Will need
To work we must prepare:
- 12V DC supply;
- two wires with clamps;
- table salt and food vinegar;
- capacity;
- cotton swabs (tippers);
- stencils, stickers and decals;
- cleaning agent and wipes;
- machine oil;
- nail polish and acetone;
- scissors and marker.
Any metal objects can be used as an etching object: a hammer, a set of sockets, a kitchen knife, a thermos, a key, etc. Since we will have to deal with “chemistry”, we will prepare safety glasses, gloves and a fan.
Metal etching process
We connect two long wires with “crocodiles” at the ends to the current source (battery, starter, charger and even a 9 V battery).
Pour table salt into a glass container, add vinegar or water and mix lightly so that the ingredients react faster. After that, put several cotton swabs into the container.
To apply numbering to a set of deep chrome-plated sockets, we will use a stencil or stickers. We choose a stencil, the stickers will be used later.
We clean the etching surface by wiping it with a cloth soaked in alcohol or soap solution, after putting on safety glasses and rubber gloves.
We attach the red wire to the red clamp, the black wire to the black one with the charger turned off. In the case of a battery, the ends of the wires should not touch.
If we are etching metal indoors, then we install and turn on a fan nearby, or even better, we work outdoors. Let's start with a socket with 21 mm markings.
We cut the stencil of the numbers “2” on the right, and “1” on the left and paste them in place.
We connect the red positive wire to the product, and in the clamp of the black negative wire we fix a cotton swab soaked in a salt solution, placing the cotton wool below the tip of the clamp.
Apply voltage to the contacts and apply a cotton swab to the slots of the stencil for 5 seconds, after which we move it to the next point and so on until the end. If the tampon turns black, then replace it with a fresh one. In this case, the etching process is accompanied by a characteristic hissing, the release of foam and blackening of its path.
We wipe the etched areas with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol and outline with a marker to add color.
We remove the stencils and see the numbers quite clearly from any angle. Lubricate the engraved numbers with machine oil and wipe dry with napkins. This will protect the engraving from moisture and extend its life.
Let's start applying the logo to the handle of the adjustable wrench
To do this, we use stickers or stickers. Let's focus on the sticker.
Like last time, we wipe the metal with alcohol, apply a sticker, cover it with nail polish and let it dry for 30 minutes.
Using a knife with a sharp wedge blade, remove the inscription, being careful not to damage the surrounding varnish.
We connect the positive terminal to the metal. In the “crocodile” of the negative terminal, we clamp a cotton swab soaked in saline solution and etch the open areas, as before.
All we have to do is use acetone to remove the nail polish, wiping the varnished metal with a napkin. This operation can be repeated on the steel body of a thermos, the blade of a hunting knife, etc.
