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Lloyd E. Sponenburgh[_3_]

fired this volley in
:

What was the nature of the fumes? Hydrogen on the acid side?

I have never tried etching aluminum but this gives me some ideas...

It was hydrogen, as you guessed, with liquid mist incorporated.

Aluminum may be etched with a number of substances. Bubbles of gas
liberated during etching have both good and bad effects. They stir the
liquid, accelerating the process, but they also promote undercutting of
any resist you apply.

Ferric chloride does an amazingly good job on aluminum. (yeah, the same
stuff you use to etch copper-clad pcb material.) But you do have to
agitate it, for lack of stirring bubbles.

LLoyd