Etching aluminum surface at home in 9 steps- stompbox enclosure - full tutorial [napisy PL]

Greetings everyone. This is full tutorial on how to transfer your black and white design to the aluminium element, in this case guitar stompbox enclosure.
Steps:
1) Choosing enclosure : • Etching aluminum surfa...
2) Creating design: • Etching aluminum surfa...
3)Printing: • Etching aluminum surfa...
4)Preparing surface + thermaltransfer: • Etching aluminum surfa...
5)Etching phase: • Etching aluminum surfa...
6) Cleaning: • Etching aluminum surfa...
7) Primer paint spray: • Etching aluminum surfa...
8) Black paint spray: • Etching aluminum surfa...
9) Sanding and final result: • Etching aluminum surfa...
Links to the videos presenting how the design was made.
Overdrive Pedal Custom Design - Part 1 - Gimp • Overdrive Pedal Custom...
Overdrive Pedal Custom Design - Part 2 - Inkscape
• Overdrive Pedal Custom...

[@die-cry-hate]

Looks absolutely amazing! Thanks for the tutorial!

[@jatza07]

gee thank you ! Hope this will help you :) cheers

[@ciddax754]

Thank you! That was very helpful!

[@jagtone]

Great tutorial.

[@els1f]

Holy crap, excellent video! 👍✌️

[@digger6663]

Excellent tutorial. That's a great image too.

[@jatza07]

Thank you !

[@AndreasDahl87]

About to embark on a home made eurorack module adventure, been looking at alot of different techniques. This ones seems the most DIY freindly, with easy-to-obtain chemicals, and no expensive equipment :) Thanks for a great tutorial!

[@bernardobrito1312]

This was awesome! Thank you and congrats! Can't wait to try it!

[@jatza07]

Thank you Bernardo!

[@anandpanchal6390]

Thanks to share your precious experience

[@jatza07]

+Anand Panchal thank you for kind words . Glad it might be helpful to you.

[@marcopiovan4828]

This is the best tutorial about etching pedals on the internet! Thank you so much!

[@jatza07]

Thanks Marco, it is a great compliment to me. I wish I could do more of good stuff, it is always a joy to help people :-) take care!

[@raumden]

Great vid, thank you!

[@jatza07]

raumden thanks Raumden!

[@viveknair2387]

Thank you! Great video :)

[@jatza07]

you're welcome

[@jvschwaner]

Thank you, very helpful :)

[@jatza07]

:)

[@mikey38632]

Super tutorial! I don't do pedals but I do want to etch aluminum for other purposes. This video will definitely be an invaluable resource!

[@jatza07]

+Michael Reaves Thank you Michael for good words! Yes it definitely can be applied to other surfaces not only pedals. I checked also laser but it was very expensive for this purpose. Good luck.

[@connor3010]

Good job!

[@user-vc5rp7nf8f]

helpful tutorial, thanks

[@cwrigh13]

Looks great!

[@jatza07]

Thank you Court !

[@cwrigh13]

@@jatza07 keep up the great work!

[@pawelJonline]

WOW! Świetna robota... :) Chętnie spróbuje twojej metody ;)

[@jatza07]

pawelJonline fajnie. Miło mi:) pozdrawiam !

[@pawelJonline]

Napisz jakiego papieru używasz.... ;)

[@pawelJonline]

no i po próbie....nie wiem czy za wcześnie odrywalem papier czy jak...ale część tonera odeszła...:( lipa...jak długo to moczysz???

[@jatza07]

pawelJonline +pawelJonline podejrzewam trzy rzeczy: 1) nie zbyt dobrze odtlusciles 2) za krótko lub za mocno grzałeś - lepiej dłużej ale żelazko nie na 100% ,tak 2/3 max. Przy PCB też ta zasada dziala. 3) moczenie, dodaj detergent i trochę cieplej wody. I ze 20 30 minut. Jak jest dobrze naniesione to nie powinno odejść ale lepiej być ostrożnym. Pozdrawiam

[@pawelJonline]

publiuss ... niestety trzecia próba zakończona niepowodzeniem więc rezygnuję :( Widać trzeba mieć więcej doświadczenia niż chęci ;) Tym bardziej podziwiam twoją robotę! Pozdrawiam ;)

[@harvesterofpingas]

Nice result! I have used this method to make front panels with good success. I finish off with a coat of clear polyurethane,

[@jatza07]

+Tim White thanks Tim! I will do the same, thank you for hint.

[@footcharaf]

شكرا لك استفدت كثيرا

[@Kris-82]

dobra robota !

[@michalpastva348]

Popici bratuuuu 👍👍👍👍

[@Ramen-vt8qb]

Dope effect!

[@jatza07]

Thx Ramen !

[@paulruby]

One extra tip. After ironing and before going into water, lightly and briefly sand the paper to break through the gloss using ~400grit sand paper. Water will absorb much better.

[@paulruby]

Could also pre-sand the back of the paper prior to ironing.

[@jatza07]

Great tip . Thanks:)

[@mrcrud5]

That was really well done. That video must have taken forever to make.

[@peppiino]

Thanks!

[@jfas8292]

Very good.

[@DoctorBlankenstein]

I think you could probably use peroxide and salt (works for copper pcb etching). It's all sorts of less deadly than the stuff you are working with over there :) Great video though... thanks for posting.

[@TheResidentSkeptic]

I just tried it a couple times and was only moderately successful. The first attempt was OK but there were a lot of small holes, so I sanded it back down and tried again, making sure to mask off the large areas with tape. This one turned out better, except one area of lettering just etched in a box inside the mask. I'm going to try again and find another method besides printer toner to do the masking, maybe a stencil. For now though, I'm just going to put the toner mask on and clear coat over that - it looks almost the same as the etched box apart from the recess. Also, gradients work.

[@gatekeeper84]

Thank, nice tutorial. For the last sanding step you can use a glass plate as these are very flat with sand paper taped onto it. Then move the part over the paper.

[@jatza07]

+W.A. van Buren hi! Thanks ! Great idea as well. Definitely will try next time :)

[@chrisnixon2179]

Very cool

[@jatza07]

Chris Nixon thx:)

[@shivanandsharma6154]

Chris Nixon Thanks for doing great efforts for others. appriciable.07889005036

[@Vasco4710]

Ładnie, polecam do innych projektów trawienie prądowe, mniej chemii i chyba lepsza kontrola procesu.

[@comadcomputationalartandde1016]

Thanks.

[@jatza07]

+Com ad thanks too :)

[@els1f]

Do you use a clear coat afterwards?

[@pheenix42]

If possible, use a full face shield if you can obtain one. I had cleaning chemicals splash on my face once when cleaning a restroom, and I was lucky I could get it cleaned off of me before damage happened.

[@jatza07]

+Alonzo Branson very good advice. Thank you

[@markitustrash]

Hi, your video was a great inspiration, thank you! I tried it yesterday and had some issues, but I will try to nail it on myu second attemp! I think mainly I need to sand down the surface a little bit more than just 500 grain. Anyway, the main question on how to do my second try is if it is better to hold the iron for more than your average time (12 minutes), maybe around 15? or would it be too much? My problem was that the ink started peeling off in the reaction step and messed up the picture, so I stopped the process at around 30 minutes. Also, the tape that I used to cover the limits of the picture didn't resist the process and the chemicals started to go underneath. This afternoon is attempt 2, I will keep you informed!

[@jatza07]

+markitustrash hi mate. Glad you like it and hope it will help make your own etching. Concerning time. I found only issues with not enought time ,not with keeping it too long . Key here is laser print and good paper. Sending is important but always degrease it ! Another experience is that too hot iron destroys it,somehow the way you describe it but this might be not the case. Concerning tape ,hmmm, in my case packaging tape from hardware store worked. Good luck! Oh ,I went through hard times and a lot of attempts before I figured it out so don't be discouraged ;) cheers!

[@markitustrash]

Another issue. In your video you keep removing the solution on the aluminium, and you claim that the chemical process took you 2 hours. Is it important to move it around and replace the solution from time to time or if I just leave some solution on top for one or two hours it will work just fine? In other words, does the solution get old and looses "power"?

[@mrkaiju3292]

Great tuto! I'll use this method for my projects! What's the soft used for the design? :-)

[@jatza07]

+Mr Kaiju thanks Kaiju! It was Inkscape:)

[@mrkaiju3292]

Thanks a lot!!!! You make my synth panels look nice!!!

[@unholyaudiochannel]

Exactly how long do you apply the mixture of Caustic Soda to the enclosure. I have been trying with 15gms - 100ml water and it only lasts about 25 mins before the toner goes to shit. Any tips would be greatly appriciated.

[@joechan5586]

I would like to know what paper you use for print your logo on it,?do you need to use laser printer to print the logo?

[@faustroxas5718]

Hi. I want to do one with a colored background. Any suggestions on how to do it? This means having the painted etching and a color of my choice for the entire enclosure

[@grzegorzwitkowski4251]

Maybe for example anodizing enclosure and later using the method from this video? That's the way I want to try now.

[@samirpasic6836]

Hello,nice video. I have one question If I don't transfer picture like that (like you) can I use black Sharpie marker or do you know what I can use????

[@jatza07]

Hi Samir. I'm pretty sure you can use permanent marker but I only saw it on others work. I haven't tried that. Good luck !

[@pheenix42]

Use a fine pointed paint marker. It will resist quite nicely once the paint dries completely.

[@captainoblivious1]

Great tutorial! Have a question, can you use the power supply and saltwater method instead of caustic soda? Or would that go through the ink.

[@jatza07]

+ArcticPyre85 hello. Thanks for good word ;) I believe it will work based on other tutorials but I have never tried this method.

[@captainoblivious1]

Thanks for the fast reply, I'll try this week and let you know if it works well.

[@jatza07]

ArcticPyre85 would be great. Please let know. Greetings

[@clepsyd]

Did it work?

[@captainoblivious1]

Still haven't even finished the graphic for it :( Soon

[@danitinez85]

Amazing man. Have you tried to anodize them?

[@jatza07]

+Daniel Martinez hey . Many thanks for kind words. No , I have not but this is something I might try in the next project . Have you tried it ?

[@danitinez85]

publiuss no I haven't tried, I hope to make one soon. Keep on with this awesome videos man! cheers!

[@uncle_don]

Nice work man, Is it going to effect the quality of the image if i use the ordinary ink printer in the heating process?

[@jatza07]

+Doni Damiat hi . Thanks! It will definitely not work with ink print. It must be laser toner .

[@jamiestewart1644]

What's the music? Sounds like Black Flag

[@samirpasic6836]

Can i etchsteel with this method???

[@S00PAMARIO]

No, this relies on the reaction between caustic and aluminum. It will not etch steel.

[@annikenkvalsund5393]

Help! I'm having a problem when heating the case to make the toner stick... The whole iron gets stuck to the paper which is then stuck to the case. (Kept the iron on top of the case for a solid 15min at least). When I try to lift it off half of the photopaper is stuck to the case and the other half is stuck to the iron. What did I do wrong?? Anyone who's got some experience with this?

[@jatza07]

hi. have you degreased the case ? The best is isoprophyl alcohol. it must be very clean and dry

[@annikenkvalsund5393]

publiuss Yes I have! Up to three times even... Better safe than sorry I thought, but didn't work :/ I think maybe the paper I used simply just wasn't suitable for this purpose. I've ordered another type now, looking forward to try again as soon as it arrives

[@CRUASSANFAN]

how do I neutralize the acid tho?

[@ericjonsson]

Pretty sure it's the other way around. Caustic soda (i.e. NaOH) is a strong base (not an acid), so if you want to neutralize it you need an acid.

[@getbentaudio585]

Do I need a laser printer or just the glossy paper? Can I get away with an ink jet?

[@jatza07]

Glossy and laser printer - as far as I know ink will simply not work. Good luck!

[@getbentaudio585]

@@jatza07 thanks! I will try to score one on offer up.

[@jatza07]

Steps: 1) Choosing enclosure : kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWKbaGeKntatgtU 2) Creating design: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWKbaGeKntatgtUm24s 3)Printing: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWKbaGeKntatgtUm20s 4)Preparing surface + thermaltransfer: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWKbaGeKntatgtUm36s 5)Etching phase: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWKbaGeKntatgtUm3s 6) Cleaning: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWKbaGeKntatgtUm41s 7) Primer paint spray: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWKbaGeKntatgtUm38s 8) Black paint spray: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWKbaGeKntatgtUm26s 9) Sanding and final result: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWKbaGeKntatgtU0m13s

[@Gondorff]

My printed sheet just starts to go brown and the image doesn't transfer at all, with the iron even on the hottest setting.

[@jatza07]

yes it goes brown. this process in my case required lower temp circa 2/3 of max temp an...time. even up to 8-10minutes.

[@Gondorff]

@@jatza07 Thank you - I tried 2/3, and I tried full. Both times the paper didn't seperate at all - it just went slightly brown but remained entirely intact.

[@spartonking726]

Acid name plz

[@bagstermucha]

Cześć, niestety kret powoduje że naniesiony na aluminium wzór odkleja się ;/

[@jatza07]

+Qfrom Continuum ok. Ja używałem czystej sody kaustycznej. Kret zawiera ok 10% dodatkowych środków. Może to miało wpływ. Papier od nadruku ładnie odszedł?

[@bagstermucha]

Próbuje zrobić PCB z aluminium. Tutaj link do tematu: facebook.com/groups/1310042155687488/permalink/1892283424130022/

[@olddanb1]

E X C E L L E N T. A N A B S O L U T E L Y P E R F E C T V I D E O Thanks Guys.

[@jatza07]

Thank you Don ! Such comments and appreciations are biggest motivators to share and do such things for others too.

[@Cluless02]

Good method but stupid amateurish image. Nothing personal, just telling it truthfully.