Cosmopolitan - AKA The Beefeater

[Ralfg]

Finished off my Cosmopolitan build using the layout from the Etchers Paradise.  Etching both PCB and enclosures is still new to me.  Those of you who etch, any tips on how you get the enclosures so clean?  I used a combo of hydrogen peroxide and muriatic acid.  Maybe its just too strong of a solution, it always eats through my transfer and my Dykem Action marker.  For the PCB I used sodium persulfate.  Would this work on enclosures too?  The acid is pretty fun just because it sizzles so much.

Anyway, this pedal sounds awesome, I think everything that Skreddy makes is rad.  I love that this gets really fuzzy, but also serves a really nice overdrive. 

Here it is:

[alanp]

 

That enclosure is AWESOME. I love it. It looks like an old Big Muff pedal that's been gigged for years on a regular basis.

Nice work inside, too!

[m-Kresol]

I agree with Alan, the enclosure turned out great. Did you fill in the red areas by hand?

I would strongly advise to stay away from the HCl H2O2 combination. This will form chlorine gas which is very dangerous/toxic leading to lung oedema and other fun stuff. it should work with hydrochloric acid alone. No peroxide needed. But you still need to be careful as the acid fumes are corrosive too and should not be inhaled.

I would use FeCl3 solution for the enclosure and the pcbs. You would only need one solution and usually you can usually use it multiple times. It's faster than the persulfate for copper pcbs, iirc. For the enclosure you can also use NaOH solution (check graham's tutorial http://diy-guitar-effects.tumblr.com/etching) but this also needs to be done in a very well ventilated area!

[playpunk]

I use ferric chloride for my enclosures. It works well.


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[Ralfg]

Thanks guys.  Great tips m-Kresol and thanks for the warning.  I'll look into ferric chloride, building effects is fun, but not worth risking my health! 

I filled in the red and black with acrylic paint and let it dry.  Then I wet sanded with 600 grit sand paper, very gently to bring back the definition.  The worn out look is not what I was going for, but I do like it.  I would like to get to the point where I am doing that relic look on purpose. 

[Leevibe]

Nice work in and out!!

[m-Kresol]

Thanks guys.  Great tips m-Kresol and thanks for the warning.  I'll look into ferric chloride, building effects is fun, but not worth risking my health! 

you're welcome. You are not the first one to use this combination without knowing the dangers, sometimes people use even more dangerous combinations.
One more thing: the most important part to a clean etch is the toner transfer. If you get this part going, the rest will work easy peasy.
For FeCl3 etching I highly recommend Cody's tutorial:
http://music.codydeschenes.com/?page_id=2035

[Droogie]

I'll drink to that! Nice one!

[playpunk]

This is a great etch! To keep an etch clean, keep it moving the whole time - I dunk mine up and down. Also, when you do he toner transfer, make sure to get as much of the paper off as possible.

[glops]

Man, that came out great. Where do you get that type of copper clad board?

[Ralfg]

Thanks everyone for the complements and tips.  I got the FR4 board off Amazon, works pretty good.  I have since changed my etching technique and now I use ferric chloride, which is safer (thanks m-Kresol) and easier to control.  I also use a joint knife to make sure my transfer is flat, so I iron for a bit, use the joint knife and repeat for a while till I see the toner through the paper.  Then I let the enclosure cool on its own before soaking it in water to get the paper off.  When it dries I touch it up with a Dykem action marker.  And yeah now I move the enclosure around a whole bunch while etching and check its progress Playpunk.  The etches come out way cleaner than before.     

[Boba7]

This is so nice! Amazing job.