Thought I'd start a post on photo chemical etching. More and more Z scalers are learning the art of chemical etching and producing some outstanding works of art. This thread is for you to post your works, and ask any questions you might have for members to possibly answer. Photos are very welcome! I encourage anyone having an interest in photo chemical etching to join the ranks already enjoying its benefits. You can start with Micro-Mark's beginners etching kit. http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=83123 ------------------------------------- And to start this thread off right I have a comment for Chris; I finally found the "Hatch" and filled in the .dxf drawing. Thanks! Will post photos once I etch and build a set or two. Mine will have LED power installed! ------------------------------------- Everyone keep on keeping on! Hobo Tim p.s. Here is a photo of shiney, shiney brass!
Tim, The sheet shown, is it something you had done? if so who did it and can they handle smaller amounts of work, like say 20 sheets or just one big sheet like your photo. I would love to do more things if a professional place could do the etching. I have heard stories of $1000's for just 100 pieces. The main set back for me is my printer. I have 3, but they are just regular (came with the computer) printers. The image can distort a bit so that I can't line them up. Sometimes I can only get 3 corners of the artwork lined up and the 4th corner is all out of wack. When this happens some of the thin lines in that area get real thin since they are sort of getting half etched for a bit of their width. If anyone has my pieces this is where the part fall right off of the sheet because the runners come out thinner than drawn. It's my printer(s). A "computer guy" at work told me I need a printer that re-aligns it's heads after each pass. I never really looked at it as a way to make money (etching) just to get pieces that I need, but if I come across something everyone could use it would be nice to just shoot a drawing to someone and get sheets in the mail. Then charge just what they cost me to everyone else. I can't see most ideas selling more that around 20 pieces though.
i guess this would be the place and time to share with you all what i learned from my exchange with Pat Sanders of Trainworx. they have been marketing a set of caboose etchings suitable for turning an atlas (n scale) steel caboose into a more accurate Rio Grande caboose. i had inquired of him about doing a run of these in Z scale. the 100 sets of N scale etchings are moving too slow for him to commit to a scale he is not confident about. BUT ... he is willing to let us have the drawings to scale down and use ourselves! He suggested that a professional etcher would achieve a better result than the "home etch" kits could do, but even then i'd rather have something than nothing. the caboose resulting would be a beautiful model in Z. close to the Santa Fe style, but with less windows on the sides. as an off set cupola caboose i think many of us in Z could find an application for this caboose (other than strictly Rio Grande). i don't know what it would take to scale down the drawings. i don't know who to deliver them to either to make the attempt or to find, perhaps, a pro who might make them. but the drawings are being made available to us and i would certainly like to take advantage of the offer. follow this link (lower down on the page) to see the etchings and examples of the caboose (in N scale). very fine work. http://www.wic.net/trainworx/riogrande.htm dave f.
Dave, Commercial etching is not that expensive, I've been using Indiana Micro Etch in Elkhart Indiana for about 15 years now and get great service at great prices. The Negs I get locally, about $50.00 for a 12x24 sheet x 2 times and draw the artwork in Corel Draw...CADD is just as good. You can get a 12x20 sheet of brass up to .008 done for under $70 I think...lots of parts there. They do our etched sides for our Closed Auto Racks and Rapid Discharged Hopper and the railings for our Z Loco's. They do work for all the major model companies so are up on what we are looking for. If you can get the artwork, we can size it down and I can get some quotes on sheets for you. Then it's up to you to get this distributed I guess ) Lots of folks are going to want some of these. Joe MTL
Joe, The negative, should it be the size of the etching you want done? I can walk "up stairs" at work (I work at a newspaper) and hand them a CD with my file and have a negative outputted. They do it all day long to output pages of our newspaper using adobe acrobat and PDF files. (it's called pagination) I just need to get a file type they can accept. Would save me $50!
Tim, They look great, if you are offering them for sale please add me to your list. Joe, I have been looking for commercial PE's and when I call them over the phone they quote, for a 12X24 sheet ~$100, they also promise to waive the setup fee etc.. but when I sent them the drawings their quote suddenly changed to ~$5 per part which will come to over $500 per sheet. so I kind of gave up, maybe I should go through your infulence. I have been photo etching using the blue sheet. Here is a link showing how to use it. I got fine details with it. http://www.pulsar.gs/PCB/a_Pages/1_Menu/overview.html http://www.techniks.com/ You can get etching tanks from http://www.elexp.com/pro_16es.htm Kim
All pieces stacked and glued with a .010" wire through the brake wheel: Real thing: http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/el/frt/erie-c235ads.jpg
Etching Generally folks are pointed towards etching houses either doing Mil Spec work or are run by guys who are trying to rip you off. There were a number of places down in the Bay Area that had quotes that were impossible to justify. Indiana Micro Etch charges us under $50 a sheet for the work they do for us, but remember they are doing large numbers of parts. I suspect for a single sheet at 12x20 or so to be between $60 and $80...if you provide the negs there probably isn't a tooling cost, at least none that I remember paying. Look up Indiana Micro Etch on the Web and talk to Dennis and tell him Joe D'Amato at MTL refered you. He's a class guy and has never, in the 15 years I've worked with him ever delivered a poor product or tried to pull a fast one with regards to cost.
Test Etching My Point at starting this Topic! If you want a professional to etch something for you, you want the artwork to be CORRECT! How better to find out if your etch project will be correct than to test etch it yourself. Make needed corrections on your artwork, then test etch again, and again till it is correct! --------------- I am not going to post any details on the photo I posted, but I will say this. Tooling costs are not cheap and sheets might be cheap in quantity, but they also have to be bought in minimum amounts! The price does add up quickly! Probably why the guy at Trainworx with the N scale D&RGW Caboose had to pay so much for his idea. --------------- You need to make sure your artwork Works! Test Etch! What better way than to start etching at home! If you only want one item, Home Etching is your best bet! This is what Chris does, and does it well. Z scale items are scarse so we all have to build what we want. Great etching jobs Chris! I encourage everyone to look into Home Etching. I have a few great websites I can post if anyone is interested in Home Etching. Just ask! Hobo Tim
Quantities Tim, Indiana Micro Etch will do one sheet or a thousand. I had a single sheet, .008 done for a ship model I made...12x20 and it cost me $55.0 plus shipping. Your right, most shops will force minimums on you. Joe
Photo Etching Projects! Has anyone come up with any photo etching projects for a professional etcher to make? Joe posted a bargain when it comes to etching. Almost tempting for me to call them! Chris S. makes some pretty outstanding works of art with his home etching. Love those Cabooses! Hobo Tim
well ... yes. i have been offered the drawings that trainworx (n scale) has been using to make Rio Grande prototype steel cabooses. BUT ... jurg emailed me that he has someone to do them in Europe (i haven't had a chance to email him back -- AND i haven't been able to communicate with trainworx yet to get the drawings). SO ... who else would want a Rio Grande specific steel caboose? they would be pretty close to Sante Fe cabeese too, but the proto modelers would be able to tell the difference. Still ... there aren't that many cabooses out there, so even one more really good design might be welcomed by all. i'll try to call pat tomorrow about the drawings and see what comes of it. dave f.
Dave, Do you have those drawings yet? Just wondering. I'm sure they will need a little bit of tweaking to get them usable in Z. Maybe they could be used to lay over the sides of a Marklin caboose. I think there are enough Rio Grande "guys" in Z for it to be worth it.
from looking at the kit as it was shown on trainworx, their's was made to fit over an Atlas N scale steel caboose. if we use the same essential drawings we will have to come up with a shell upon which to overlay it. MTL's caboose could be a candidate, but it will requiring lengthening (and therefore adding a section to the roof to increase it to the proper length). because the etchings will need to use the roof from a "donor" car, maybe a 40' box might work -- but again it will have to modified (shortened, this time!). the etchings are first class (like your's chris) and the end result will be a model to be very proud of. if/when i get the drawings, do you (chris or tim) want to test them and work out any bugs to get them correctly to scale (before we pay the big bucks to have them done)? that would be a big help. i'll try to seal this deal with trainworx by saturday it at all possible. dave f.
I can always try them, heck for all I know they may come out nice. Just think pro equipment is much better for a lot of half etching like this. The trim around the windows is made by etching all the other metal away and just leaving that thin lip. Things like this are why I'm not sure how well it will work here at home..., but I'd be willing to try : )
