How to Etch Aluminum / Etched Guitar Pedals

[@JamesCowling]

I absolutely could *not* get the transfer to work until I heated the pedal chassis with the iron before applying the sheet. Thanks for the tip! Saved me from so much frustration.

[@paulsharoncrowley9550]

Very nicely done demonstration and a great looking outcome. I really appreciated including your previous mistakes early in the process.

[@davek8986]

Heating the enclosure before applying the transfer is a neat trick. Thanks for the tip!

[@TheResidentSkeptic]

I've been using Kapton tape for both my PCB transfers and etching enclosures. It's meant for high heat so it works great!

[@extralifedisco]

Ah good idea! Think I saw it at the office supply shop recently - will give it a try on the next project.

[@tookitogo]

@@extralifedisco I get Kapton tape from China. It may not stick quite as well as the 3M stuff, but at (literally) 1/15 the cost, and given that it’s mostly used for temporary things, I can live with that! (It holds find for one adhesion, but unlike a post it note, it dramatically loses adhesion on a second and third sticking.) I’ve used such el-cheapo Kapton to secure a toner transfer sheet onto a blank PCB before putting it through the laminator to transfer, and can confirm it works excellently for this. Another discovery about Kapton tape: epoxy does not adhere to its adhesive. I used this recently to try out casting epoxy windows for LEDs in wood: I milled out the display segments, capped the end with Kapton tape, and then flowed in epoxy with a tiny bit of talc as a diffuser. Once cured, the Kapton released cleanly, leaving a flawless smooth surface. You could do this with aluminum, too. On aluminum, I did something similar: drilled holes, cleaned it well, used a heat gun to get it hot, and then squeezed a hot glue stick through the holes to fill them. Once cooled, carefully cut the excess glue from the outside, then gave it a very short, hot blast of hot air to re-melt the glue surface to get it smooth again. Works *beautifully* for getting diffuse, wide-angle indicators that can be small, dust and waterproof, even from the cheap water-clear LEDs and SMD LEDs that are pervasive nowadays.

[@mp-ez4ye]

your voice 100% reminds me of Randall from Clerks. super informative video! I have some Ferric Chloride on the way I'm going to use to etch PCBs and enclosures with and I'm very excited :)

[@clintfackler5155]

Great vid. Instead of paper you might try Press n Peel blue. I get great transfers of toner and I do not have to deal with soaking and rubbing, etc. And I agree with what you said about each pedal being unique. Sometimes when my toner transfer is to good I'll scratch off a little here and there to add some character!

[@muskokamike127]

I believe there's also t shirt transfer paper that is designed specifically for this. I know I used to use it back when inkjet was all the rage and I seem to recall seeing it for laser too....

[@DoctorBlankenstein]

yellow tattoo transfer paper absolutely works best for etching. I have tried them all. Good video mate.

[@tookitogo]

What laser printer do you use? This has been the vexing problem for me - I had a little Samsung that worked great, but it died. So I’ve been trying other laser printers (at work, at friends, etc) and none produce satisfactory results. :(

[@fishbake7]

Make sure your laser printer is only a black and white laser printer. If it is a color laser printer it will not work right.

[@DoctorBlankenstein]

@@tookitogo I use a cheap Canon B&W printer. Works perfectly for this purpose.

[@USAlien234]

Thank you so much for the detailed instructions ! I really like your style of video. Your camera techniques are amazing. The zooming and focus styles you used were really nice. I dont how or why, but it almost felt like an old school tv tutorial or something. Like that show "How its made" vibe going on. Thats a compliment btw 😆 This was the first video on your channel I have ever watched, but I decided to sub already ! ✌ 😊 ✝ ❤

[@74dartman13]

Nice work...looks awesome! Way better than a taped on label!

[@MaxCarton]

These etched pedals look awesome... Also a very nice edited video! Great work dude :) I subscribed and hope to see more from you! cheers

[@TruthDigest]

Hello, I think making sure not to scratch the ink , and making the etching solution less concentrated , will help to have good results, because evhing slowly will make the aluminum to be etched evenly. anyway it is very good result ❤

[@Drevilbreakfast]

Really nice looking pedals

[@carbonfreeze6635]

Thanks so much for showing us the mistakes in action! I've only done one before and came to your video for re-training before I start my next one. Great looking pedals! I felt like I was watching a Kyle Mooney video for a minute there. No offense intended, though. it's my favorite thing on SNL.

[@tookitogo]

1:55 me: “a clothes iron? That’s not good, he should use a laminator” Me, 2 seconds later: “oh right, it’s an enclosure, not sheet metal” 😂

[@martinsp90]

Thanks for this tutorial! Is this possible with thiner cases?

[@extralifedisco]

Yes, definitely. I have never etched anything deeper than about 0.5mm with FeCl. Usually a salt water/vinegar solution with 12V electro-etch is used for making deeper pits.

[@OzanOlguner]

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

[@alexkrause5550]

I really liked your presentation quality in your video 🤜💥🤛

[@Weston_Guidero]

Amazing thank you for the helps

[@robtylerblack2617]

Legend mate, that was incredible.

[@Nemorosus]

really beautiful. exactly how I like it. I´m thinking of doing this myself. Do you think it´s difficult, to take the paint off of a factory pedal?

[@extralifedisco]

Removing paint is pretty easy if you have an electric sander, coarse grit paper, and a garage! Wouldn't want to do it by hand though. The "double helix" pedal seen in the video was a actually black powder-coated enclosure, so I sanded down the top face to bare metal. Powder coat is soft plastic, but other paints might be enamel or acrylic with clear-coat on top, so slightly harder material. But the same principle applies.

[@Nemorosus]

Okay, thank you. I'll have a try. I assume, if I leave parts of the initial paint, there would be no etching happening right? I am not looking for a strict design, more of a "drown the enclosure and let the chemicals do their job" type of thing and see how it will come out.

[@SheheSieraad]

U don't need battery's for aluminium? What about brass?

[@baljazz]

Would you be able to use a 3d print as a resist in order to save material? Or maybe wood. Not sure if it will eat through it. Trying to etch .25 inch stainless steel using the salt water electro etching method. Thanks.

[@danpluso]

Seems like a lot more work compared to waterslide decals. It does look cool though.

[@vikingsofvintageaudio7470]

Very nice 👍

[@nogameirl4286]

Maybe a dumb question but is there a way to dye the etch? Do get a different end colour .

[@extralifedisco]

Sure, the most common technique is to etch very deeply and then paint the surface whole with a hard enamel type paint. Once it's dry you can sand the whole surface flat and only the etched part will remain painted.

[@kurtjohndelacruz6825]

6:45 how is IDEOLOGY Pedal have more darker color than the other?

[@extralifedisco]

Use fresh etchant with no contaminants, and etch a little bit longer. I recommend doing some testing on scraps of aluminum so you can find the right time for your etchant solution, especially because FeCl degrades with age so you may need to etch longer with an older chemical.

[@nieromattia]

you havn't to use classic paper but you have to use the press and peel paper for pcb with a plastic film on one layer.

[@princessfromaldershotuk9553]

What solution of Ferric Chloride are you using? I tried this with Ferric Chloride marked at 42 Degrees Baume and it reacted really violently with the aluminium, generating really high heat and releasing hydrogen gas. Scary!!

[@extralifedisco]

Interesting, I've never seen that before. If memory serves, I used a solution of about 2 tablespoons of anhydrous FeCl powder (datak brand) dissolved in about 8oz of water. The powder may have been sitting on a shelf for a few months before that as well, though I'm not sure if it loses its strength as quickly in air as in water.

[@felipecavalcante6203]

Thanks thanks THANKS! This video is insane! I will try this. Subscribed and liked ;)

[@a_meek_1625]

I'm having trouble finding the right paper. I bought HP Glossy Photo paper, but the hot iron made the back of the paper sticky and no matter how much heat I applied, most of the toner wouldn't stick. The paper initially would adhere to the surface, but when I tried to submerged it in water to remove the paper, it didn't soak up the water well and it was hard to get the paper to come off. When I did finally get it to peel off it peeled the transfer off with it 😩 feeling kinda discouraged. Any suggestions for specific brands of paper would be much appreciated.

[@extralifedisco]

Interesting! I struggled a bit with paper choices as well, many many failed transfers before I got the technique right. Photo paper tends to be thicker so that may be an issue, I'm using some stuff called "presentation paper" in the video, it's thinner but still glossy so the toner comes off more easily than regular paper. However the glossiness makes it more waterproof so it's kind of a double edged sword as you mention. Lately I've been using glossy magazine paper and it works pretty well. Most printers jam if you use it as a sheet so I just cut out a 6" x 8" section and tape it to the middle of a regular 8.5x11" sheet of printer paper, run it through as a carrier. It's lightweight, dissolves almost instantly in water, and is glossy enough to release the toner. Magazines are printed with dye type ink so it doesn't interfere at all. Also, if you can't get the toner to melt at all with your iron, it may be worth trying a different toner / different printer. I've seen people on some forum debating which brand of toner has the lowest fusing temperature, though I can't recall exactly which brand is best. (I use a Brother HL-2270). Maybe just try going to the copy shop and see if you have better luck with another printer/copier.

[@a_meek_1625]

@@extralifedisco I recently just used xylene to transfer the toner! Have you heard of this? I haven't etched it yet to test it's effectiveness, but a couple swipes with a Chartpak blender (a marker with pure xylene) and it transfers to the enclosure almost effortlessly within seconds. If I can get it to etch correctly it'll be a game changer for sure.

[@extralifedisco]

@@a_meek_1625 Ah very cool! I've seen people doing that by spraying clear on the enclosure to get it wet, then laying the transfer down on top of it (sometimes called heatless toner transfer) which presumably works because aerosol cans usually have xylene to keep the paint in solution. I imagine the marker is the way to go, dealing with the liquid and aerosol seems very sketchy b/c of the high volatility. LMK how the etch works!

[@jeremywinnett6352]

@@extralifedisco good to see my trustly old 2270dw will likely work. Over 100k pages and still working strong.

[@Sheild_against_the_wicked556]

Have a look at etching tutorials from the custom saber community.

[@p10rambo]

Can i know what knobs are those?

[@extralifedisco]

Likely I got them at lovemyswitches.com

[@renovier3817]

You are genius man! Awerome

[@gavellis2680]

Can you spray paint the enclosure & then use etching solution, or visa versa ? Thanks for the great video 👍🏼

[@extralifedisco]

Nope, the paint will block the etchant from working. If desired you can etch the enclosure, then paint it, then sand it flat again and only the etch will remain panted, but this requires a nice deep etch.

[@gavellis2680]

@@extralifedisco Thanks that’s great 👍🏼

[@almonzowilder4091]

do you have a recipe for the etchant? I'll whip up a batch in the lab.

[@extralifedisco]

A little beyond my pay grade I'm afraid! I use ferric chloride, which I buy as anhydrous powder from Jameco electronics and mix into water. I believe it's produced by Datak. A lot of ppl prefer hydrochloric acid for etching copper as you can refresh it and apparently neutralize the cupric chloride, but it doesn't leave a color change in aluminum so far as I know, so if you're etching graphics FeCl is the easiest one I know.

[@almonzowilder4091]

@@extralifedisco Most excellent! Thank you, sir.

[@mbrombert]

This is really inspiring... Does it have to be a laser printer? Or can it be ink?

[@extralifedisco]

Has to be laser printer! The laser toner is actually little plastic particles which melt onto the surface of the paper, so they form a film which can be transferred to another surface. Ink just soaks into the paper as it's a liquid. There such a thing as "direct ink" printing to PCB but it requires a special (or modified) printer. Androkavo has a demo here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIHZkmehgt2gpsk

[@mbrombert]

Interesting stuff! All the best to you

[@noa2012prints]

Are you used laser printer or inkjet,and did you print BW or CMYK?

[@extralifedisco]

Laser printer, black and white! Laser Toner is actually plastic, which is why it melts or "fuses" onto the substrate.

[@tookitogo]

@@extralifedisco What laser printer do you use? This has been the vexing problem for me - I had a little Samsung that worked great, but it died. So I’ve been trying other laser printers (at work, at friends, etc) and none produce satisfactory results. :(

[@extralifedisco]

I have a brother HL-L2370DW, inexpensive B/W model

[@flight-or-flight]

I love the 'pure ideology' pedal

[@captainoblivious1]

Great tips, quality video, subbed. And hope you get more subs for this. I am wondering if you can use the power supply saltwater method instead of FeCl?

[@extralifedisco]

Thanks! Yes, you can use vinegar (acetic acid) or another etchant with electrolyte (salt) etch as well. I did my first tests with a 9v battery and vinegar. However with this method you won't get much color change, so you should etch more deeply so that you can fill with paint. After etching, remove the mask, apply the paint paint, then sand flat to remove the paint outside the etched area.

[@captainoblivious1]

Great, that's exactly what I needed to know for planning to fill with paint. Vinegar as well heard works great. Thanks for the answers.

[@midierror]

good vid, thanks!

[@justmetal227]

and photopaper transfer? gotta be honest the results are great for just plain paper :D

[@extralifedisco]

Yep, just regular glossy laser printer paper (HP presentation paper). In general I find that magazine paper works better on aluminum because it disintegrates more easily when wet, so it's better for labeling. With etching it's not so important if the toner doesn't end up super-black on the metal. Other folks have recommended wax sticker backing paper, tattoo transfer paper, and the pulsar transfer paper (or press-n-peel blue), and I suggest experimenting with a few because it does take some practice however you do it.

[@attilarivera]

Awesome!!!!

[@McLovin168]

My gott, is that a žižek refference?

[@michaelinglis8516]

Technically that's a palm sander, not an orbital. An orbital, as its referred to these days is either rectangular or circular that works in random orbital paterns. But I have some old woodworking books that I used a lot when I was learning to work with wood to build guitars that often use those terms interchangeably and each book contradicts the others when going over terminology lol. With that said palm sanders are absolutely fine. They get a lot of hate but I use palm Sanders for guitar building since I'm going to do all the fine sanding by and anyways. So basically I'd use a palm sander for removing lots of material for comfort cuts or for getting the front and back level then I move on to hand sanding with a sanding block then fine sanding with a foam block. Anyways I never considered using a palm sander on an enclosure. My latest build is a DeadAstronaut Chasm Reverb that I've gone out of my way to try and get really nice this time. So no birdsnest off board wiring. Actually making a template with inkscape to precise dimensions rather than roughly measuring with a machinists rule lol etc etc. So I'm looking for ways to get a really nice looking enclosure. I have access to a laser engraver but I think etching would be even better. I live right by Mouser Electronics and they sell 500ml of ferric chloride for about $11-$12. In your experience is that a good deal or should I look elsewhere. Thanks for the video!

[@swirvan]

Switch is recessed within tool grip to prevent accidental engaging.

[@schmetterling4477]

Etched aluminum just doesn't look very good IMHO. Etching steel and copper is fine, but aluminum just doesn't give much of a contrast. Of course... by the time you are making stainless steel enclosures in small quantities you might as well gild them... the additional cost is negligible.

[@mutedsounds2k]

Did you know that TONER is CANGEROGENIC?! Moreover, you need a printer that DOESN'T ADD MARGINS!!

[@karlsinger4760]

It didn’t smell good. Well, I gonna have cancer anyway...

[@tookitogo]

Inhaling toner is really bad. But as long as you handle the cartridge carefully so it doesn’t spill, you shouldn’t have toner in the air.

[@tookitogo]

Also, unfortunately most laser printers cannot do borderless printing. That is largely the purview of inkjets, which sadly are unusable for PCB etching. :(

[@mutedsounds2k]

@@tookitogo Also most inkjet printers have that problem, though.

[@mutedsounds2k]

@@tookitogo "you should have toner in the air" and you breathe it...

[@mkniskanen]

Thanks for the completely unnecessary music that damps the speech, making the video useless for us hearing-impaired souls.

[@extralifedisco]

Sorry about that! This was one of my early uploads and I was still kind of figuring out audio levels. I try to use sidechain ducking to make voiceover more audible over music so people can watch at a lower volume, but I didn't realize it was also an accessibility issue. KZbin's auto-CC looks pretty accurate to me but I will try to reformat it for readability when I get a moment. Thanks for your comment.