First try at etch

[beneharris]

What did I do wrong? The print didn't fully transfer. I left the iron on for about five or six minutes. More time? I soaked it in water afterwards. What do you guys think before I use up another sheet of paper.

[flanagan0718]

So, Cody (selfdestroyer) did a SUPERB tutorial on how to etch an enclosure. If you follow the link in his signature it will lead you right to it. I suggest watch / reading it a couple times and take some notes. It's VERY informative.


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[beneharris]

http://music.codydeschenes.com/?page_id=2035


This one, right? I did follow that, but I screwed something up haha. Which bothers me because the tutorial is good.

[Stomptown]

All things considered that looks pretty dang good for s first attempt.  Do you have a brayer?  I'm not sure if it's in Cody's tutorial but He recommended using one and I've never looked back. It's hard to miss a spot if you use one.  Here is the one I bought off amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000BYVMFC/ref=pd_aw_sbs_201_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=AJN4GR3P7A9KB889S9HY

[beneharris]

All things considered that looks pretty dang good for s first attempt.  Do you have a brayer?  I'm not sure if it's in Cody's tutorial but He recommended using one and I've never looked back. It's hard to miss a spot if you use one.  Here is the one I bought off amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000BYVMFC/ref=pd_aw_sbs_201_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=AJN4GR3P7A9KB889S9HY

I like the idea of using one of those. I'm gonna sand this one down, and try again tomorrow. If I can't seem to get one I may try the brayer. thanks for the tip!

[m-Kresol]

I think you didn't iron long enough. It is a tedious process, so give it time.

The thing I've found is that a brayer is extremely helpful. I always heat, roller, heat, roller.... for ca. 6-8 times. Then I do what Cody describes and go over the whole thing with the tip of the iron again once or twice. this usually gives very good results. Once you get the toner transfer right, the etching process is comparably easy.

[selfdestroyer]

Jon is right, that came out really good for a first attempt. I'm with Felix, I think you might need to iron a bit more. Take your time and I found moving over the whole image with the tip of the iron is key to help it stick. Also, with this time of year, I find it a little harder to get etch masks to stick when the enclosures is really cold. You can stick it in the over for a min or two just to warm it up. I usually bring in my enclosures inside from the garage 24 hours before I etch to get the enclosures up to room temp.

Just some thoughts.

It makes me so happy that my tutorial is still helping people.. you guys are the best!

Cody

[wgc]

not bad at all I think, but as I look at it, I think you have a "low" spot on your enclosure, right where you didn't get a transfer.

If I look at the edges of the box, you can see the sanding/rubbing marks.  I also see those where you got a good transfer.

But I don't see them where you didn't get a transfer, except on the edges of the box.  A brayer will probably help a lot.

[beneharris]

Thanks for all the tips guys.  I'm going to give it another shot tonight, I'll post up how it goes.

[beneharris]

Okay it at least "worked" . I did forget to wash it off so it came out dark. But heck, first try.

[stringsthings]

Make sure to use a sanding block when sanding the enclosure.   This will ensure that the surface is nice and level.

( I also found Cody's tutorial super helpful )

[m-Kresol]

turned out quite good! keep at it and you'll get it.

small tip: I like to make the drill markings etched in instead of standing out, even on reversed etches. makes centre punching easier.