How to make drawings on knives with ferric chloride. Metal pickling at home. How to apply images to iron: step by step instructions. Artistic metal etching

One of the methods of obtaining a convex or depressed pattern on metal products, which appeared relatively recently, is called etching. The principle of operation of this method is based on the use of electrochemical processes in a liquid electrolyte. If you have artistic ability, even at home, you can get a high quality pattern with a minimum of materials and equipment required.

When doing etching yourself at home, you will need the following consumables and accessories:

  • a product intended for decoration - various cutlery, hunting or camping knives or simple soap dishes on which you can make simple patterns;
  • a container of sufficient volume and convenient shape made of non-metallic materials, suitable for placing in it the entire workpiece or part of it to be decorated. It is most convenient to use glass containers for this purpose, allowing you to visually control the processing process.
  • a sufficient amount of ordinary table salt;
  • nail polish of any color;
  • a nail polish remover for cleaning the treated product;
  • low voltage constant electric current source. In this capacity, a charger can be used to charge car or telephone batteries.

Drawing a picture

We start with the preparation of the workpiece. It must be properly cleaned of grease and dirt, rinsed with hot water and dried. After that, using a brush, apply varnish to the surface of the object to be treated (in our case, these are tablespoons).

Without letting the coating dry completely, apply a pattern or lettering.

Depending on the version of the pattern, the desired decorative effect, when etching metals, both a pattern pressed into the material of the product and a pattern protruding on its surface can be obtained. This can be achieved by removing the protective varnish layer. It is pure metal without a beautiful film that will be subject to chemical etching.

In the event that you want to get a convex image, leave the varnish on it, and remove it from the background.

Otherwise - remove the varnish film exactly in the form of the desired pattern - it will be "pressed" into the material of the product. For a fine pattern, remove varnish from a conveniently sharpened surface wooden stick or a toothpick. Try to get as smooth lines as possible without smudges, which can significantly ruin the entire etching work on the product.

Electrolyte preparation

After making sure that all the necessary varnish has been removed, we proceed to the preparation of the working solution. The protective layer will have time to dry completely during this time. As a substance in which etching of steel products is carried out, a solution of sodium chloride is most often used at home. To prepare it, it is necessary to dissolve crystals in pure water in a ratio of two tablespoons of salt per 0.5 liters of liquid.

Instead of sodium chloride, you can use another readily available chemical called copper sulfate... It is not difficult to get it from any hardware or garden store.

Etching metal products

To activate the process, any steel object must be placed in the electrolyte solution and the negative wire from the current source must be connected to it. In this case, the positive wire is connected to the workpiece. Schematically, the etching process looks like this:

In the absence of a high-quality converter (rectifier), you can use a phone charger by cutting off the contact for the corresponding socket from it.

The etching process under the influence of an electric current occurs quite violently.

This must be taken into account when choosing a glass container. The electrolyte level in it should prevent its possible splashing out during the pickling process.

The control of the deepening of the pattern during electrochemical processing can be carried out visually, periodically removing the workpiece to be processed from the solution. If all the necessary parameters are observed, the process can take up to several minutes, depending on the desired etching depth of the pattern on the metal part.

When you get the desired result, turn off the electrical current. After that, carefully remove the varnish film from the removed sample. To do this, it is convenient to use a nail polish remover and a thick cloth. Wash your finished design with warm water and soap.

Getting a color drawing

To give the resulting pattern, drawing or inscription an additional decorative effect, we suggest using a simple method available to everyone. To do this, apply a small amount of any nitro enamel to the treated area, making sure the cavity is completely filled. This paint and varnish material dries quickly enough, so you can return to further work after an hour. After making sure that the enamel is completely dry, remove any excess material that has fallen on the surface of the etched product with fine sandpaper. The use of a solvent in this case can ruin the whole work, since it smears the paint over the surface without completely removing it, and can give the pattern an ugly dullness.

Mechanical polishing will finally add expressiveness to the stained etched pattern. finished product on a felt circle with GOI paste.

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Metal pickling sometimes replaces casting and engraving and makes the whole process much simpler. You can get a pattern both concave - embossed, and convex - bas-relief. Metal pickling at home can be chemical or electroplated. The first option is more toxic when used at home, so first we will use the second, it is also called electrochemical.

Equipment

It is necessary to take a power supply unit or a transformer that can deliver from 4 to 7 V. In addition, you will need a dielectric bath, it must contain necessary detail and a second metal object that connects to the anode.

To etch a pattern on metal, it is necessary to use it as ferrous sulfate. If a drawing is needed on a copper or brass surface, then use You can also apply The main thing is that the water is distilled.

Part preparation for etching

In order for the etching to be uniform and in the right places, the part must be cleaned of contamination and also degreased. For more convenient work, copper wire is soldered to the part with tin, it will be convenient to hold the object for it. To clean the surface, you need to lower the converted object in 10% sodium hydroxide, the temperature of which is 50 ° C, then in a 15% sulfuric acid solution and hold it there for two minutes, then rinse in hot water. When the procedure is completed, the surfaces of the object will become completely cleaned, and of course, you cannot touch them with your hands.

Electrochemical metal etching

We need to protect places that shouldn't be etched. To do this, you need to apply a special mastic to these areas of the surface. It is made from three parts of wax and two - rosin, they are melted in a tin can, stirring. After everything turns into a homogeneous mass, it is allowed to cool and divided into fragments. Each of them is placed in cheesecloth, so that later, when pressed, as much mastic as necessary can seep through it. After that, the workpiece to be etched heats up. Now we take the created mixture, which was placed in cheesecloth, and rub the surface with an even layer.

After cooling, the mastic becomes hard. From above it is covered with light water-soluble paint. It can be watercolor or white gouache. Then the coating should dry. Then you can apply the drawing, it will adhere well to the paint. It can be drawn with a pencil or translated through a carbon copy. Then this contour must be scratched with a needle to the very metal.

Now metal etching begins by electrolysis, we connect one rod to the anode - plus, the other to the cathode - minus. To the first we connect the part on which the image will be applied, to the second any steel plate. After that, the process of etching the metal begins where the image was scratched.

If you need to create a multi-level drawing, everything is done in the same way as described above. Only the contours are checked each time, and when the smallest of them are etched to the prescribed depth, the part is taken out and painted over with heated mastic using a brush. When it hardens, everything is repeated again until the next level of the drawing. In the process, the image is gradually created.

In this way, the metal is etched at home, after which the surface is washed with turpentine, and then polished, giving the product a complete look.

Chemical etching

Now let's look at how to create a pattern on a metal surface without the use of electrical appliances. To do this, we need chemicals readily available from hardware stores. So, let's begin. For etching, we need:

  • "White Spirit";
  • paint that does not dissolve in White Spirit;
  • acetone;
  • resin that is used for roofing;
  • table salt;
  • copper sulfate.

Part cleaning

To begin with, the part where the image is planned is cleaned with fine sandpaper and degreased. When the surface is ready, you need a place where the drawing will be applied, glue it with adhesive tape or something similar. After that, the entire rest of the surface, where chemical etching should not affect the metal, is painted over with paint. It can be of any color, as long as it is resistant to White Spirit.

When the paint is dry, it can be removed duct tape... Beneath it is pure metal, ready to paint on it. Now on this "mini-canvas" you need to apply the image. It is made with a resin that is dissolved in White Spirit until it becomes liquid like paint. She uses a brush to paint the desired image. The good thing about such an impromptu paint is that if something does not work out in the drawing, then you can remove it by moistening a cloth or cotton swab in White Spirit. If there are very small details in the drawing that have not turned out well with a brush, they can be corrected with a needle, scraping off the excess after drying.

In this way, you can etch a knife, keys, in general, any metal object. Now that the drawing is completely ready, you can start etching itself.

Pickling solution

We need a liter of water, in which we need to dissolve 100 g of copper sulfate, and then add salt. It needs to be poured until it stops dissolving. The resulting mixture will be blue in color. However, after a metal object is immersed in it, the color will begin to change to green.

So, we immerse the part. Chemical process immediately begins. In all this production, no substances harmful to health are released, therefore such metal pickling at home is safe.

Actions in case of a chemical reaction

During the reaction, a plaque is formed, which will become more and more. It inhibits the whole process, so you need to periodically wash it off with water. You should not do this with various brushes, brushes and other tools, because the paint can be damaged. But she seems to be holding the entire drawing, and it will be a shame if, by etching a knife, for example, you inadvertently damage the drawing on it. This is a very delicate job that requires a steady hand and patience.

The depth of the pattern directly depends on the time during which the metal will remain in solution. There are no exact criteria, so every master must himself observe the course of a chemical reaction. And only after doing this several times, it will be possible to say with confidence how long it takes to develop the desired pattern to the intended depth.

Advantages and disadvantages of electrochemical and chemical etching

The advantages of electrochemical metal etching at home include the fact that the created pattern is clearer, this is clearly visible if you look at it with a magnification. However, the downside is that this method requires an electrical device, which not everyone may have.

On the plus side of chemical etching, you can buy everything you need at the hardware store. These ingredients are cheap, and, most importantly, there is no need to look somewhere for a power supply or other devices capable of delivering from 4 to 7 V. However, the disadvantage is the imperfect edges of the pattern.

Hello dear readers! Today, in this article, the author of the video will tell us how you can apply any image on metal yourself in a fairly simple way at home.

To begin with, I suggest watching the video of this homemade product, which is presented below (it consists of two parts):



So, as you already understood, today the author will tell us how you can without special labor apply any image to any metal that can no longer be removed in any way. We will apply the image to the metal using the etching method. This method is similar to the engraving method, but it does not require any attachments or boring machines.

So, let's begin.

For ours, we need the following components:
- the metal on which we will apply the image (in our case, this is a knife);
- Scotch;
- self-adhesive wallpaper or glossy paper;
- plasticine;
- cotton pads;
- saline solution (you can make it yourself very simply: stir one spoonful of salt in half a glass of warm water);
- wires with "crocodiles";
- power supply unit or battery from 8 to 12 volts;
- one sheet of A4 paper;
- iron;
- laser printer.

Let's get to work.
First, take the self-adhesive paper and carefully peel it off the glossy paper:




Now you need to carefully glue this glossy paper onto A4 sheet with tape or, in our case, "self-adhesive", like this:








Now, in the computer, select the image that you want to see on the metal and if there is an inscription there, then it should be done in a mirror image. We print the image on a glossy sheet:




Next, using scissors, you need to carefully cut out our drawing, without touching the image itself, so as not to blur and erase it:




Now we apply our stencil to the knife and try to do everything the first time (so that you don't have to move the stencil), since the image will be streaked:


Now you need to take the iron, having previously put it on the second mode, and very carefully iron our stencil for one minute:


Now, while our knife is still hot, we take cotton pads and gently iron the stencil, thereby "pressing" the paint into the metal:


After the knife has cooled down, you can peel off the paper (do this not quickly and very carefully):


As a result, you should end up with something like this:


Now you need to take scotch tape and glue the knife around the image, so that the saline solution does not hit the entire surface of the knife and the etching turns out to be neat:








Now we put plasticine over the image so that we get such a "bath" that will not let the saline solution through:


Pour saline solution into our "bath" (about three teaspoons):


Next, we move on to the wires ... we hook the "plus" of the battery to the knife:


The second "crocodile" is connected to the "minus" of the battery and now we only need to touch the saline solution:


So let's get started. the saline solution will begin to boil and turn black, which means that there is an etching reaction. You should keep the wire in the saline solution for no more than 30 seconds, as in the case of prolonged etching, the image will not be clear enough:






Next, you need to disconnect the wires, pour out the black liquid from the "bath" and remove the "bath" itself along with the tape:

Etching is a process in which some of the metal is removed from the surface chemically. This method is used for the final processing of the part, in the preparation of the workpiece before applying the coating (electroplating), as well as for creating all kinds of drawings, ornaments and inscriptions.

Method essence

Metal pickling requires careful surface treatment. A protective coating is applied to the product, which is erased in the place of the pattern. Then either acids or an electrolyte bath are used. Unprotected places are destroyed. The longer the holding time, the deeper the etching of metals occurs. The drawing becomes more expressive and clear. Exists different ways obtaining an engraving (inscription): the image itself or the background can be etched directly. These processes are often combined. Multi-layer etching is also used.

Etching types

Depending on the substance used to destroy the surface of the material, the following etching methods are distinguished.

1. Chemical method (also called liquid). In this case, special acid-based solutions are used. Thus, ornaments and inscriptions are applied to alloys.

2. Electrochemical etching metal - involves the use of an electrolyte bath. It is filled with a special solution. Also, lead salts are often used, which prevent over-etching. This method has several advantages. First, the drawing is clearer and the time required to complete the process is significantly reduced. In addition, such metal processing is economical: the volume of acid used is much less than with the first method. Another undoubted advantage is the absence of harmful gases (mordant does not contain corrosive acids).

3. There is also an ion-plasma method (the so-called dry). In this case, the surface is minimally damaged. This method is used in microelectronics.

Pickling steel

Basically, this treatment is used to remove scale and various oxides. This procedure requires careful adherence to technology, since over-etching of the base metal is undesirable. In the process, both a chemical method and electrolyte baths are used. For the preparation of solutions, hydrochloric and sulfuric acids are used. All parts require thorough surface degreasing. Even a small fingerprint can ruin the workpiece. As a protective coating, a varnish based on rosin, turpentine, tar is used. However, it is worth remembering that the constituents are flammable substances, therefore the preparation of the varnish requires a lot of concentration and care. After the metal processing has been completed, the etching process itself takes place. At the end of it, the part must be cleaned of varnish.

Mordants used for steel

Very often, a nitric acid solution is used for pickling steel. Also used salt, tartaric (with small additions of nitrogen). Hard steel grades are pickled with a mixture of nitrogen and acetic acid... Glyphogen is a special liquid based on water, nitric acid and alcohol. The surface is treated with this composition for several minutes. Then washed (solution of wine alcohol in purified water), quickly dried. This is pre-etching. Only after such manipulations are the workpieces placed in the pickling solution. Cast iron is well etched in a sulfuric acid solution.

Non-ferrous metal pickling

Copper and copper-based alloys are pickled with sulfuric, hydrochloric, phosphoric or nitric acids. The process is accelerated by solutions of chromates or nitrates. The first stage is descaling, then the brass is directly etched. Aluminum (and its alloys) are etched in a caustic alkali solution. For casting alloys, nitric and hydrofluoric acids are used. Spot welded workpieces are treated with phosphoric acid. Titanium alloys are also pickled in two stages. First - in caustic alkali, then in a solution of sulfuric, hydrofluoric, nitric acids. Titanium etching is used to remove oxide film prior to electroplating. Molybdenum is treated with a solution based on sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide. In addition, metals (eg nickel, tungsten) are etched with water, hydrogen peroxide and formic acid.

There are several ways to etch boards. In the first case, water and ferric chloride are used. You can also make it yourself. For this, iron filings are dissolved in hydrochloric acid. The mixture is kept for some time. Also etching printed circuit boards carried out using nitric acid. The whole process takes about 10 minutes. At its end, the board must be thoroughly wiped with baking soda, since it perfectly neutralizes the remains of a caustic substance. Another pickling composition includes sulfuric acid, water, hydrogen peroxide (tablets). Etching boards with such a composition takes much more time: hot water, table salt, copper sulfate. It should be noted that the temperature of the solution must be at least 40 degrees. Otherwise, etching will take longer. It is possible to etch the boards using direct current. Glass, plastic containers can be used as utensils for this process (they do not conduct current). The container is filled with a solution of edible salt. It is he who is the electrolyte. Copper (brass) foil can be used as the cathode.

Etching process for other materials

This type of glass processing, such as etching, is now widespread. Used vapors of hydrofluoric acid, hydrogen fluoride. First, acid polishing of the surface is carried out, then a drawing is applied. After these manipulations, the product is placed in a bath with an etching solution. Then the glass is thoroughly washed and cleaned from the protective coating. As the latter, you can use a mixture based on beeswax, rosin, paraffin. Etching of glass with hydrofluoric acid is used to make it haze. There is also the option of color etching. Silver salts give the surface yellow, red, blue tints, copper salts - green, black, red. To obtain a transparent, shiny pattern, sulfuric acid is added to hydrofluoric acid. If deep etching is required, the process is repeated several times.

Etching safety

Metal pickling is a rather unsafe activity that requires a lot of concentration. This is due to work with aggressive materials - acids and their mixtures. First of all, for this process, it is necessary to correctly choose a room with good ventilation. Ideal when using a fume hood for pickling. If one is not available, then you need to take care of a respirator to avoid inhaling harmful vapors. Wear rubber gloves and an apron when handling acids. Always have baking soda on hand to neutralize the acid if needed. All pickling solutions must be stored in special containers (glass or plastic). Do not forget about the stickers, which will indicate the composition of the mixture, the date of preparation. There is one more rule: you should not put jars of acids on high shelves. Their fall from a height is fraught with serious consequences. Artistic etching of metal is not complete without the use of nitric acid, which is quite corrosive. In addition, in some mixtures, it can be explosive. Often nitric acid used for sterling silver. Pickling solutions are prepared by mixing acids with water. It is also worth remembering that in all cases, acid is added to the water, and not vice versa.

Local method of etching a pattern on a metal

Hello! Today I want to talk about one more method on metal. This is an etching method. Let's say you already have a wonderful shape, and now you need to decorate it with some "cool" pattern. You can draw a drawing yourself, or download ready-made ones on the Internet by printing them on a printer. We will also need regular scotch tape in order to make a sticker. Scotch tape is important to take good quality... The higher the quality of the tape, the easier it will be for you to work with it. Cut off a strip of scotch tape, and stick the prepared pattern onto its sticky surface, face down. Now rinse the paper off with hot water. The drawing will be printed on scotch tape.

By the way, the application of an image for etching is applicable only with a pattern printed on a laser printer. Drawing printed on inkjet printer, will be washed off along with the paper. Rinse off the paper as thoroughly as possible. You can use a toothbrush for this. Now we will have to wait until all this dries up and continue working.

Let's take our pride and degrease its surface. We will degrease with alcohol. If you do not want to waste such a “useful product” on some kind of degreasing, use acetone, or any other liquid that can degrease the metal surface. Now carefully glue the tape on the place of the blade where you want to see the drawing. Stick the adhesive tape very tightly, without air bubbles, smoothing it over the surface of the blade with a cloth.

The next step is to cut through the pattern. To cut the contour neatly, without scuffing the tape, use the following method. Take an awl and heat it on a gas burner. Carefully burn through the outlines of the drawing. Well, you probably used a wood burner as a child? So this is almost the same, only we will burn out on metal.

By the way, I got the idea of ​​not using a wood burner with a thin tip instead of the etching method proposed by the author, heating the awl. It will be easier than rushing to the gas burner every time to warm up the cooling awl.

So, we burn through the contour of the drawing and remove all unnecessary. It turned out something like this.

Now we need to remove the traces of glue.By the way, we first need to make a special device for etching on metal. For this device, you need a 4 to 9 volt power supply and a pair of copper wires. Any phone charger can be used.

To remove the adhesive from the adhesive tape from the metal surface, put the negative wire on a knife, and the positive wire on a cotton swab dipped in a strong saline solution, and start blotting it with a cotton swab. The glue should curl up.

All, having cleared the drawing from the glue, let's proceed directly to etching the drawing on the metal. To do this, we change the polarity of our device, that is, we attach the positive end of the wire to the knife. Put a cotton swab in a piece of bandage and, having soaked it in a saline solution, attach it to the drawing, so that it completely covers it. We put the negative wire on top, and fix it with tape. We plug the power supply into an outlet and wait for twenty-five minutes. Be careful during the etching process and step aside during this time. Because with this, the poisonous gas chlorine is released. And although it is excreted in a rather small amount, it is still better not to inhale it.

If you are not satisfied with the etching quality, repeat the procedure again with fresh cotton wool. Naturally, it will take you much less time to re-etch.The result is the following image.

It remains to thoroughly rinse and clean the surface of the knife. That's it, the work is finished, and we got by etching, this is the image of a bull on the surface of the blade.

 

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