Ferric Chloride Powder ???

[BravoV]

I am not sure what to choose... i would go with ferric but thething its the fumes...

C'mon, people especially hobbyist had been using ferric chloride for many-many years and they (me included) are fine and healthy so far as long you're not too retarded when using it like drink or splashing it like crazy, thats all.

Also since you're always whining that you're so poor throughout this forum, then stop being so picky like a rich boy. 

Just use whatever cheapest stuff that is available and live with it, other wise, just stop playing with electronic. 

[gregariz]

2 :shall i dispose it in the sink with a lot of water (not to harm the copper pipes) or is this wrong

You could do that but it makes me uncomfortable to throw it into the water system. What I do is throw a box of baking soda into it (slowly, as it will froth) to neutralize it and until it turns to a mostly dry mud. Then I just scoop it out into a bag and throw it in the trash.

[4to20Milliamps]

vinegar peroxide and salt will etch a board just fine, you probably have all the stuff in your cupboard. get a plastic container drill two small holes in the lid, use a small aquarium pump to supply air to the mixture and if you're concerned about copper pollution put a small ball of aluminum foil in with it<this causes a replacement reaction where the aluminum takes the place of the copper in the solution and makes it pretty harmless afterward.

Sometimes you have to improvise (think outside the box)

none of the methods will work well if you don't have a good etch resist, make sure whatever you use stays stuck good to the surface of the board and that your board is cleaned well with alcohol or something that will get all of the dirt grease and oxidization off of it.

attached is a small board I etched with vinegar, peroxide and salt:



 

[ChrisGreece52]

I am not sure what to choose... i would go with ferric but thething its the fumes...

C'mon, people especially hobbyist had been using ferric chloride for many-many years and they (me included) are fine and healthy so far as long you're not too retarded when using it like drink or splashing it like crazy, thats all.

Also since you're always whining that you're so poor throughout this forum, then stop being so picky like a rich boy. 

Just use whatever cheapest stuff that is available and live with it, other wise, just stop playing with electronic. 

Hey thanks for the info but i am not "picky" i just want to search before i get something that i need so much.

[ChrisGreece52]

2 :shall i dispose it in the sink with a lot of water (not to harm the copper pipes) or is this wrong

You could do that but it makes me uncomfortable to throw it into the water system. What I do is throw a box of baking soda into it (slowly, as it will froth) to neutralize it and until it turns to a mostly dry mud. Then I just scoop it out into a bag and throw it in the trash.

Thank you for the info as for the dumping in the water system sentence ... in Greece the pipes lead to biochemical cleaning units that clean the human waste and then dump the clean substances into the ocean and i heard that ferric chloride is not bad for the sea and does not harm the pipes if it is combined with a lot of water.

[ChrisGreece52]

vinegar peroxide and salt will etch a board just fine, you probably have all the stuff in your cupboard. get a plastic container drill two small holes in the lid, use a small aquarium pump to supply air to the mixture and if you're concerned about copper pollution put a small ball of aluminum foil in with it<this causes a replacement reaction where the aluminum takes the place of the copper in the solution and makes it pretty harmless afterward.

Sometimes you have to improvise (think outside the box)

none of the methods will work well if you don't have a good etch resist, make sure whatever you use stays stuck good to the surface of the board and that your board is cleaned well with alcohol or something that will get all of the dirt grease and oxidization off of it.

attached is a small board I etched with vinegar, peroxide and salt:



 

Thanks for your advice but where i can find hydrogen peroxide ( i may have it already but without knowing it ) (and i would also like to know where it is used for)

[grumpydoc]

i heard that ferric chloride is not bad for the sea and does not harm the pipes if it is combined with a lot of water.

It isn't - but copper ions (which your spent etchant will be full of) are toxic to aquatic animals even in small quantities.

[ChrisGreece52]

Thank you i had no idea !!!
can i spill it to an unused part of the garden we have here?

[IanB]

Thanks for your advice but where i can find hydrogen peroxide ( i may have it already but without knowing it ) (and i would also like to know where it is used for)

Hydrogen peroxide is used as an antiseptic (from a chemist/pharmacist), as a bleach for hair (chemist/pharmacist/hair salon), and as a water clarifier/disinfectant for pools and spas (from a hardware store/swimming pool supplies).

[IanB]

Thank you i had no idea !!!
can i spill it to an unused part of the garden we have here?

I think it would be OK to flush small amounts (half a litre or so) down the drain now and then if diluted with lots of water. Waste water treatment plants are quite good at dealing with small amounts of contaminants, given the amount of household cleaning chemicals they have to deal with.

[Psi]

I used to keep the used FeCl around the house until the next Hazmobile visit and hand it over to them.

(In NZ we used to have a few big truck that go around the country every year or so. They setup a drop-off zone for a few days in each city where people can hand in hazardous chemicals)

Sadly i think they have stopped doing that.

The fact that copper is so toxic to aquatic animals and no longer having the Hazmobile to dispose of it is why i moved to HCL+Peroxide for etching
Since you don't ever need to throw it out you can just keep refreshing the solution.
Also the solution is clear, so its easier to see when the pcb is done over FeCl

[ChrisGreece52]

I am not sure about that delema both are good for etching the quality looks the same (both comments are good) but ferric chloride is very hard to dispose...is hydrogen peroxide easy to dispose?

[Psi]

I'm not sure about disposing of a peroxide+hcl etch solution.
It's still going to be full of copper you etched off, so tipping it down the drain is probably just as bad as FeCl.

But at least with hcl+peroxide you can 'refresh' the solution and keep using it again and again by topping up the level of chemicals or bubbling air through it to regenerate the cupric chloride in solution.

You never need to throw it out.
So its much better in that respect

[ChrisGreece52]

Thank you but i still have a question.... how do you "refresh" it ?
i mean you just  add more chemicals or something ?

[Psi]

You can bubble air through it using a fish tank air pump or add a little more peroxide.
(if you use a fish tank pump don't use it for fish tanks again afterwards)

Just google for peroxide HCL etching, there are lots of guides.

etc http://www.instructables.com/id/Stop-using-Ferric-Chloride-etchant!--A-better-etc/

One note: If you can get hold of peroxide at a higher percentage eg 30-50%  you end up with a better solution.
Your typical pharmacy/drugstore peroxide is only 3 or 6% so you're diluting the etchant with water every time you add it.

Be careful though, hydrogen peroxide is extremely reactive at high concentrations.
Drug store 6% works fine though, so if you want to play it safe just use that.

[ChrisGreece52]

Thank you so if i MUST dispose it (ill probably refresh it everytime but who knows) what can i do ?