Etchers - "Safer" Muriatic Acid

[irmcdermott]

So, I usually by my Muriatic Acid for etching at Lowes, but I was on the opposite side of town that day and ended up at Home Depot. They sell this "safer Muriatic Acid" that advertises 90% lower fumes. I decided to try it out, a little reluctant, thinking it might be a little too good to be true, and wondering if it would be as affective.

While I don't recommend this, I took off the mask and opened up the bottle to test this less fumes claim. Sure enough, nothing fumed up when I opened the container to burn my nostrils, and unless I was pretty close to the container, I didn't really notice a strong smell, but you still knew it was open. First test passed.

I mixed my usual 1:1 ratio to see how it etched. It worked just fine. I don't want to start selling snake oil, but there is a part of me that thinks I may have gotten a faster etch than usual? Could have been in my brain, or because it was a freshly mixed batch, but it worked great. This is the new product I'm buying and I encourage other home etchers to give it a whirl, the almost no fumes is amazing.

Ian

[jeffaroo]

we have "Safer" at Lowes as well

[irmcdermott]

we have "Safer" at Lowes as well

Awesome. Glad to know I can get it there next time.

[crashguitar]

Cool tip. I am going to have to try this. I have been hesitant to go the muriatic acid path because of the fumes. Thanks for posting.

Chad

[irmcdermott]

I'll also add that while the fumes are minimal, you still need to work in a very well ventilated area and it is a good idea to just throw a mask on.

[aziltz]

what about fumes that have no odor?

[irmcdermott]

what about fumes that have no odor?

if this is in reply to my comment on still wearing a mask, etc. It's just good practices, just because the fumes are 90% less, you are still handling a chemical, it's just good practice, that's all.

but yes, the fumes on this are extremely low and unnoticeable.

[jeffaroo]

fumes with no odor is what we call a LUCKY fart.
as far as safety. dont skimp on the safety stuff. i got a single drop of muratic acid in the eye once and wasted 5 hours at the hospital with a nasty eye wash thing. then i ran around with a damn eye patch !
Arrr

[jimijam]

that's what eye use regularly. doesn't make my eyes water like regular muriatic acid. I found the etch times a bit slower but still much faster than ferric chloride.

[jeffaroo]

tastes best on chicken !

[stecykmi]

i use 3 part hydrogen peroxide and 2 parts hydrocholric acid. it gives off some pretty noxious fumes sometimes.

in any case, though safer, you still wind up with some nasty, hard-to-dispose-of liquid. i still don't know how to dispose of something like that properly.

[jeffaroo]

just throw it across your neighbors lawn