by Jill Luckey.
(Beaufort, SC)
I’m a science teacher and I have my 8th grade students doing various projects about acids and bases.
Acid metal etching jewelry looked interesting to a group and I am trying to determine if it is something they could do.
I have a stock room of chemicals and could possibly make ferric chloride solution and I have nitric acid.
Any suggestions or is this a difficult undertaking? Thanks!!
Jill Luckey
With proper supervision I think 8th graders would be fine with a chemical etch. I use ferric chloride solution with copper, it’s easy and it works well. I would suggest doing the “Edinburgh Etch” technique which adds a citric acid component, for a nicer, cleaner etch. Here is a link to a useful article I used when starting out
blog.rings-things.com/2011/12/28/diy-copper-etching-tutorial/
I don’t use the float technique they show, I suspend my pieces upside down on packing tape in a shallow tray. Both work well. Good Luck!
Jill, stay away from using the nitric acid — it is just too dangerous. The ferric chloride can be gotten already made up, in bottles from Radio Shack (called PCB Etchant). It can stain skin and clothing, so I hope you have a small class and can monitor their activities. Will you be etching copper or brass? What do you plan to use as a resist? If you really want to get into this, I can offer further advice, although my experience has been with classes of adults.
Why not use salt water and a battery? It is quick, fun and safe.
I enthusiastically encourage you to let them try Ferric Chloride etching on copper or brass. They will love it! (I wish my 8th Grade Art teacher had done more to encourage me in jewelry making! It took a Design course in college to get me back on track after a very negative Jr. High art teacher turned me off to art. Rena published my article on it a few years ago. Perhaps it will help a little….Kudos for trying new exciting projects with your kids!
http://jewelrymakingjournal.com/acid-etching-metal-jewelry-part-1/
Warmly from sunny Tucson, AZ
I use concentrated salt water and a D-cell battery to do my etching. I have used it on both copper and brass. It’s far less toxic, though the resulting solution is to be handled with caution, as should all etching fluids. I’ve had pretty good success, though I imagine it’s a bit slower. You can see the changes in the metal as soon as the circuit is closed because tiny bubbles begin to form on the side being etched (as I recall) It’s been several months since I did it. I use sharpie as a resist, and have had no problems. It requires pure salt, without additives of any kind. I found the instructions by googling it. The only other things you need are battery holders (one for each set up) a D battery for each, some wire and alligator clips to make the connections.
i use a mix of 2 parts hydrogen peroxide and one part spirits of salts or muriatic acid. i used this method because of difficult it was to get my hands on some ferric chloride. not even electronics stores sold it. i got the hydrogen peroxide (3%) from the chemist and the spirits of salts from the hardware store. i use a red sharpie for my resist and tape it to some polystyrene to float in the mix. i neutralize it with baking soda in water. i use it outside because of the smell. you’ll need to check with the science teacher about how safe it is with in the hands of children. i don’t know what age group 8th grade is, we don’t work on that system in nz. the most important thing of all is to add the spirits to the hydrogen peroxide not vice versa! i remember my science teacher (30yrs ago) do what you oughta, add acid to water! also, keep the mix as it gets better with use. try it yourself first. good luck!