Hi,
I'm nearly done a simple angle jig. The final step is to mark off
the angles. One part is SST, the other plain carbon.

I may be able to get access to a laser cutter to etch in the marks,
but easier still might be to take a tiny endmill (I have one) or even
just a center-drill and, with an indexing head on a mill, preceed to
etch in all 360 tick marks.

However, while this will leave permanent tick marks, they'll vanish
from sight if light isn't bouncing off the right way.

Should I just paint in some enamel, maybe even a sharpie marker?
What do you recommend?



-Bernard Arnest

Bernard Arnest writes:

What do you recommend?

Print a mirror image on a laser printer, transfer toner like a decal with a
bit of acetone or xylene.

On Fri, 21 Apr 2006 04:01:03 -0500, Richard J Kinch wrote:
Bernard Arnest writes:

What do you recommend?

Print a mirror image on a laser printer, transfer toner like a decal with a
bit of acetone or xylene.

Richard, just how is it done? It sounds very interesting.

By the way, thank you for the tig water cooler plan, I made one, it
works quite fine.

i

If you're engraving the lines, you can get paint sticks made for
enhancing engraved/stamped marks. Brownells' has lacquer sticks in a
number of colors, I've used them for years. See:
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/sto...aspx?p=7778&s=

I've blued steel, then used the white, I've also left parts in the
white and used the black. White against the blued background seems to
work best for me. The other colors are good for decorative purposes,
not much else. Degrease the metal first, of course. Smear a good
coating of the stuff over the marks, wait awhile, then wipe off the
smeared stuff. Once hardened up, the filled marks are pretty durable.

Keep sealed up after use in some sort of thick pastic bag, the sticks
dry out if you just leave them laying around.

Stan

Ignoramus12493 writes:

Print a mirror image on a laser printer, transfer toner like a decal
with a bit of acetone or xylene.

Richard, just how is it done? It sounds very interesting.

Not much I can add. Press a mirror-image print against the work, dab
and press with a solvent-moistened paper towel to transfer the
unmirrored image of toner to the work. If you foul it up, erase the
work with solvent, and try again with another print copy. A bit tricky
to get the pressure and amount of solvent just right, but cheap to
practice and learn at it. Some of the parts on one of my Web pages show
examples of this method of marking:

http://www.truetex.com/micad.htm

Such as specifically this image:

http://www.truetex.com/micad21.jpg

This is based on the fact that most laser or copier toner is styrene
binder with carbon black pigment and possibly iron oxide developer. The
solvents are chosen to melt and transfer the toner, but applied
sparingly so as to not make the toner run.

Some metals like aluminum (the normal surface oxide, not elemental) are
hard to transfer to, and may benefit from a thin layer of clear Krylon
or epoxy before attempting toner transfer printing. (I leave it to you
to research how one gets Krylon or epoxy to stick to aluminum.)

Bernard Arnest wrote:
Hi,
I'm nearly done a simple angle jig. The final step is to mark off
the angles. One part is SST, the other plain carbon.

I may be able to get access to a laser cutter to etch in the marks,
but easier still might be to take a tiny endmill (I have one) or even
just a center-drill and, with an indexing head on a mill, preceed to
etch in all 360 tick marks.

However, while this will leave permanent tick marks, they'll vanish
from sight if light isn't bouncing off the right way.

Should I just paint in some enamel, maybe even a sharpie marker?
What do you recommend?



-Bernard Arnest


Could you etch the 360 marks? Consider making a CAD or hand drawing of
them and using a photocopy machine to copy it onto the "resist paper"
that folks who make jewelry decorated with etched patterns use.

There's a woman who works for us who makes jewelry as a hobbby and she's
shown me some quite delicate and detailed patterns she's etched onto
silver that way.

I don't know the chemistry of what you'd use to etch steel and/or
stainless steel, and whether there are photocopyable resist papers which
are compatible with those etchants, but it might be interesting to learn.

Maybody somebody here knows already?

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."

On Sat, 22 Apr 2006 18:30:15 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

Bernard Arnest wrote:
Hi,
I'm nearly done a simple angle jig. The final step is to mark off
the angles. One part is SST, the other plain carbon.

I may be able to get access to a laser cutter to etch in the marks,
but easier still might be to take a tiny endmill (I have one) or even
just a center-drill and, with an indexing head on a mill, preceed to
etch in all 360 tick marks.

However, while this will leave permanent tick marks, they'll vanish
from sight if light isn't bouncing off the right way.

Should I just paint in some enamel, maybe even a sharpie marker?
What do you recommend?



-Bernard Arnest


Could you etch the 360 marks? Consider making a CAD or hand drawing of
them and using a photocopy machine to copy it onto the "resist paper"
that folks who make jewelry decorated with etched patterns use.

What resist paper does she use, Jeff? Is that the stuff where toner
is transferred by ironing it on with a hot iron?

There's a woman who works for us who makes jewelry as a hobbby and she's
shown me some quite delicate and detailed patterns she's etched onto
silver that way.

I don't know the chemistry of what you'd use to etch steel and/or
stainless steel, and whether there are photocopyable resist papers which
are compatible with those etchants, but it might be interesting to learn.

Maybody somebody here knows already?

Jeff

On Fri, 21 Apr 2006 21:08:42 -0500, Richard J Kinch
wrote:


Not much I can add. Press a mirror-image print against the work, dab
and press with a solvent-moistened paper towel to transfer the
unmirrored image of toner to the work. If you foul it up, erase the
work with solvent, and try again with another print copy. A bit tricky
to get the pressure and amount of solvent just right, but cheap to
practice and learn at it. Some of the parts on one of my Web pages show
examples of this method of marking:

http://www.truetex.com/micad.htm

Such as specifically this image:

http://www.truetex.com/micad21.jpg

This is based on the fact that most laser or copier toner is styrene
binder with carbon black pigment and possibly iron oxide developer. The
solvents are chosen to melt and transfer the toner, but applied
sparingly so as to not make the toner run.

Some metals like aluminum (the normal surface oxide, not elemental) are
hard to transfer to, and may benefit from a thin layer of clear Krylon
or epoxy before attempting toner transfer printing. (I leave it to you
to research how one gets Krylon or epoxy to stick to aluminum.)

Depending on how thick the part is, you can also try running it
through a laminator with the laser pattern. I use HP Glossy /Laser/
Photo Paper, (not inkjet photo paper), with a Xerox Docucolor 12 (most
Staples have one of these) to transfer toner to brass in order to do
engraving and etch-through with it. I run them through a GBC Creative
laminator ($50 at Staples) two or three times, then let it soak in
water with a little Cascade automatic detergent. Then I peel as much
paper off as I can, then scrub the rest with a Dobie no-scratch
sponge. I've never had any of the toner scrub back off. If the piece
is too thick to run through a laminator, you could also try ironing
it, but this is less precise and more difficult to get the entire
pattern to stick.

I tried the solvent transfer method a few times but found it terribly
difficult to do without some smearing.

---

http://www.FenrirOnline.com

Computer services, custom metal etching,
arts, crafts, and much more.

Don Foreman wrote:
On Sat, 22 Apr 2006 18:30:15 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:


Bernard Arnest wrote:

Hi,
I'm nearly done a simple angle jig. The final step is to mark off
the angles. One part is SST, the other plain carbon.

I may be able to get access to a laser cutter to etch in the marks,
but easier still might be to take a tiny endmill (I have one) or even
just a center-drill and, with an indexing head on a mill, preceed to
etch in all 360 tick marks.

However, while this will leave permanent tick marks, they'll vanish
from sight if light isn't bouncing off the right way.

Should I just paint in some enamel, maybe even a sharpie marker?
What do you recommend?



-Bernard Arnest


Could you etch the 360 marks? Consider making a CAD or hand drawing of
them and using a photocopy machine to copy it onto the "resist paper"
that folks who make jewelry decorated with etched patterns use.


What resist paper does she use, Jeff? Is that the stuff where toner
is transferred by ironing it on with a hot iron?


Yes, that's the stuff. She uses the "Press-N-Peel" material which comes
in 8-1/2" X 11" sheets and uses a regular household laundry iron to
transfer the resist with.

The stuff seems to be used a lot for making prototype one off printed
circuit boards, but artists and jewelry making types have been using it too.

http://www.techniks.com/retail.htm


There's a woman who works for us who makes jewelry as a hobbby and she's
shown me some quite delicate and detailed patterns she's etched onto
silver that way.

I don't know the chemistry of what you'd use to etch steel and/or
stainless steel, and whether there are photocopyable resist papers which
are compatible with those etchants, but it might be interesting to learn.

Maybody somebody here knows already?

Jeff


--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."