spondootre
Member
Is there any reason why I can't use a fish tank heater in an etching tank I have made? I mean should the heater stand up to the solution?
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I'm sorry, I thought I had noted the wattage. It's 50W. I assume the 10L was for a fish tank and not etching. My etch tank is 1L and it takes about 20-45 minutes to reach 130F, depending on the temperature. I usually plug it in just before I run the laminator for toner transfer. By the time I have the paper off and any touch ups done, the tank is ready.spondootre said:What wattage was is your heater? I just got a cheap 2nd hand 50watt and it took hours to heat 10 litres of water up to it's max, I bent the bimetalic switch inside and i'm going to see what temp it reaches but I think I want a better unit that'll reach temp in 10 mins or so.
sam2 said:Thats what I have been using with Ferric chloride. I have used it a few times in the last 6 months, and have not noticed any corrosion. I wash it really well after use. My top where the control nob is ( I guess like most) is completely sealed in plastic, no exposed metal. Sam
spondootre said:Well actually the etch tank holds 10 litres, but at the moment it only has about 7 litres in it which is around its max working volume. I may look out for a 300W heater and then control it's temperature externally. The "mod" worked on this 50Watt heater but it's not powerful enough. It was only 6 months ago I stopped keeping a marine reef and had loads of spare kit including heaters and pump but alas they have all gone!!
Rolf said:Question: How much improvement in etching time would one expect to see by using a tank heater? And what temperature do you set it at?