Are there any cheap tools I can buy to etch/engrave/burn a design onto metal? The custom engraving shops are too expensive.
If you can do a decent job by hand, Dremel makes some good tools, and there are also cheaper Dremel clones that will do the job too.
As far as I can remember, you could cover whatever you’re working with in wax, scratch out your design and use sulfuric acid to eat away where the wax isn’t… someone correct me if it’s not sulfuric…
What acid to use depends on the metal, sometimes. Sulphuric should etch most common metals, though, and you can get it in any auto parts shop.
Hydrochloric acid works, and is less likely to eat holes in your clothing than sulfuric acid.
You might also consider looking into photo-resist etching as used to make printed circuit boards. The required materials are available at Radio Shack.
I worked at Radio Shack. They don’t have photoresist materials available, but they do have ferric chloride solution which etches most metals nicely. For a resist, you can use paint or even a Sharpie™ marker. Or self-adhesive plastic laminate, and stencil-cut with an exacto knife.
You can also beadblast the metal using a stencil to cover areas you want left shiny.
I’m not sure if this method is suitable for what you want to engrave, but the end results look really good. I have seen quite a few custom cars with flames beadblasted into the air cleaners, valve covers, etc.
Great advice guys. Thanks.
Any important safety precautions I should consider before embarking on the acid method (never worked with acid before)?
Ferric chloride is a good deal safer to use than acids, although it’s a bit slow. It does stain, however, so be careful to put down plenty of newspaper or something around your work area, and wear rubber or plastic gloves. If you go the acid route, definitely wear gloves, and apron and eye protection.
That’s mainly for etching circuit boards by eating away the copper foil on top. Not sure how well it works on other metals.
I’ve tried it on steel, brass, and aluminum, and it seems to work on all of them to some degree or other. I can’t say I’ve done a scientifically rigorous study of etching times, however. And yes, I know what it’s for. I’ve made boards with it.
AFAIK some craft and hobby shops sell etching pens.
For a really low-tech solution, you could apply a wax resist, scrape away the bits you want etched, then deliberately rust the steel (assuming it isn’t stainless) with salt water, afterwards use a rust remover to leave a clean, but etched/pitted surface.