First attempt at acid etching brass nameplate (cap badge)

[John Baguley]

There is a plastic transfer film called Press 'n' Peel that is designed for toner transfer production of printed circuit boards. That's what I have been using for my nameplates. You just print the design and then iron it on to the brass etc. and the heat transfers the toner as well as the surface of the film.

It can be fiddly to use and get the toner to transfer 100%. You need to get the temperature right and get even pressure over the surface when using the iron.

I have used it for quite complex Pcbs with success.

John

[JonL]

I'm finding myself trying to think of things I'd like to etch!

[Gary L]

Jun 13, 2022 10:29:14 GMT simon6200 said:

I’ve had success with the toner transfer method and the name and builders plates for my G1 locos and my Springbok were done this way. I use glossy junk mail or brochure paper. Thin but as glossy as you can find. Some fret saw brochures were especially good. Transferring is the critical bit of course. Forget about the iron. I have the image taped to the polished brass but only on the edges so no tape is covering the image area. I place the oversized plate in my shallow cast iron pan pre heated to very warm. I then use the roller of a chisel and plane blade sharpening guide to firmly roll the image area up and down and side to side. Pressing rather than rolling tends to smear the toner. The roller is not very wide, perhaps 3/4 or 7/8 so I can get a lot of pressure on it. My Veritas jig with wide roller is no good for this.
I use my own laser printer with maximum toner and resolution settings. It is a Brother. I use Ammonium persulphate to etch, from J-car.

Thanks Simon, I think that’s the etchant name I was trying to remember! Also your very good suggestions for improving the transfer; yes, you will get vastly greater pressure using a roller, why didn’t I think of that? It might be years before I need to do it again, but yours and Chris’s suggestions should make it more successful.

To encourage others- mine was nowhere near as crisp as Chris’s, but it wasn’t a failure, and I was happy for a first attempt which is not on public display (It is really an owners plate, only I and the police need to know it is there).

Gary

[coniston]

Jun 13, 2022 11:38:02 GMT John Baguley said:

There is a plastic transfer film called Press 'n' Peel that is designed for toner transfer production of printed circuit boards. That's what I have been using for my nameplates. You just print the design and then iron it on to the brass etc. and the heat transfers the toner as well as the surface of the film.

It can be fiddly to use and get the toner to transfer 100%. You need to get the temperature right and get even pressure over the surface when using the iron.

I have used it for quite complex Pcbs with success.

John

That's an interesting product, may have to try that for anything I find difficult to vinyl cut.

Chris

[doubletop]

I've done some home-made PCB etching in the past. The other etchant is Sodium Persulphate.

Keeping the etchant agitated when making PCB's you use a plastic tank, made for the job, with a fish tank pump to create bubbles to keep everything moving. You don't need a special tank and I'm sure your usual inventiveness can devise a way to keep the pipe from the pump at the bottom of the tank you are using

There is also a product called "Press n Peel" (www.ebay.ca/itm/152080335987) that can be printed on a laser printer and then ironed onto the job. However, I did try it once to make some loco number plates and gave it as it didn't go that well. In fact my PCB manufacturing efforts were a but hit and miss so I now just send the files off to China and get 10 boards back in 5 days or so. EDIT (looks Like John has already mentioned this)

In our case the vinyl cutter approach does seem the way to go. Would it be possible to apply the vinyl to the job and do the cutting once applied? The weeding could be done without the problem of letters shifting, as I could see had happened in Chris's second photo.

Pete

[JonL]

I wonder if the ebay vinyl cutters (as it, the vendors of vinyl cut to your needs) would cut to the level of precision required? I don't think it's worth me buying a vinyl cutter for what little I require to do!

[doubletop]

Jun 21, 2022 12:37:28 GMT JonL said:

I wonder if the ebay vinyl cutters (as it, the vendors of vinyl cut to your needs) would cut to the level of precision required? I don't think it's worth me buying a vinyl cutter for what little I require to do!

I'd be suprised if they didn't, they will cut to the accuracy of your drawings. A recent example from me, I wanted to get some laser cutting done here in NZ and thought I'd try the local guys. They advertised that their machine had a bed of 1500mm x 3000mm and could do steel up to 25mm thick to 0.2mm accuracy. My parts were around 10mm x 35mm in 1.6mm steel. They came out perfectly.



Pete

[coniston]

Jun 21, 2022 9:13:51 GMT doubletop said:

In our case the vinyl cutter approach does seem the way to go. Would it be possible to apply the vinyl to the job and do the cutting once applied? The weeding could be done without the problem of letters shifting, as I could see had happened in Chris's second photo.

Pete

Hi Pete, I don't think for the odd occasion the letters let go that it would be worth trying to pass the material with the vinyl stuck on through the cutter. It all depends on what type of digital cutter is used, some like mine can cope with quite thick material, up to 3mm, whilst I imagine some of the less expensive ones would not. Also it would require some very careful alignment of the digital data to make sure it cuts over the exact area you need it to. For me it would be too much faffing around. I have got into the habit of cutting more than I need so if one is ruined it is no great problem to start again.

Chris

[robmort]

My recent attempt. I use an acetone/alcohol mix to transfer the toner.

IMG_0395 by rob1524, on Flickr

[stevep]

Could you give more details please?

[jo479]

Nice job, I'd be happy with that result.