Battery charger for electro etching

[Bbs383ci]

Ok guys as you may know I have just purchased a stencil from Ernie now as the title says can this be done if used on like the trickle charge I've seen it done on YouTube but I wanted to ask first.

Thanks

[Ray Rogers]

Well, if you've seen it done then I assume it is possible. But, a trickle charge has far too much amperage to do the job without risk to the blade and the stencil. I don't mean that the blade will melt down or any such thing but it would be easy to get an errant spark that burned the blade (a small version of what can happen to a screw driver tip when it crosses a car battery). The higher than necessary amperage also can damage the stencil by eroding the edges of the logo - in other words, the logo may not be sharp and clear.

There are at least a hundred half baked ways to etch a logo and not one of them works as easily or as cleanly as a common electro etcher like the Etch-O-Matic. It's just another tool to buy and it is usually just as cheap to buy one as to try to make one. Jantz has them, most knife supply places sell them, you can often find used etchers on eBay. I just bought by second Etch-O-Matic in 20 years off eBay. So, fool around if you want to but I strongly suggest you practice a lot on scrap steel before you try it on a blade. Then, bite the bullet and go buy an etcher...

[Bbs383ci]

Thank you again ray. I was looking at the etch o matic earlier today I guess I will go ahead a purchase one of those as well. Do I need both solutions for carbon and stainless metals or will one work.

[Ray Rogers]

Actually, one solution works on everything but I use both and it seems to me that they work best when used on the type of steel they are designed for. The good news is that a bottle of solution lasts for years and years ...

[Bbs383ci]

Sweet that is a good thing. I guess I'll get one ordered tomorrow and see what