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Comment by JUJU on January 31, 2011 at 4:39am

Forget the Tropical fish suppliers for Copper Sulphate i went and checked today it seems here in the UK it was banned a couple of year since - should have seen the assistants face when he asked me what fish i had - i told him Brass ... he said you mean Bass ,,,eeerrrr no Brass it's metal like copper  hehe! what a wind up ..it's all good fun aint it !

Comment by JUJU on January 30, 2011 at 2:52pm

Thanks Scott yes i get it now the magazine page has a sheen to it so the photocopy print  sits on top of the paper opposed to being absorbed buy regular paper ....cool  - yes i'll have to try this method as i only have a  inkjet printer

you could try a Tropical Fish supplier for Copper Sulphate they use it - i cant remember off hand what they use it for but i did read this years since - i'll have to check it out

thanks again

juju :)

Comment by Scott Winburn on January 30, 2011 at 1:56pm

Of course Juju... i'm a big fan of your creativity & I can't wait to see what you do with it!  

 

Concerning the magazine:  I don't have a lazer printer, only an ink-jet, so I had to use a photocopier to produce a copy made with toner.  My first attempt was done with regular copy paper but I had a hard time getting the paper off without bits of the toner coming off too.  I read a tip online about using magazine paper, and that worked much better.  I think the glossy finish of the paper makes the toner stick to it less.  Someone else suggested using overhead projector sheets but the magazine was free and readily available.

 

One more tip... don't by RootKill.  It's over $20 for a pound here in the US.  I was able to get a pound from a bulk dealer on Ebay for $10 shipped.  It came in a zip-lock bag in just 3 days.

 

Good luck... i can't wait to see what you come up with.  Feel free to hit me up with any questions..

-Scott

Comment by JUJU on January 30, 2011 at 1:23pm

Thanks for the detailed description sounds good - but i'm not getting the magazine page bit ..call me thick lol! - so you actually used the Magazine page to print your logo / design on ? - i think thats what your saying ?

the power supply and everything else i get as i used to do anodizing on aluminium so i'm sorted for the power supply i guess the current is pretty low ampage - i'm sorted for the copper sulphate - gonna have to give this a try you got me all excited now - i'm making a project right now using brass so this is right up my street

cheers for your time

juju :)

Comment by Scott Winburn on January 30, 2011 at 12:39pm

Thanks Juju. Here's a quick breakdown of the process:
1) In photoshop i flipped the image like a mirror and also inversed it so white was black and black was white.
2) I printed it, then photocopied it onto a torn out magazine page.
3) I sanded & cleaned the brass like mad
4) I put the photocopied logo face-down on the brass & then used an iron on it's hottest setting to melt the toner onto the brass.
5) I soaked it in water to soften the paper, then peeled it off, eventually (after a few soakings) leaving only the toner.
6) I used a OHP permanent marker to touch up places where the toner was week or missing.
7) I mixed hot water and copper sulfate (RootKill) in a jar.
8) I took an old desktop computer power supply & converted it to a 12v power source.
9) I took a plastic coated metal clothes hanger and made a holder for the piece. I tore off the plastic coating at the seat of the holder so the brass could be in direct contact with the metal. I also tore off the plastic coating on a spot that would be above the level of the liquid.
10) I connect the positive wire from the power supply to the holder. Then i connected the negative wire to a small length of copper pipe. I put the copper pipe in the jar of liquid at one side and used a clip to hold it in place.
11) I sunk the holder with the brass piece into the jar on the opposite side of the copper pipe.
12) I plugged in the power source and the etching took about 5 to 10 minutes.

For more a more detailed explanation do a search for "electrolytic etching of brass"

Comment by JUJU on January 30, 2011 at 12:25pm

nice job scot have did you etch it ...come on spill the beans lol!

juju:)