Make an inscription on a steel flask yourself. Technology of chemical engraving on metal

It makes no sense to talk about applying inscriptions on metal with the help of special paints or varnishes. By the way, this is also one of the methods of engraving on metals. But how long will such drawings, symbols, icons last on the sample? They will wash off pretty quickly with any of the solvents, although due to banal abrasion, their service life will be short. There are more efficient technologies for engraving metals, which we will talk about.

But are all of them suitable for independent performance, and even at home? When you just read about them, everything is clear and easy. But practical implementation is another matter.

Engraving with a laser beam

This method is considered the most effective, as it allows you to apply a pattern (drawing) of any complexity to the metal, “write” on it the thinnest lines, the smallest icons. But taking into account the fact that expensive equipment is needed to engrave samples using this technique, it is acceptable only for those who decide to make this craft their own business, that is, to put production on stream.

It is unlikely that anyone will want to lay out a tidy sum just to put commemorative inscriptions on a couple of teaspoons or on the blade of a hunting knife. The services of professionals in any workshop will be cheaper.

Mechanical engraving

With accessories, it is much easier here - you only have to purchase a set of required cutters and the engraver itself. Often, a drill is used for these purposes (who has ever visited a dentist knows what it is). As an option - drawing images with incisors.

The quality of the inscriptions will turn out to be high, but only on the condition that there is not only knowledge in this area, but also a lot of practical experience. This job requires a "sharp eye" and a steady hand. How many of us can boast of their skill? It turns out that quite a lot of time will pass from conceived to actually executed, which is necessary for acquiring skills. Who is satisfied with such a prospect? In addition, you still need to be able to and correctly sharpen the cutters (shtichel), if the work is done with their help.

Conclusion - for applying various inscriptions on metals at home, with your own hands, moreover, by an unprepared person (and such are the vast majority), the best option is electrochemical engraving. It is with this technology that it is worth understanding in more detail.

Consider the technique of electric / chemical etching for the purpose of applying inscriptions. She is from the category of the simplest, and those who were engaged in chrome plating of metal parts at home will immediately grasp the essence.

Engraving method 1

What you need:

Glass container (according to the size of the workpiece being processed). Naturally, not a bottle with a narrow neck, but a jar, glass or bath.
DC voltage source (up to 15 V). It should give a current of 0.5 A, at least. The best option is a battery charger for a personal car. The author just used it. Although some craftsmen take battery chargers for household tools (screwdrivers and so on), and even cell phones for these purposes.
A couple of wires for connection and clips (for example, the "crocodile" type).
Any metal blank (the same spoon) that will play the role of a second electrode.
Salt solution. The concentration is determined by the "eye", so the general recommendation is this: for a glass of water - 2 tablespoons (teaspoons).
Varnish. It will be needed to color the metal segment on which engraving is planned. In most articles on the electronic / chemical method, there are tips for applying the composition for nails. The author, in order not to “injure” his wife with such extravagance, used the so-called zapon-lacquer, which is well known to radio amateurs and electricians. It costs a penny, not a shortage, and is easily removed with a solvent.

engraving technology

Electrolyte is being prepared

Water is poured into the container, salt is loaded in the required amount (depending on the volume) and thoroughly mixed until the final dissolution. The quality of the engraving largely depends on this.

A part (product, sample) is being prepared for applying something

The dimensions of the inscription or drawing are known, so it is not difficult to determine the area of metal coating with varnish. After the layer "grabs" a little, the required contour is drawn. What - a needle, a thin awl, a toothpick, a sharpened match, and the like - is up to you, dear reader. As it is more convenient to do the work with your own hands, so do it. The task is to “bare” the base metal along the lines of the pattern in order to ensure its direct contact with the electrolyte.

You can do it differently. Wait until the varnish is completely dry, and only then “scratch” the lines. But these are already details, and it’s easy to decide on your own how best to do it.

Next, the electrodes are placed in a solution

One is marked - any metal blank. It is connected by a wire to the "-" current source. The second is the sample on which the engraving is applied (to its “+”). The technology is similar to .

Voltage supply

The time of the technological operation is determined visually. If the depth of etching suits the master, then you can turn off the charger. Usually, no more than 5 minutes are enough for engraving using this technique.

It remains to remove the metal product from the bath, remove the varnish, rinse the sample well under running water and wipe it dry. Everything, the engraving is done!

Drawing, inscription can be made convex.

To do this, it is necessary to apply varnish on the lines (stripes) previously drawn (with a felt-tip pen, pencil). And the rest, "uncoated" metal will be etched.

Engraving method 2

This engraving technology is somewhat more complicated, but for the reader to be more informed, it should also be considered. The difference is in the method of applying the image to the metal.

Plus - the ability to select any pattern (pattern) of the most ornate inscription, regardless of personal artistic abilities. You don't have to reproduce it by hand.

Cons - they will become clearer in the course of the presentation, as well as what will need to be prepared.

Features of the method

Drawing preparation (inscription)

Everything that is required is easy to find on the Internet and copy. For those who own computer graphics - not a problem at all. The main thing is to have a printer at hand for printing.

What to consider:

You will have to do a mirror image conversion.
For this technology, only a laser printer can be used. Other type of device is not suitable.
The paper you need is not ordinary, but thin glossy. As an option - a self-adhesive film. In this case, you need to refill so that the print falls on the substrate. You can also fix it on standard (office) paper with pieces of this film.
The "brightness" mode of the printer - to the maximum.

After printing, the image is carefully cut out.

Attention! Work should be carried out with gloves to prevent contact of fingers with the pattern.

Metal preparation

It is cleaned of foreign fractions and degreased.

Fixing the stencil on metal

So that in the future it does not slip, it is desirable to fix it (at the edges) with adhesive tape.

heat treatment

It consists in ironing the stencil with an iron. The difficulty is that both the time and the heating temperature will have to be selected experimentally. General recommendation - no more than 2 minutes with the maximum heating of the iron.

Cooling

After the temperature of the metal drops to room temperature, the stencil is removed.

It remains only to add that there are a lot of engraving methods with your own hands - both with the help of solutions and without them. After all, the conversation was about metals, without specifying which ones specifically - steel, brass or otherwise. The above methods are one of the most common and affordable for do-it-yourself implementation. As a rule, they are used for engraving on steel products. Anyone who wants to master literally all the technologies practiced at home will easily find the relevant information.

Good luck with your engraving!

In this material I want to tell you about engraving on metal. Stages engraving on metal almost no different from the same, but still there are some nuances.

Tools and materials

For engraving on metal, we need the same thing as for engraving on plexiglass - all the same dremel and attachments, namely: conical and spherical. In this case, a flexible shaft is necessary, because even though the metal is harder than plexiglass, working with it requires more delicacy, and when working with aluminum, one cannot do without it at all. If you want to experiment, then it is worth taking a polish. But take a protective one - there are no GOI pastes and the like. Everything seems to be on this point.

First, clean your work area and select a surface that is large enough to wrap around the workpiece without any problems. In metal engraving, you do not need a directional light - just ordinary lighting will suffice.
The second most important is comfort. Sit so that your hand can freely reach the top of the workpiece. Also lay the workpiece and check it for deflection. It may be that at the most important moment the metal will bend and lead the cutter in an unnecessary direction, ruining all the work.
Wipe the surface well, remove all dust and grease.
Fasten well dremel b. If you have a tripod - good, just fine. But there are times when the dremel lies without fixation, therefore there are two ways out: either engrave with one eye and look at the tool with the other, or simply tie it to the table with something. For example, I hold a dremel on my knee - this is the most convenient for me.

So, let's start the process. First, we select a drawing and print one on self-adhesive, and the second on ordinary paper. Why the second I will tell later.

Printed drawing for engraving

On top of that, I also had to trace all the lines additionally, from which I learned a useful trick. Next, we figure out the location of the picture, and after that we glue it. It is advisable to glue, starting from the corner and continuing diagonally. No paper blisters are allowed directly on the drawing.

First, let's take a cone nozzle. The photo shows how it was worn out during use, but the sting itself is still capable of producing a straight line.

Cone-shaped nozzle on a flexible shaft

We sit down to work, we are baptized three times and we begin. During work do not get distracted, do not get annoyed and do not think. The most optimal course of the nozzle will be if you place it under a degree and move it towards a sharper angle. In the figure below, it needs to be moved to the lower right corner.

Metal engraving process.

Here are some intermediate photos of the work.

In the last photo you can see how the paper was torn off. Basically, I shoot it under hot water, but this time there was not a drop of liquid in the garage, so impatiently I just ripped it off. Whoever succeeds more accurately, it is worth experimenting with this matter. You can, for example, paint over all this, getting the original effect. As a result, we have a good, but unfinished picture, which itself looks lonely on a black background.

First engraving on metal

And now we take the same unused drawing and sketch on it with a pencil those places where we will “fill in”. After that, we take a spherical nozzle and begin to fill. The bottom line is this:

Engraving on metal with fill

If needed engrave long line, start at the bottom and lead the dremel away from you. Somehow the line is very straight. As I say: "With soul."
When you first start engraving, then take a pen and draw the main lines right on the drawing, excluding unnecessary ones.
Very often, the paper gets under the cutter and chews, after which, purely mechanically, the cutter may go in the wrong direction. To avoid this, it is worth starting the line a little further and ending a little earlier. Then, during the final refinement, you will bring it.
If it so happened that the whole section is very heavy, then just put dots on the lines, and connect them at the end.
During the pouring, do not randomly scrape off the paint. If the fill line is very large, then you should not fill it progressively. It is best to go from beginning to end without stopping the cutter in a separate area.
Again, don't do very small details. The result may be peeling of the paint.

Hello everyone, now I will describe a rather funny way of applying an inscription or drawing on ANY unpainted metal very quickly and without the help of special skills and a special tool. The method is simple and safe. Let's call it electro-chemical etching. To implement our plans, we need a stencil of the intended pattern, made on a piece of self-adhesive film, such as "oracal" or adhesive tape.
I found an advertising sticker in my house, consisting of the self-adhesive film itself and the paper backing, which is removed before use, applied the desired pattern and slowly cut out the contours with a clerical knife.

Click on the photo to enlarge it

I disassembled the smartphone (and I advise you the same, you will understand why later), degreased the surface and glued the stencil so that it fits snugly with all edges.

Now the most interesting thing, all we need directly for etching is any DC source (I have a 24-volt power supply), the voltage does not play a special role, the higher it is, the faster it is etched, but you can also work comfortably at 5 volts , a crocodile clip (you can do without it), a cotton swab and a little salty boiled water (I took a couple of teaspoons of salt per 50 ml). That's actually all

Now we throw the positive contact with the help of a crocodile onto the free area of \u200b\u200bour part (it will be seen in the photo below), and on the negative contact we clean the insulation and insert the wire into the cotton swab cut in half until it stops, i.e. so that the bare wire touches the cotton. Who guessed what we are doing next 5 plus))), for the rest, we wet the cotton wool on the negative contact with salt water and touch it to the metal area inside our stencil. What should be - a slight hiss, a slight heating and darkening of the metal, if this is not the case, then we check the contact on the wire with cotton wool, I repeat that it should touch it, it is also possible that you mixed up + with -, then it should not darken, but it will hiss. I do not advise you to keep cotton on the item for a long time, because. can heat up quite strongly, it is better to pass through the stencil dotted, or with quick strokes. Make sure that you do not miss anything and go over the entire stencil, and that on all parts you pass the cotton about the same number of times (or the same amount of time you touch the cotton) so that the etching is uniform.
In general, it’s worth trying first on some other metal object so that you can imagine what awaits you, but only with a stencil (you can just stick two strips of adhesive tape, leave a strip of metal a couple of millimeters between them, and try on it), otherwise the cotton wool will leave only uneven spots, etching the metal.

After etching, wipe with a dry cloth and carefully remove the sticker (it can be used again). Again, wipe the part from the remnants of glue from the film and voila. You should get an indented pattern that exactly repeats the outlines of the stencil. The depth of the relief depends on the etching time.

The main thing is not to rush with the stencil, everything should be cut out as evenly as possible.
In general, there is nothing complicated, after the first attempt you will understand how you work better, and then only improvement)))
The field of activity is simply huge - from mobile phones and brands on knives and forks to painting the legs of chairs and chrome parts of a motorcycle / bicycle / car, you can make boxes and key chains)) In general, it depends on your imagination. As I already wrote, absolutely any metal is suitable, I tried it on chrome, steel (different grades), aluminum and copper. You can also improve or remake the "working pen", but personally, a cotton swab suits me.

Artists and other craftsmen have engraved wood and metal for centuries, and many books have been devoted to this art. Today, lasers and other machines engrave plastics, precious stones, and other complex materials. Despite all the abundance of possibilities, you can engrave yourself with a modest set of tools.

Steps

Metal engraving

Select a tool. You can use a hammer and chisel, but manual or pneumatic engravers or cutters are not as expensive and allow you to apply the drawing very accurately. If you already have the necessary tool (for example, the Dremel brand), you can use it.

Choose a metal object for training. If you've never done this before, take something you don't mind. Practice only on things that you are not afraid to mess up. Soft metals (copper, brass) are easier to engrave than steel or other hard metals.

Clean the metal. Wipe the surface with a damp cloth, then wipe off the water with a dry cloth. If the metal is still dirty, rub it with a cloth and soap, then dry it.

Draw or type text or a picture. If you are working with a small item or this is your first time, choose a simple pattern with clean lines. Difficult work will be difficult to do without experience, and the drawing may come out blurry and unkempt. You can try drawing the design directly onto the metal, or you can print the design at the desired size and then transfer it to the surface (we'll show you how to do this below).

Transfer the design to the metal (if necessary). In this paragraph, we will tell you how to transfer a drawing from paper to metal. If you have already applied the pattern directly to the surface of the product, proceed to the next step. If you can't find the materials you need, look online for other ways to transfer your drawing. Remember that almost everywhere you will need special tools.

Fix the metal item. Engraving will be much easier if the product is clamped in a vise, and this will also prevent it from popping out. You can use a clip with a handle and hold it in your hand, but this is dangerous because you can get hurt. If you're using a power tool or a chiseled hammer that requires two hands, it's best to find a clamp that will hold your work itself.

Start cutting the metal according to the pattern. Using the available tool, start turning the drawing into an engraving. To start, try holding the tool at the same angle all the time. Cut in a straight line in both directions until the mark is visible, and then deepen. Let this section be the beginning of the work. Then move on to other lines. If you need to cut out a rounded letter, cut a straight line first. With that done, move on to the curves.

Learn. Engraving is an art that people learn throughout their lives. If you are interested in new techniques, machine engraving, or looking for advice on expanding your tool collection, you have the opportunity to get this information.

Start cutting out your drawing. Turn on the tool and carefully lower it onto the tree. Move slowly and smoothly over the entire surface. You don't have to go too deep to get a 3D image, so paint lightly and then go over the top again if you don't like the result.

Paint the tree (optional). If you want the drawing to be more visible, try coloring it. Paint the surrounding surface with a different color to make the pattern stand out from the background. Paint or clear varnish will also protect the wood from wear and tear.

Strengthen the tree (optional). If you put a small bag of sand under the tree, the tree will hold securely, no matter which way you push. Do not attach the tree to the table, as you will have to move it as you work.

Pick up the tool. Hold it like a computer mouse with your palm slightly bent. Gently press down on one side of the metal bar with your index finger, then press down on the other side with your thumb. Let the sawdust lie in the palm of your hand. When carving, you will press the tool inward to create the necessary pressure.

Start cutting wood. Press the tool against the surface at an obtuse angle and start working. With your other hand, slowly turn the tree. Try to cut no more than 1 centimeter at a time, and then adjust the position of the hand. Smooth lines will come with experience.

Try to work differently. You can first cut out the outline of the drawing, slightly going beyond the lines, so that later you can work out the details with a more precise tool. There are many ways to create a shadow, but the best look is parallel lines that are layered on top of each other like raindrops.