AP on my way

[VolkD]

Here in the UK Sodium Persulfate starts at around £5 for 100g, so quite a considerable expense compared to £15 for 5L of HCl to make CuCl₂ which can perform dozens if not hundreds of etches.

Then I'm very lucky, I manage to get a 25kg bag here for just under €100.

 

[VolkD]

I think this still belongs in this thread:I'm letting you know that I restarted a batch today. I used the liquid that was left over from yesterday, added some acid and some persulfate. I didn't measure anything. ERROR! Instead of 6 hours, the biting continues now, so 8+ hours.

 

[haveagojoe]

If the time spent is small, then it certainly outweighs the consumption.

I guess that depends how you look at it- and how you organize it. Certainly the time from start to finish is shorter, but the proportion of time you have to actively work with it could be much higher.

Part of the charm of our classic style Copper Chloride etching is the comparatively passive nature of the process. It takes a few minutes to set the etch going, and maybe an hour or so at the end to recover the foils, the time inbetween doesn't require continuous monitoring so for me it doesn't count quite the same.

I like to have multiple etches running concurrently at different stages, so I nearly always have something to do and some foils ready to recover, and I can fit it around my other activities easily without committing large chunks of time.

The idea of turbo-etching is very attractive, but realistically my process works out pretty well for me at a relaxed pace. It's a luxury hobbyists can afford which commercial refiners may not.

 

[haveagojoe]

Then I'm very lucky, I manage to get a 25kg bag here for just under €100.

Yes the price per weight goes down for bulk, 20kg is around £50 here

 

[4metals]

Then I'm very lucky, I manage to get a 25kg bag here for just under €100.

This is likely a comparison between laboratory reagent grade and commercial tech grade. Different purity different price.

 

[VolkD]

I like to have multiple etches running concurrently at different stages, so I nearly always have something to do and some foils ready to recover, and I can fit it around my other activities easily without committing large chunks of time.

This then requires more containers, more heating plates, more space...Unfortunately, I don't have all of that. I don't have the time either, my days are numbered - I have liposarcoma in my abdominal cavity.

 

[VolkD]

This is likely a comparison between laboratory reagent grade and commercial tech grade. Different purity different price.

That's definitely the reason. But I don't need laboratory cleanliness.

 

[haveagojoe]

This then requires more containers, more heating plates, more space...Unfortunately, I don't have all of that. I don't have the time either, my days are numbered - I have liposarcoma in my abdominal cavity.

I am sorry to hear that.

But to create a productive system does not necessarily mean a lot of extra space or equipment. My workspace is a 1mx1m wooden box, containing about a dozen 5L recycled water bottles. I don't use extra heating, I have a single bubbler which I move between the bottles as needed. I recover foils by filtering, and start new etches at the same rate, so there is a constant stream of material passing through. Although each etch may take a week or two, effectively I am putting new material in and taking foils out on the same day, if you see what I mean, and my commitment of actual working time is minimal as I don't need to be present for most of the reaction time.

I'm still very impressed with the new method you have shared, but on consideration I don't think it's appropriate for my work pattern at the moment. You are right though, if I were working at a larger scale, then speed would be more critical and/or the space needed would be larger.

 

[Yggdrasil]

This then requires more containers, more heating plates, more space...Unfortunately, I don't have all of that. I don't have the time either, my days are numbered - I have liposarcoma in my abdominal cavity.

Too bad, I wish you the best in the time to come.

You really do not need anything advanced, plastic buckets will do.
If you have many in different stages it don't matter much that it takes time, there will always be one that is almost ready..
Just make sure you have someone well informed that can help to clean up, if things go too fast downhill.

 

[Shark]

A large air pump with a gang valve from an aquarium can be used to provide air to multiple solutions at a time. The pump I had would run enough air to keep 8-10 five gallon buckets of AP working steadily. It could also keep 3-4 fifty gallon drums working. I don't recall the brand but they are used in large aquariums like those used for raising talpia. 10 years ago I paid around $250 for the large pump, I don't recall on the valve price. I will say I ran very few pins in them as I made anode bars from the pins for a copper cell.