Hi Chilli,
I am somewhat interested because on occasion I would like
to develop board quickly but I still have some doubts:
If it's a lot less dangerous then why do you need all this gear
USE WITH GREAT CARE!!!!!!
Use eye protection!!
Do not store in air tight containers. Use it at own Risk!!
If it's not in air tight container, what happens if someone accidentally
spils the components? What happens if any of the components or
etching sollution gets in contact with skin? Does any of this creates
hazardous vapours? (Can I keep it in the kitchen or washroom
and still have no breathing problems after couple of years?
I like to keep my ferric chloride closed tightly in a plastic bottle so it
doesn't break or spill if tipped over...)
The ferric chloride is an ugly thing no doubt. It leaves stains and it
can burn fabrics commonly used in clothing. But even if I dip my
whole hand in it for 5min, all I will get is yellow/brown coloring
on my hand which will be darn hard to remove for a week but
it will not create skin burns or rush or harm me in any other way.
Believe me, it was tested on humans (at first by accident...).
The stain was similar to what you get if handling green wallnuts
(the soft outer shell has juice which leaves dark stains).
And I would have comment on the etching speed. Fresh ferric chloride
should last at least couple of months to half a year with very good results
(ca 10min or faster etching). Maybe you got bad one, or I got lucky
with mine, can't tell for sure. I just think that in process of getting
project complete, time amounts to couple of hours to couple of days.
10 minutes is not going to win the race with more powerfull solutions
but it's so simple to handle (for example, there is no need to mix
acid and watter to get the solution every time you want to make board,
there is very little danger of overexposure etc.).
I used to do 2-3 boards a day at one time. Now I'm so bussy that
I don't have time to do one decent size board more than twice a
month unless is copy of someone else's design.