Thread: making homemade etchomatic stencils..?

Is there a way to make homemade etch-o-matic stencils?

I have seen how some stencils are made and if I recall they all have photosensitive paper processes. Unless you can cut a film by hand I can't think of another way. And then you have to find the film. I would think any thin somewhat stiff would work. I used to cut lacquer film by hand for silk screen shirts and printing art. It is very time consuming and requires a very steady hand. That was back before all the stuff they have now. I would search You tubes for etching. I have seen some homemade stuff there.

Originally Posted by 10Pups

I have seen how some stencils are made and if I recall they all have photosensitive paper processes. Unless you can cut a film by hand I can't think of another way. And then you have to find the film. I would think any thin somewhat stiff would work. I used to cut lacquer film by hand for silk screen shirts and printing art. It is very time consuming and requires a very steady hand. That was back before all the stuff they have now. I would search You tubes for etching. I have seen some homemade stuff there.

I've been lokking at youtube vids but havent come up with anything yet. I'll keep searching. there's gotta be a way.

Making these type of stencils is never that easy. Even the etch-o-matic ones have problems, or so I have read on various knife forums. Their process needs the film, a developer for the film, a positive for the film, a UV light source, a chemical electrolyte and a power source of suitable amps/volts.

You can make the positives easy enough by using a hi-def ink-jet printer to print onto suitable transparent film. This is then sandwiched with the light-sensitive paper and exposed to UV light (you have to experiment to find out how long) then developed and fixed. You can buy the film - it's quite costly, but you can make a lot of negatives from it. Graphic Art Supply houses carry it. What you don't want is full-spectrum film, like you would use in photography - you want a graphics art type film that really only processes out to black.

YOu will have trouble securing the negative to a curved surface like the hollow of a razor. If it is not in intimate close contact, the edges will be blurred instead of crisp.

Regards,
Neil

I was looking at 1 system and yes it costs some money, but the good news was the stencils can be reused may times. It's not like you have to make 1 for each etch. It may be cheaper to have somebody make you a stencil. I have seen that offer somewhere also. Like Niel says there is also a learning curve to it.

I found this link. Has anyone tryed these..? What do you think about the price? They are only to be used once...

http://pintocustomblades.com/shoppin...ct&id=47&cid=0

Reverse print your logo with a high resolution lazer printer onto white photo paper. Clean steel with acetone and iron on logo.
Build diy etcher put ferric chloride on a qtip apply to steel, rubbing alcohol off ink afterwards.
Volia, etch.
I tried photomask and all kinds of other methods, this worked out the best for me.

Btw, Michael (Mist) shared this method with me, its how they do circuit boards sometimes.

Eric.

Epd - you have had more luck than me with this method! I used it to etch logos onto copper plates, but getting anything fine to adhere to the copper was a nightmare - I reckon 1 out of 5 stuck properly, then some bits came away during electrolysis (I used an electrolite bath with the copper attached to one electrode to remove copper from the die).

I think its all in the heat - you have to do what the laser did - fuse the ink to the steel. Harder the second time around!

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

Epd - you have had more luck than me with this method! I used it to etch logos onto copper plates, but getting anything fine to adhere to the copper was a nightmare - I reckon 1 out of 5 stuck properly, then some bits came away during electrolysis (I used an electrolite bath with the copper attached to one electrode to remove copper from the die).

I think its all in the heat - you have to do what the laser did - fuse the ink to the steel. Harder the second time around!

Regards,
Neil

I found its all in the paper, I bought the super expensive photo paper the first time, not knowing it was designed to hold onto the ink better. The cheapest paper worked the best. Either way, if it takes 3 tries to get it perfect its still a lot cheaper setup than photoresist stencils, an exposure unit ect. All with good results.
If I was making blades for a living I'd drop 500 on the professional equipment, but Im just a backyard warrior lol.
Eric

Originally Posted by epd

Reverse print your logo with a high resolution lazer printer onto white photo paper. Clean steel with acetone and iron on logo.
Build diy etcher put ferric chloride on a qtip apply to steel, rubbing alcohol off ink afterwards.
Volia, etch.
I tried photomask and all kinds of other methods, this worked out the best for me.

Btw, Michael (Mist) shared this method with me, its how they do circuit boards sometimes.

Eric.

Thats great........... Thanks Eric..!