finally finished this etched pedal...

[aen]

maybe i'll do some of these for devi's twins...

Maybe youll d somem for my shivas too.

[kosta]

Looks awesome!

Glen Wyllie does some etchables on his Rising Sun pedal (kind of a Shin-Ei Superfuzz with an octave and a boost.) Etching FTW!


http://www.flickr.com/photos/jm3/339293499

[Jay Fuji]

Looks awesome!

Glen Wyllie does some etchables on his Rising Sun pedal (kind of a Shin-Ei Superfuzz with an octave and a boost.) Etching FTW!


http://www.flickr.com/photos/jm3/339293499

thats sweet, super raw gnar etch. no paint or clearcoat or anything. burl. very burl.

[robert(original)]

that is amazing!
how did you do it? or is that top secret? soem old timers had told me about an echting pen that they used in the 70's but i have never been able to find a decent one(as they described them)

[Jay Fuji]

i basically do the same thing you do to etch circuit boards. press n peel blue for the mask, and ferric to munch the metal. of course thats a much simplified version, its really a big pain in my ass, but whatevs.

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

are there vats of acid involved? or is that like an antiquated practice i was readin about etchin on wikipedia

shit is badass btw.

[fixedspiral]

Yeah...

+1 Holy-shit-that's-amazing comment

Is there any chance you could post a few pic's/how-to or are you planning on keeping this to yourself for a while? I've seen a bit of etching, but yours seems to have more of a rougher, raw-er quality.

[Astricii]

Yeah...

+1 Holy-shit-that's-amazing comment

Is there any chance you could post a few pic's/how-to or are you planning on keeping this to yourself for a while? I've seen a bit of etching, but yours seems to have more of a rougher, raw-er quality.

There's a great instructable on etching I believe. anyway to get more raw you just do it like anything else. do it a little more slap dash

[Jay Fuji]

ok, here's a step by step... now keep in mind, i like things to look kinda edgy and fucked up, you would have to do a lot more sanding and general careful behavior to get some really fine line/perfection stuff. if you want to see a real etching master, look at $uperpuma Nate's stuff, he is the guy who has helped me through the ways of the etch more than anyone else.


ok, so....

1. sand down the top of your enclosure. start with something like 220 ( i used a 220 belt on my flatbed tabletop sander, worked like a dream) then hand sand with a flat block down to 400 or so, the idea here is to get a flat even suface. if you want super slick looks, you gotta get that top baby's ass smooth. i prefer to let mine look like lou diamond philips' gnar face, lolz.

2. if you are going to paint the sides, this is the time. no limits here folks. if you want a plain metal edge, you get some good high adhesion masking tape and mask off the sides of the box. i use a combination of things, but this particular one is an oil based enamel with oatmeal that i ground in the coffee grinder in it, haha. i like texture....

3. sand any paint back off the top to prepare for the Press and Peel blue. google this shit, i don't have the time or the patience to go into how to use it. PnP that box.

4. get your etch tank ready. now, there are multiple recipes for this, i have tried them all, and my fav method is still ferric chloride, as foul as that is. don't leave this shit anywhere near anything you care about, it stains and corrodes everything!

5. etch that shit... there is no secret other than agitating the etch and warmness rapidly speeds up the etch process. you have to try this a few times to see what groove you like. everyone i talk to who etches has a different way to do it. i personally dunk them in etchant thats juuuuust deep enough that they float like little boats. every two minute sor so, depending on how warm it is, i take them out, rinse them with water (in a big tub) and scrub out the etched material with an old toothbrush. you can use your water bath to regulate temp... if your water is warm, it will warm the box and speed it up. if your etchant is hot from lots of activity or temp outside, the cold water will chill it down and not let the etch get away from you.

6. rinse, repeat.

7. neutralize the acid on the box when you have it as deep as you want. i neutralize with baking soda, both the rinse water and the etchant (as long as its spent, otherwise i keep it and use it again!) DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT DUMP THAT SHIT DOWN THE DRAIN. DO NOT DO IT. IF YOU DO YOU ARE A FUCKING ASSHOLE AND NO ONE LIKES THAT. i have a clear container i mix my baking soda and rinse water in, so that it can settle and the particulate can settle. when that happens, the water can be poured out however you deem fit. the gunk at the bottom needs to be disposed of. I REPEAT, DON'T BE A FUCKING ASSHOLE AND DUMP ETCHANT DOWN YOUR GODDAMN SINK OR TOILET. all used etchant and etchant leftover solids need to be taken to a reputable and licensed facility that will accept this. your state's dept. of environmental quality will have info for you on this. i take mine to a somewhat local recycling center when i have gone through a gallon in this neutralization process, which takes me a year or more. you don't need much acid to do etching, but since i do it on a semi-commercial level, i buy a bunch at a time.

8. sand off press and peel mask. some people choose to paint the grooves to make them look more dramatic against the aluminum, and i did on the control one, but usually i do not, thats part of what gives the rough look. i hand sand with a block starting at 400 and going down to 1000, whatever works for you.

9) you can make changes to your finishes at this point, if the sides are raw metal, i usually kinda buff them out, but it makes no difference.

10) put said pedal in your office next to the leather chair and your certificate of dentistry and marvel at what you created. time for a round of golf....

[fixedspiral]

Thank you so much!

[Astricii]

http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/MarkMs-Gallery/album24/ Peektar Tutorealz

[bobcunningham]

the CONTROL might be the coolest etching i've ever seen. kudos on the Orwell!

[Companda]

Jay Fuji doesn't exist.

...this is freaking me out.

[eatyourguitar]

yeah WTF is that!? Tom Dalton you have a NINJA on your forum and his name is Jay Fuji.

[theavondon]

That was bugging me a lot, but, that happens to be a good tutorial.