Ferric Chloride not doing the job with stainless steel

M

Martin McNamara

Joined
Jan 19, 2022
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Hello. I have been printing the pattern I want to etch on blue pnp paper (with an inkjet laser printer) and then sellotaping it to the piece and ironing the ink onto the stainless steel. I have then been putting it in a container of ferric chloride.

I have tried this many times and basically the problem is the ink (especially the more detailed parts) is eroding before the metal is eroding significantly, and I have had to leave it in for several hours (12+) and apply the ink pattern several times (because the ink comes off) to see even a very very small relief (you can just about feel it with your fingers).

I understand that this is certainly not what is supposed to happen and I wanted to ask if there is some better method or some stronger acid to get a detailed and reasonably deep pattern onto stainless steel in a reasonable amount of time.

Thank you for any help you can offer me in this.
 
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I think ferric chloride interacts with carbon and stainless is relatively low in carbon. Maybe nitric acid? Or try it again after super-cleaning the steel?
 
fishface5 said:
I think ferric chloride interacts with carbon and stainless is relatively low in carbon.
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So would I have much more success if I was to try and etch (with the same method) some kind of carbon steel using the ferric chloride or would it be better for me to get nitric acid and try again on the stainless steel? Is nitric acid a lot more powerful than ferric chloride? I don't know what super clean means but I did polish it with steel wool.
 
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