Summary for stainless steel etching Discussion
Electrochemical etching on stainless steel utensils was discussed as a practical but not fully standardized process. Gautamchand asked what chemicals and process factors would help etch 304-grade stainless steel quickly and how to print a design on utensils using a 12 V, 4 A setup with a chemical-retaining pad, stainless mesh, and stencil. Raymond later said he was looking for information on the apparatus and chemicals because he was having trouble getting fine patterns with conventional wet etching, but he did not provide a solution. The only specific recipe came from Juan Rodriguez Romero, who reported good results on stainless steel using a solution of 15 g/L NaCl and 6 g/L NaNO3 at 9 V. No one in the thread gave a complete process window, stencil method, or finish details, and Randy later asked what texture and color that recipe produced.
Q. I am facing a problem in stainless steel etching via electrochemical process (12 Volts 4 Amps current with a chemical retaining pad with stainless steel mesh in between the pad and a stencil to print on ss utensil) . What are the chemical for etching stainless steel fast and what are the process factors involved in it? I want to etch over Stainless steel Utensils of 304 grade. How should I get a print of a design on ss Utensils?
Gautamchand
student – Bangalore, Karnataka, India
2003
Q. Hi Karnataka,
I am very interested in your electrochemical etching. Sorry to say that I could not answer your question but I would like you to tell me what are the apparatus and chemical you currently use for electrochemical etching because I am now using conventional wet etching technique and could not able to etch fine patterns. I would be delighted if you can provide me some info and resources to learn how to start electrochemical etching.
Love and peace,
Raymond [surname deleted for privacy by Editor]
– Selangor, Malaysia
2004
A. He realizado algunas pruebas para el grabado de acero inoxidable con una solucion que contiene 15 g/L de NaCl y 6 g/L de NaNO3 a una tension de 9 V y me ha resultado bien.
Espero que te sea util.
Saludos.
Juan Rodriguez Romero
– Arequipa- Perú
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Ed. note, June 2006: Sorry, but due to very high traffic, we can only do postings in English anymore. Apologies.
Q. Hey Juan,
What was the texture and color of the finish after etching with your recipe? Thanks.
Randy Ashburn
– Littleton, Colorado, USA
March 2, 2008