The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk How to etch your own brass tags and such.

Y'all might find this technique useful for making custom brass tags, name plates, shift diagrams, belt buckles, custom shifter knob inserts, and the like.

First off this is not a new method and I'm not an expert, it is sometimes still difficult for me and I've had a lot of practice (trial and error... heavy on the later).

Here's how I do it.
You need really only 2 things that may be difficult to find.
PnP-Blue printed circuit transfer film. I bought some from the source http://www.techniks.com/index.htm
Ferric chloride. I got a gallon on ebay real cheap, but you can buy smaller amounts http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102868

*Note* You may read/learn about other things to use as the etchant. I think Ferric Chloride is the most reasonable to use and it's not very expensive at the amounts/frequency you'll probably use it. One variation I would like to try is "Edinburgh Etch" by adding citric acid to improve the Feric Chloride's action. http://www.nontoxicprint.com/etchcopperandbrass.htm

The way this works is you print on the special film and then iron that toner/printing onto the metal. The toner is the actual resist or mask that gets stuck on the metal, the film is just a way to transfer it. Then use an etching solution to eat away any metal not masked.

Start by coming up with your design (in black and white) and make the white part the part to be etched away.
The design as printed needs to be a mirror image of what you want in the end, this is important if their is text on it.
Now using a laser printer or copy machine print your design on a piece of plain paper.
Next cut out a slightly larger piece of the PnP Blue and use scotch tape to tape it directly over the printed image on your paper, be sure to cover the image and not have any tape over that part either.
Finally put the paper with PnP blue taped to it back in the printer and print it one more time. You want it printed as black as possible while keeping the white part plain white(blue).

Cut out your printed image reasonably close to the outside of the printed area.
Warm up your iron.

Now for some pictures, I'm making two belt buckles here.

This is one before and two after ironing, shown with the used film (trash)
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/oL0j6fc__MrJn9HwPF6zqdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
I use about 320 or 400 grit paper to prep the brass.
Iron the design on the clean, dry, oil, and lint free brass.
Iron temp is just a guess (for me), I set mine to silk or wool. In any case you want to heat it enough that the toner melts and sticks to the brass and not so hot that the blue film melts.

Start by preheating the brass some by setting the iron on it for a half minute or so. Preheating will form and remove any condensation prior to putting the PnP Blue on it, any condensation between the metal and PNP Blue would be a problem.

It can be helpful to put one piece of paper under your iron sort of as a blotter and to keep from melting the film. Use lots of pressure and also use the corner/edge of the iron to thoroughly burnish your printed design onto the metal.
Once the design is more clearly seen through the film it's probably done, cool the brass plate in water, dry, and and peel off the film; the toner/ink ought to be left behind stuck to the brass.

This is a close up of the printed design on the PnP blue film and the prepped brass, note the mirror image.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/v9QQgABPs5gol348W2iV-tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

Here is a closeup of after ironing the design on.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZbIGs1I0ZlPfoSrcmn7PhNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

You may not get it all ironed on perfectly... it's hard to do. If it doesn't work well use a solvent to wipe the metal off and start over with a new printed design on a new piece of PnP blue. Once you have tried and done as well as you can their might still be flaws in the transfer.
At this point you can fix any flaws. I use a fine Sharpie marker to touch up any spots that should be black that aren't, let it dry and go over it again and again if necessary, it should be very black. If I mark something I shouldn't have use a razor blade to gently scrape away any sharpie or toner/mask.

Not shown but to protect the back side I put clear packing tape over it, and if I don't want the edges etched and to seal any overlaps in the packing tape use some finger nail polish, any color...

Put your plate in a glass or plastic dish and add enough Ferric chloride to cover.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hzdBfgH8FXrROUCOKK-3V9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
And with the etchant added.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CkAlLwFqoqSs47GxcLQmvtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

Now gently rock the dish to wash fresh solution over the plate
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dgodzgPVf5vjUU64wDxnOdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
I use this old machine that must have been for something similar.
This can take 20, 30, or 100 minutes, all depends on how fast it etches, how deep you want it, and how well your resist holds up.

Checking the progress, looking for depth of etch and to see if the resist is holding up well where I don't want it etched.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/w-cL0UWLAk1CBUOjggMvftMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
The clover is about done after 1 hour 15 minutes.
The other one lasted almost another 30 minutes, I could get a deeper etch on it because it has less fine detail. The finer the detail the less time you can etch because the enchant also undercuts the resist, very fine lines can disappear as it is undercut.

This is done etching and washed with water.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kFv2CDBZaR91Tc7xHUfsH9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
See how the fine detail has some texture but no resist left, that's OK for this as it still looks fine, perhaps better. If this had to be clean and crisp everywhere the design was printed I would have etched it for less time, shallower.

Now clean away the resist.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YaTwTraYJ3MaO_IYttIyVNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
I use lacquer thinner, you can use whatever you have that works.

After some scrubbing
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jj0ksxM8uW-VffPE9gKiwNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
Scrubbed with an extremely fine brass brush, soap, and water. This seems to remove the teeny tiny pieces of brass left behind by the etching, breaks them off and washes them away making the previous satin finish now almost polished.
Also note the discoloration of the outside surface, this is where the mask was beginning to fail letting some of the etching solution through, not to worry it has virtually no depth at this point.

Now is the time do any additional metal work you may need to do, trim the edge, solder something to it, drill holes, or what have you.

If you like here's another step:
I give the etched area a little more contrast by dipping the whole thing back in the Ferric Chloride for about a minute prior to final washing and polishing the front. Just don't use the brass brush this time

Or if the background needs to be painted now is the time, paint the whole thing.

Sanding the high spots (also to remove paint if used)
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JGKyyBxaNjpDRo95ckIWa9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
Using a small flat block and some 400 grit wet dry paper with soap and water the surface is polished to remove that discoloration and highlight the etched part. (Might also want some finer wet dry paper depending on what you want it to look like)

This is done, etched about 0.010" deep
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bGSteioEvPjSnlm1rx8HFNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink


If painted you may now want to use a clear coat, it'll bring the shine back to any painted areas you may have lightly sanded.

Again, I'm no expert and this is just what has worked for me. here are some other things I've done.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dOPAgOEL9SQJj4brkngYb9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NypXBKS29Fka6CxjPq7GfNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hNLKUAR6YUPiHvAzXRGc6dMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/l-Q7NXCpL6bCfEvjcGoZVdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/08Rho5oiQ5QL8FESUTEzMtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink