How do you protect your etched faceplates?

[blearyeyes]

I just had Keefe etch me a nice copper/black faceplate.
I have to drill it and finish it.
I really don't want to destroy it through experimenting!
Any tips?  Things to avoid?

[madbean]

Sure! It's actually quite easy:

- Use some 0000 steel wool and gently sand the copper areas in a cross-hatch fashion. This will lightly scratch the underlying PCB material but that's okay - step 3 fixes that.
- Use Acetone to clean the entire surface until the paper towel comes away clean.
- Do 1 to 2 light coats of clear spray over the surface. This seals the copper, prevents oxidation and will magically remove any light surface scratches.

(BTW - all my faceplates are done on black FR-4 which is the least forgiving. This method works really well on it)