Amazing. I am quite surprised at how simple and cheap this is. At 72, surprises don't happen to me that much anymore. Thank you. Also of note, etching is an old school printing practice. So you can etch, say your business card, into a steel or copper plate and then use that to print your own hand etched custom business cards.

This is exactly the video I was looking for. We want to engrave a handful of medals for our sports banquet. So happy to watch a video that isn't trying to sell me something!

If available, it is also good practice to go over the vinyl stencil with a heat gun after you remove the clear transfer tape- especially if the surface is curved. It softens the vinyl making it easier to form to the surface, helps remove bubbles, and strengthens the adhesion to keep a sharp image.

My catalytic converter has been waiting for this video.

I haven't finished the video yet, but if you need a small quantity of vinyl sticker for a template cut out, buy a cheap bumper sticker. It works great.

I love your video, the way you presented is great! Now i need to get my wife the stencil cutter she has wanted😂

My wife just got a circut! This is perfect timing. I'll add this to my list of projects inspired by James. Keep up the great content!

I personally use an old DC power brick instead of a battery. I think that the voltage is even lower (~1.5-3v) because it takes a while. And I have cut my own stencils from black electrical tape.

I love that I keep finding new videos that you have made. I always wanted to etch a plane or saws. Keep up the great work

Thrift stores have all kinds of chargers for phones and other devices. They only cost a couple of dollars, and you can easily add alligator clips for leads. If you use DC current, it works well. If you can get a charger that outputs low voltage AC current, it will also work, but it sort of birns the metal where it is being etched, leaving behind a black surface where the metal is etched away. It actually looks nice, and it is permanant.

Ooooo. Science-y stuff. My wife is a crafter with a Cricut. They also make an etching cream that will etch on glass using the same stencil method. This is cool and I'll have to try it. 😁

I had to mark individual serial numbers onto the inside face of a large number of piston rings and had to find a way of marking them in a way that would not change them but that would survive 500 hours in an engine. I did a lot of research and found a process called Bordeaux Etch that is almost the same as what you've done here but with the difference that it use Copper Sulphate solution, rather than salt, and a flat Copper electrode. The resulting etch is dark and, as you said, can be deep if you have time and or higher current. I use a 12 Volt bench supply as my power source and shellac knotting solution for the etch mask. My partner, she of the neat handwriting, use a needle to scratch the numbers through the shellac. Things to watch: if the power is too high or you spend too long in one spot enough heat builds up to soften the shellac and give a less than clean edged etch. Keep cleaning (by dabbing with an absorbent cloth) the gunk that forms as you etch. It gets in the way of the etching process and is effectively 'spent' so adds nothing to the process. Using Copper Sulphate and a Copper electrode lead to a little Copper plating in the etch on some of the trial pieces I was playing with. I believe, if you can obtain it, that a Potassium Permanganate solution gives a really black etch on steel.

I remember Chris Fix did this to tools. He etched sizes on sockets and put his logo on wrenches. He used a car battery charger, decals, and I think he used vinegar instead of salt water. Turned out really good. He laid down the decals, covered them in nail polish, and picked out the decals.

I like your style, friend. Thanks for keeping things simple, real, and thrifty.

Very cool project. Amazing how we forget our high school science class projects or old school project kits from the 60's, 70's & 80's

"Snide remark" Thanx for the recognition. ;) Great how-to.

To blacken your etching, keep the stencil on, wash the salt off and dab on some ferric chloride (also used for etching printed circuit boards). It leaves a great black finish in the etched bits. Be careful to not spill it on other parts of the metal.

Thank you for the video. What an easy way to personalize a metal surface. I always find your videos informative and entertaining. Keep up the good work!

You make it look easy! Opens up some interesting possibilities. Thanks.

Great stuff! Never would have guessed it would be that easy! Gotta try it! Thanks much!

Great results from a simple technique. Thank you.

Interesting technique 👍 Alternatively, you can get a 9v battery connector by ripping off the top of a used 9v battery 😋

well that looks like something i could do thanks James

Thanks for sharing this cool technique

instead of using q-tips, pull apart an old felt-tip marker and use a small screw to attach the lead to the back of the felt tip. if it's a big enough marker you can even stick an 18650 li-ion battery in it and connect the other lead to the back end of the marker rather than using an external battery.

This was AWESOME. Thank you so so much for this! I want to etch a design on my throwing axe head, but don't have tools to do so. This was absolutely perfect!

Very slick. Thanks, James.

Informative and interesting as usual. Keep up the great work.

This is amazing! I am totally doing this.

That looks awesome. I like science stuff. I wish my dad was living still he was a science teacher...he always liked stuff like this

Very cool! Thanks James!

wow this was an amazing how to video. Thank you so much.

Wow! What timing. Just yesterday I was thinking how would I etch a sawplate as I've got a few of those cheap S&J saws waiting to be retoothed and tuned up. This is much easier than what I had in mind! Looking forward to the next episode of Steel by Wright.

Thumbs up. Thanks this sounds perfect for my needs. Well done video

That's so cool ! And looks neat with a stencil. I suppose as long as it can conduct electricity you can electro-etch on it

Genius! Thanks for the tips!

Excellent video. Really appreciate it.

Awesome tutorial brother! Cheers!

I didn't even know those cute baby vinyl cutters existed

Wow, what a great thrifty tutorial. Another thing to check out for the stencil if you are attempting finer detail then the vinyl can achieve is called Press and Peel Blue transfer film, used in the creation of copper circuit boards. it's an inkjet printed, iron on stencil that can handle very fine details. Just something else to check out! Thank you

Rio Grande sells gold solution that yiu can do this same process with as well. Great job in making this a simple process for people that do not have a rectifier at home.!!!!

Ok!! I absolutely love that t shirt!!! 🤣😂🤣❤️

Very nice! Thank you for your video. I want to work with aluminum and steel using the bath method, but I'm not sure what metal or wire to use for the negative side. I appreciate any help you can give me with this. Thank you.

I use an old model train transformer with AC/DC connectors in lieu of the 9v battery. AC gives you a darker color etch and DC gives you a deeper etch (or it could be the opposite, can't remember). In lieu of a Q tip I use a wired brass bolt with cotton cleaning patches as the salt solution holder. Windex w/ammonia is my cleaner of choice.

Hi bro, A great etch can be achieved on iron/steel with copper sulfate (blue vitriol), you will know its correctly etched by the copper color on the steel, which can be wiped or protected. Thanks for this idea

Most libraries, around me at least, have vinyl cutters for public use.

This method can also be used with gun bluing. Thank you for the video brother 👍

Another way to do deep etching is with ferric chloride. Same general process, but without using electricity. Instead, you pool the chemical on top of your pattern and wait. Edit: James does mention acid etching. But still, if someone wants to try, ferric chloride is sold as an etchant. It can etch steel, brass, nickel and copper. But please be careful, it is highly acidic.

Can’t see it because of the eyes but it sounded pretty good. My Blind club owns a cricket cutting machine so deafly come up with a quirky sign for my garage using an old soul I see how we get on great video though

That is super cool!

That was neat... thanks

Surprisingly, Japan varnish is used as a masking agent in jewelry etching and would work here as well. It is not the same as traditional japanning but is varnish mixed with asphaltum. Nice work and great results.

Great video James. An even cheaper way to make a stencil is to use a laser printer paper transfer. There are you tube videos on how to do it.

if u have an old battery charger it works great for this

very nice! Have you tried Boric Acid? It is readily available at the pharmacy. I like the other comments to use a wall wart power adapter... That is what I use, 12v 1.5A(I think). I dont think the polarity matters as much for etching as it does for plating. Use the cotton swab as long as possible, the black goo is carbon and/or metal oxides and seems to help the process, albeit messier.

Try using a transformer, and make sure you can switch between ac and dc; with the ac you can really blacken the groove that you etched into the surface.

I'm guessing the UV-sensitive film that we used to use for making printed circuit boards would probably work well as a resist too.

I’ve learned quite a lot from you and it’s kinda cool that I get to return the favor in some small way. Before I ever got into woodworking I was doing electronics, particularly music related stuff. Building my own stomp boxes and guitar amps. Anyway etching stomp boxes is a big thing. This may be impractical for something as big as a saw blade, but when it comes to something smaller like a plane blade, I think you’ll much prefer to results from acid etching instead of electro etching. Acid etching will be deeper and more uniform and in my experience has better definition. The problem with electro etching is that it’ll never be uniform. Acid will work more evenly and you can stop the etching instantly with something like baking soda dissolved in water. Acid also works pretty quickly once you get it dialed in right. I’ve done a lot of etching of home made PCBs using copper board and ferric chloride. Not sure off hand what would be ideal for steal, stomp boxes are cast aluminum. Regardless, make sure to vent things or even better do it outside. Keep making awesome content. Just got me a set of Narex Richters!

How cool is that!!!! ❤️

Really cool!

Fantastic 👏 👏 👏

For more intricate custom designs you can use spray paint and just scrape the paint away.

Good demo. Thanks! Anybody tell you that you sound like Max Headroom? rofl. Maybe it is the speaker I'm using..

Apply water under the stencil when you apply the acid. I was using an electric etching machine. Get a nice clean etch. Newer the stencil the better. Works nice on stainless. Know what you mean though. Acid smells horrible.

Thanks a metric Ton! Is that more than a ton?

Thank you. Subbed

Thanks for this !! I Was surprised it's just salt water (not dangerous acid) I would use an (Adjustable) power supply set to 9 or 12v (But that's just me) .. Again Thanks. 👍👍👍👍

Great video! I really appreciate this.

Thanks for the DIY; do you know if this would work on silver metal instead of steel?

Thanks for the video. I'm just wondering where you get your saw blank material? I would like to try this

Awesome

Actually, James, if you can get a 12v transformer, like from a really old power supply, or old electronics (like a VCR or DVD Player), you can make a 2 step etching machine. (I believe I have the stuff to make one, but I need to make sure.) Either way, using that you can use 12v AC for etching and 12v DC to make it darker. You know? 😉 The rest is exactly the same as you did. 😊 The advantage is that, if you use a small plastic box, you would've made a small machine! The feeling is the same when you finish a woodworking project. 😬 Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

That's Amazing nice

How did the older saw manufacturers do their etching with such fine detail? I wonder if there is a market for precut stencils for those wanting to restore their antique saws? Another great video James.

Does this q-tip method work with copper also?

Neat one James, so simple and effective and such an easy way to personalise/mark your tools. But seriously, 2" painters or masking tape is all you need for transferring the vinyl - If using regular masking tape, just stick on your shirt a time or two to reduce stickiness and you're GTG.

so cool

Hi James, where did you get the saw plates? I want to make my own but struggle to find sources for plates or even shim stock in Ireland. Thanks

I wonder if you could dye steel using this method with different metal salts!

Hi I super enjoyed your video and I’ve already gotten some practice in! I could use a little help though, I etched two stainless knives for practice, and so I just used stencil stickers that you get for kids. I was able to get a decent question mark and exclamation mark done! However, it took me forever, whereas this one took you minutes! I bought brand new batteries and everything. Would there be something wrong with the concentration of salt or my technique? Thanks again for the great video😁

what's the ratio of salt to water? Great Vidya!

will it work if i make a silicon border around the logo and flood the area with saltwater? Maybe to get a more even etch?

cool

could you just rest a gauze pad (dipped in the salt solution) over the whole logo instead of using a q-tip? or do you have to trace it? thanks for the vid!

Would it work the same if you built up a wall around the design and poured in the salt water, or is there a benefit to rubbing it on the surface?

Hey, i was looking ways to etch metal, im just wondering wuld it work for all/most metals?

Hi thanks for the video. I wanted to etch on my knife, is it will stay permanently? Thanks

Would this also work on a tool that has more mass? I'd love to try this on a hatchet.

Will the result be better and quicker to etch IF I use a higher voltage battery with higher out put ... say 12V & 5A battery ? ?

Will this work on normal steel. I think it's mild steel. The normal plate steel you get from the welding supply store

Will it work on copper ?

Can I ask a question here about something else? Do you have a place where I can get no 62 sweetheard blades?

I've seen some people double or triple up the battery, do you feel that would make a big difference?

You kind of sound like That Old Tony.

How can you make it darker?

hi. do you think I can make pad printing cliche using this technique?

Now I just need a cool logo.

You can do this on wood without electricity using oxalic acid.

Would this process work on aluminum base?

Is there a simple safe way to do this for wood? I've tried a liquid concoction with a heat gun and it worked but the wood also absorbed the liquid and spread under the sticker. A soldering iron would do the trick but the stencil would need to be metal or else it would be up to my shaky hands to get the design I want.