395 replies to this topic

[lanesteele240]

How about a acid etch tutorial after you finish this beautiful lady?

[Mooneyzs]

How about a acid etch tutorial after you finish this beautiful lady?

That would be great. I would love to learn how to do that as well.

[Scale-Master]

I don't mind sharing, but it involves being able to design and output your own art in a format that can be transferred to the raw brass. We’re not talking clip art grabbed off the net or a scanned image of some part you want to copy.  This makes making decals look easy, (at least to me).

While the chemicals are relatively economical, albeit corrosive, the front end work of creating the art and then creating the resist and applying it to the brass stock is where the real work and hardware investment is. 

Without a good vector based graphics program (and the knowledge to use it) and a high resolution laser printer or plotter and the ancillary media to output the artwork to, a tutorial won’t help.

[Scale-Master]

Here is the windshield frame and rearview mirror.  Each is made of three pieces of brass soldered together.

The rim for the face has been acid cut and soldered onto the mirror.  Still needs some clean up and trueing before painting and installation of the mirror face.

[LAone]

Awesome work on that manifold and carb...keep it going man

Edited by LAone, 10 February 2013 - 12:50 AM.

[Scale-Master]

These are the seat belt adjuster buckles for the shoulder harnesses.  More acid etched brass cut from my artwork.  I cut lines into them (about half the thickness of the brass) to aid in the folding and positioning of other parts to be soldered on later.

These are the seat belt anchor pieces also cut from brass.  Still a little clean up needed, but this is close to how they look fresh from the acid etching.

[NormL]

Very very impressive

[lanesteele240]

Ok. I cant sleep at night trying to figure how you get the acid printed, applied, painted onto the brass. Please elaborate.

[Scale-Master]

The acid isn't printed or applied to the brass as I think you are assuming.  The brass is soaked in the acid. 

A resist is applied to the brass to protect it from the acid. Where the resist is becomes a part.  The rest of the brass is eaten away by the acid.

[Pete J.]

Correct me if I am wrong Mark but what you are doing is the same process as photoetcheing but instead of using a photo mask with photo resist you are using a vinyl masking product that you cut with a knife. You are making some really nice parts with this.  Is there much clean up?  Could you put up a raw piece?

[Scale-Master]

That is a simplistic way to put it Pete, but in general, yes.

Getting the vinyl off the brass as well as the adhesive requires some clean up time, and depending on the part and registration there are varying degrees of clean up. 

Some parts come out ready to use, most need at least a little sanding or filing, maybe some drilling and reaming of holes…

I’ll try to remember to shoot some “fresh from the tank” pics of parts next time I make some.

[lanesteele240]

Thanks for clearing it up.
So i guess you must auto cad the part
Cut it out on the vinyl
Apply to part
Apply acid
Clean up the finished part

That is awesome. Thanks for sharing your build

[Mooneyzs]

Mark thanks for the better explanation... I was gonna ask if a CAD program would be ok to draw up the art work from. I use SolidWorks to draw parts up now and print out, then glue to the material i am going to be cutting out. Do you find that it is cheaper to acid etch rather than photo etch?

[Scale-Master]

Thanks for clearing it up.
So i guess you must auto cad the part
Cut it out on the vinyl
Apply to part
Apply acid
Clean up the finished part

That is awesome. Thanks for sharing your build

 

 

Sort of...  I use Illustrator...  And thanks!

[Scale-Master]

This is the beginning of the tire master.  Again I utilized PVC from the hardware store; this time a plumbing fitting that was just about the right size.  It was a little thin on material where I wanted to make the sidewall, so I built it up with some CA so I could have more curvature to the sidewall.  I cut the sidewall on the lathe freehand but used traditional tools to cut the bead; the tread was cut on the mill.  The tread is patterned after an Advan tire.

[geemoney]

Thanks Bill.

 

This is the beginning of the intake manifold.  It is all brass soldered together.  Mounting surfaces are acid cut and the tubes are just K&S stock cut and machined to fit.

This is the carb master and manifold dry fitted to the head.

please xplain to me the "acid cut" can i do this? your work is excellent!

[geemoney]

oops, sorry, i jus saw where u have already answered!

[vintagedragfan]

you make it look easy Mark, that is fantastic work,  can I ask what you used to cut the tread on the master?

[Scale-Master]

Just milled it on my Sherline with a 1/32 inch end mill.  No CNC, just planning.

 

I added the sidewall detail and lettering…

[vintagedragfan]

  so nice