Etching PCBs with safe household chemicals
by Ben on Mar.03, 2011, under Misc
A HackADay reader by the name of Stephen stumbled across a very interesting way to etch PCBs at home using three chemicals chosen such that, as he says, “you can safely put each one in your mouth.” While we don’t etch our own PCBs (yet), we found this post very interesting and will definitely give it a try.
(via HackADay)
April 12th, 2012 on 8:24 PM
Hi! I have a question about this recipe. I have recently read that ferric chloride can be used to etch steel as well as copper. Would there be anything dangerous about using this mixture to attempt to etch steel? I don’t know enough about Chemistry yet to determine this for myself.
April 17th, 2012 on 11:15 AM
As far as I know there shouldn’t be any additional risks to etching steel as opposed to copper using this method. It’s worth mentioning, as with any etching process, that standard common sense practices apply (using protective eye gear, working in a reasonably ventilated area, and just about any safety rule you would see in a high school chemistry lab). Another good source for additional information on the etching process is the comments section of the original article. Good luck!