# Issues with Etching Logo



## Marko Tsourkan (Dec 4, 2011)

Have had some issues etching a logo. 

I would like to etch a logo .003-.004 deep. I only seem to be able accomplish that by holding a pad to the stencil for 1 minute or so on 4.5 level. Also, just holding doesn't seem to do much - I have to 'rub' it in. So, longer holding times, and perhaps a little too much electrolyte have resulted in some electrolyte seeping around the logo and discoloring and pitting and a too much heat warped a stencil. Not very encouraging, if you think you might mess us your work in a last step.

What is a good schedule for etching to get .003-.004 deep? I was trying 30sec on 30 sec off, but the result wasn't as impressive. I will probably go just for a silver mark.

Thanks,
M


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## Rottman (Dec 4, 2011)

Machine? Setting AC or DC? Have you tried multiple short etches?


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## Eamon Burke (Dec 4, 2011)

I know Butch is known for having a really deep etch, and he did a video about it a while back. Have you seen that one? I'm gonna try to dig it up, for my edification as well!


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## Marko Tsourkan (Dec 4, 2011)

johndoughy said:


> I know Butch is known for having a really deep etch, and he did a video about it a while back. Have you seen that one? I'm gonna try to dig it up, for my edification as well!



I am using Personalizer Plus. For tests I etched (DC) and then marked (AC), but for future plan on only etching (silver mark).
I watched Butch's video. Somehow his approach didn't work for me (few seconds on/off). For me to get a deep etch, I had to hold applicator pad for about a minute at 4.5 setting.

M


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## Rottman (Dec 4, 2011)

IIRC Butch was using pretty much the max. setting only


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## Marko Tsourkan (Dec 4, 2011)

Rottman said:


> IIRC Butch was using pretty much the max. setting only



Yes, but I can't get good result with his time.


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## WillC (Dec 4, 2011)

I see you got your logo's done with Ernie. Could be worth giving him a ring. One thing he said to me was the thickness of the pad will effectively give you a lower voltage setting, if the voltage needs taming down, so using a thinner felt pad can give you more juice. Early days for me but i'm having good results with my home made unit. I made a brass applicator and just buy a4 sheets of felt to cut up for the pads. I do the 3 second thing, and try to remove oxides with movement as butch does, I repeat that maybe 4 times on 18v/dc, then switch to 9v/ac which seems to produce the best permanent black. I've been using the same stencil for a while, but I knackered a couple to start with trying to use a cotton bud as the applicator.


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## jmforge (Dec 4, 2011)

I have the regular Personalizer and I "etch" maybe 10 times for around 10 seconds and then "mark" maybe 5 times for 5 second each time. I then lightly scrub away the goop around the logo with 1500-2000 grit paper an Windex.


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## Dave Martell (Dec 4, 2011)

Marko, I feel your pain here. I've had nearly nothing but trouble trying to get a good etch using the same machine and stencils. I've tried everything you can imagine and then some and I'm back to square one and settling for silver.


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## Marko Tsourkan (Dec 4, 2011)

Dave, do you get a good silver mark?

I can't afford messing my work, so I have to gather all input. 

M


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## Dave Martell (Dec 4, 2011)

Marko Tsourkan said:


> Dave, do you get a good silver mark?
> 
> I can't afford messing my work, so I have to gather all input.
> 
> M




Yup, using the blue electrolyte that comes with the machine is the best silver mark I can get. I use full power left powered on and just removing the head from the stencil every few seconds. I rub a little but not too vigorously and use just enough electrolyte to get the humming and sizzling going. Unfortunately I've also found that I only get a really crisp mark from the first use of the stencil. This isn't true when I go shallow, then the stencil gives crisp etches for many times over. Oh and a big tip is to clean the head before each use - thank you Butch


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## Marko Tsourkan (Dec 4, 2011)

Dave Martell said:


> Yup, using the blue electrolyte that comes with the machine is the best silver mark I can get. I use full power left powered on and just removing the head from the stencil every few seconds. I rub a little but not too vigorously and use just enough electrolyte to get the humming and sizzling going. Unfortunately I've also found that I only get a really crisp mark from the first use of the stencil. This isn't true when I go shallow, then the stencil gives crisp etches for many times over. Oh and a big tip is to clean the head before each use - thank you Butch



Cool, I will try that. Thanks
I clean head with scotchbrite pad. Works very well. 

M


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## jmforge (Dec 4, 2011)

Marko, are you using the correct etchant solution for the type of steel?


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## Marko Tsourkan (Dec 4, 2011)

******* said:


> Marko, are you using the correct etchant solution for the type of steel?



I think so, but I will check again. 

M


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## Dave Martell (Dec 4, 2011)

FWIW - I've tried every electrolyte solution available from everyone and the results never get any better....maybe a little worse though.


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## Marko Tsourkan (Dec 4, 2011)

Hmm... have you tried different stencils? I have heard good things about Personalizer Plus, the reason I bought it. 

M


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## jmforge (Dec 4, 2011)

I ask because my kit came with different etchants, one for plain carbon and tool steel and one for stainless and Monel. I just switched to a much "finer" log and it is stil working well, but my old logo was bacially an electroetch version of my original stamped named logo and when I etched the way I described but with even more passes, my name looked like it had been stamped into the ricasso with a very fine, very sharp stamp. I also rock the wand a little bit when I am etching. Another thing you might want to try is to get the pad a little more wet. if it is wet all the way though, I would think that you would have to worry less about conductivity. I always look for the surface of the stencil to have bubbling liquid on it when I remove the wand.


Dave Martell said:


> FWIW - I've tried every electrolyte solution available from everyone and the results never get any better....maybe a little worse though.


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## Marko Tsourkan (Dec 4, 2011)

The problem is I was getting it too wet and etchant seeped around thelogo, pitting the surface. 

So, I am back experimenting. 

M


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## jmforge (Dec 4, 2011)

That's easy, Marko. Cut your stencil bigger and use lots of messy, gummy electrical tape to hold it down.  Seriously, some people say that Scotch tape is good enough, but i don't trust it to make a relatively watertight seal like electrical tape. Also, with both sizes of my current logo, they are narrow enough that I can cut the little pad in half so I don't have as much wet cloth contacting the stencil. Yours may be too wide to do that.


Marko Tsourkan said:


> The problem is I was getting it too wet and etchant seeped around thelogo, pitting the surface.
> 
> So, I am back experimenting.
> 
> M


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## PierreRodrigue (Dec 4, 2011)

I used a good quality packing tape, cut out a rectangle in the middle of a piece of tape slightly larger, and as close to the text as I can, lay it/stick it to the stencil, then do the same on the other side. I now have a watertight buffer between the stencil and the blade. Ensure its larger than what you anticipate the area your wand will be sliding around on. I still anchor it with panters tape. So far so good. I have a machine from etchomatic, and make my own stencils as I need new ones.


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## Diamond G (Dec 19, 2011)

Using the personalizer plus also, and have settled for doing a deep etch then coloring in with sharpie, then sand with 1000 grit. Leaves a nice dark filled etch.

God Bless
Mike


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