Erik Smith Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Running some google searches... Found this: http://picasaweb.google.com/m/viewer#album/ErieChris333/5062443911084470689 I'm on my phone, so I hope the link works out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darin Bastedo Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Years ago I bought the 'Auto-etch' system. No matter what I did or how good my artwork was it never worked right. I had my camera ready artwork professionally printed on a transparency and followed the directions perfectly. I am no slouch as a modeler so I don't think it was me, just a poor system. I also know of a few friends who couldn't get it to work either. I think the question should be phrased as- Does the Micro Mark system work at all? Is it worth the money for someone with limited experience? Could someone who has used it take some pictures of the components as well as some parts made in it as an example? It shouldn't be that difficult to help a fellow member out with this. I myself would like this information but apparently it's a military secret or something. Showing the work won't make someone better or worse at etching but at least it will ease their mind and give them a visual to think about. What exactly went wrong with your stuff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pharr7226 Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Here is a link to a tutorial that may be helpful to you guys http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=697796 As Darin said the results seem to depend of the expertise of the user. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darin Bastedo Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Here is a link to a tutorial that may be helpful to you guys http://www.automotiv...ad.php?t=697796 As Darin said the results seem to depend of the expertise of the user. Yes this tutorial explains it quite well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Creative Explorer Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 it looks oh so easy..... I've been thinking of getting the Micro Mark system for a year now, but I am still doubting on my own skills and what materials I need for using it. how much film etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Smith Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I, too, have been looking at the kit. I am going to sell some kits in the next couple weeks and hopefully profit enough to purchase from MM. I will give a "newbie" look at it when I get it going. I have been googling and looking around at other forums and some builders have been able to do a decent job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Joseph Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I routinely make photo-etched parts using the same basic method employed by the Micro-Mark set. I can tell you that if you follow the directions, you will get good results. There are several steps that must be completed successfully in order to get a good finished piece; think of it like an algebra problem: if you make a little error at any step along the way, the final answer will be wrong. I'm contemplating writing a short how-to book explaining inexpensive at-home photoetching, but I don't have time to do anything anymore. If you guys have some specific questions, fire away either here in this thread or by PM and I'll do my best to explain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pharr7226 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Joseph, Do you use a commercial printer for your artwork? Can you show us some your artwork and parts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Joseph Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Joseph, Do you use a commercial printer for your artwork? Can you show us some your artwork and parts? I print all my artwork on an HP Photo printer using overhead transparency film. I'll look around in my files and find some pics of raw parts and finished pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Creative Explorer Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Anything found yet? And how can you use overhead transparency film? Isn't there a special film required? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunajammer Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Seems to me there were piles of how-tos and tutorials on YouTube when I went looking some months ago. As mentioned previously, results were mixed, according to the user and complexity of the piece, but my questions were answered about what to expect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaronw Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Anything found yet? And how can you use overhead transparency film? Isn't there a special film required? There is a film that sticks to the metal. A clear sheet with the artwork (overhead transparency in Joseph's case) goes over the film. When exposed to light the film cures where not covered by the artwork. This cured film is what protects the metal, the uncured portion being quickly disolved by the acid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Joseph Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Oops, this got pushed to the back burner and then forgotten Here's a photo of the frets I made a couple of years ago for one of my big resin conversion sets: I made several dozen of these sets, all in .005" and .008" brass. Here is a pic of some random stuff I've made recently for a couple of sci-fi movie models: The top two are brass and the bottom is nickel silver. I'm having a heck of a time finding nickel silver in .005" thickness; I can get .010" (like this piece) easily, but the thinner stuff is rare in small quantities. I had one metal supplier tell me today he could get .005" for me, but I had to buy 50 pounds!! Nickel silver etches as easily as brass, so it is much easier to work with than stainless steel. Here are some of my phototools that I use to create some of my one-off's and stock items: I finally used up the box of overhead transparency film I got a couple of years ago, so I bought some of the special film that's used in the screenprinting industry. This film's performance is superior to the regular old transparency film that you get from the office supply places. A metal blank with UV-sensitive resist film applied to both sides is inserted between the two transparent halves of the phototool, then each side is exposed to UV light to create the patterns on the resist. Here's a 1/32 scale gunsight for an AH-1J Cobra: There are a bunch of individual photoetched pieces that make up this assembly. Getting the different folded parts to fit together is something of a black art... Here's something a little more on-topic for this particular forum, a 1/24 scale grille for '85-'86 Buick GN: I'll get around to building a model around this one day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Smith Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Thanks for diggIng this post back up guys. And thanks for posting some of your work ChiefJoseph whose real name I can't see because I'm on my phone. Great looking PE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Creative Explorer Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 A big thanks to Joseph! that stuff looks amazing! I hope I can lean back on you when I get my machine and have some specific questions? Ok, I fortunatelly have some disposable income at the moment, which is very rare for me, so I want to go ahead and order me the photo-etch system. Because I live in the Netherlands, I want to bulk up a little bit on the harder to get items, but I need help with that. I think I need to order extra of: -Photo-resist material, I have no idea where to get this in Europe I don't think I need to order extra of: -High resolution inkjet film, as mentioned above, overhead sheets can do the trick -Brass and stainless material, as can be purchased over here I am not sure if I have to order extra of: -Laminating carrier sheets, are these reusable? What is the purpose of the laminating? Is it sandwiching the metal, photo-resist and inkjet film? I don't think they are reusable and I think I can get this locally, but not sure. What do you guys think? I do need to have some feedback, as we are talking big (for me) numbers and I have no experience what so ever with this stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Joseph Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I am not sure if I have to order extra of: -Laminating carrier sheets, are these reusable? What is the purpose of the laminating? Is it sandwiching the metal, photo-resist and inkjet film? I don't think they are reusable and I think I can get this locally, but not sure. Don't bother getting any extra carrier sheets. I use a piece of folded plain paper instead. The purpose of putting the resist & metal "sandwich" through the laminator is to fuse the resist film to the metal. By putting it inside a folded piece of paper, you prevent any excess resist film from bonding to the laminator's rollers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Creative Explorer Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Thanks Joseph! I know it sounds all dumb, but this is such a new thing for me, I've never worked with this before or know anybody who does. So more dumb questions: I slowly start to understand the process, but please correct me if I am wrong: -I need to laminate the resist-film on both sides of the metal right? -Is inkjet ink opaque enough for not letting UV-rays through? -What is the best way of exposing both sides of the metal without the chance of the metal sliding a little between the 2 sheets of overhead film? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Joseph Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Thanks Joseph! I know it sounds all dumb, but this is such a new thing for me, I've never worked with this before or know anybody who does. So more dumb questions: I slowly start to understand the process, but please correct me if I am wrong: -I need to laminate the resist-film on both sides of the metal right? -Is inkjet ink opaque enough for not letting UV-rays through? -What is the best way of exposing both sides of the metal without the chance of the metal sliding a little between the 2 sheets of overhead film? The only dumb question is the one you never ask... Yes, you have to cover both sides of the metal with resist film if you intend to etch from both sides of the metal to make detailed or foldable parts. You can also etch from only one side, and cover the opposite side with lacquer paint to prevent etching on that side. When you etch from both sides, the parts come out cleaner with finer details and the etching process only takes half the time. The downside is you have to get the two film positives aligned near-perfectly so the parts are formed properly. The Vivera inks in my not-so-new HP are good enough to make a good transfer but I have to increase the ink volume in the driver's control panel. Standard ink volume is too transparent to work. Epson printers that use pigment ink are supposed to be the absolute best printers for this type of work. The screen-printing industry uses Epson printers almost exclusively for printing inket positives. For me, a little piece of Scotch tape on the edge of the metal piece works just fine to keep the metal sandwiched between the two transparent positives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RancheroSteve Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I've only started using my kit this week. I'm taking it slow so far and making sure I understand all the steps and doing a few tests before I plunge ahead too fast and waste a lot of material. The film that is supplied with the Micro-Mark kit is designed to be used with ink jet printers. Since I have an Epson photo printer, I'm using that. It makes a good, dark black so I don't forsee any problems there. The kit also supplies two small pieces of Plexiglas and four clamps that are used to clamp the artwork and the laminated metal together tightly when you do the exposure to light. Based on a test I did yesterday, it appears that one of the more critical steps is getting the exposure to light and the developing times correct. I'm hoping to have some finished pieces in the next few days if all goes well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdurg Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 You'll have to let you me know how it goes. My kit just shipped out to me today. I'm building a 1/16 scale Corvette for which there are no photo-etch parts out there so I've had to make my own. This was the only way how since there are no companies out there willing to custom make photo-etch parts. I'm getting excited waiting for it to arrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mademan Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 ..... the things I would do for that Regal Grille..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RancheroSteve Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 (edited) Well, I just had a pretty successful first run! A couple of observations: 1. As advised in the instructions, I used a yellow bug light when working with the photo-sensitive film (much easier than working in the dark). I prepared the film and laminated it to the brass last night and exposed it to sunlight at 10am this morning. 2. After my first test (a few days ago) resulted in too much of the film coming off, I exposed it to the sun a little longer than recommended this time around and also developed it a little less then recommended. 3. After that, the etching process went pretty much as described in the instructions. I checked the fret every five minutes. In hindsight, I think I could have stopped the etching just a tad sooner - I lost some of the fine detail on a couple of parts of the fret. I might also be pushing the boundaries as far as the amount of detail that can be acheived with this process, but that's something that I'll find out by experience. Pictures soon. Edited March 22, 2012 by RancheroSteve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Joseph Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 ..... the things I would do for that Regal Grille..... Okay, that's a little weird I'll be making resin copies sometime soon and I can get you one. Well, I just had a pretty successful first run! A couple of observations: 1. As advised in the instructions, I used a yellow bug light when working with the photo-sensitive film (much easier than working in the dark). I prepared the film and laminated it to the brass last night and exposed it to sunlight at 10am this morning. 2. After my first test (a few days ago) resulted in too much of the film coming off, I exposed it to the sun a little longer than recommended this time around and also developed it a little less then recommended. 3. After that, the etching process went pretty much as described in the instructions. I checked the fret every five minutes. In hindsight, I think I could have stopped the etching just a tad sooner - I lost some of the fine detail on a couple of parts of the fret. I might also be pushing the boundaries as far as the amount of detail that can be acheived with this process, but that's something that I'll find out by experience. Pictures soon. Congratulations! It's a great feeling when you try something new and it works. I don't know the exact instructions in the MicroMark kit, but here are some tips specific to your observations: After you've exposed the workpiece and developed it, set it in the sun for a few more minutes to further harden the resist. When you were etching your workpiece, did you notice the metal etching faster from the outer edges inward? Try to arrange your artwork so that the more-detailed items are in the center. That way there's less of a chance of over-etching the finer details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RancheroSteve Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Thanks for the tips. I'll definitely try putting the piece in the sun next time before etching. I was actually rather pleased with how even the etching was overall - like I said, I think I'd just take it out about a minute sooner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Creative Explorer Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 PICTURES!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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