing you've run completely out of fuel! Oh! And I suppose I better stock up on baking soda for a neutralizer and some plastic disposable containers for stop baths...
Last year I experimented with salt water etching copper, which actually worked very well. I etched half a dozen copper plates with a gaming team logo I designed.
It was a safe method that was very effective and gave me less unpredictability than ferric chloride, surprisingly. The etch was deep without tearing out resist. It did take quite a few hours, but I felt it was a fair trade off for not needing corrosive chemicals
Then I used the same electronic adapter to attempt to etch silver with a comparably safe chemical, silver nitrate. Unfortunately, it seems with silver the need for controlling power and current is essential to getting any kind of etch at all. The same adapter wasn't doing the job. I'm no electrical engineer either. There is a special etching kit available out there... to the tune of about $300. So I've tabled electro etching silver for the moment.
Stay tuned. I will be gathering a ton of resources in order to begin my silver chemical etching and then we will give that method a whirl. Oh, lovely lovely chemicals! Oh which reminds me, I might need some thicker gloves and a disposable measuring cup.
