Etching brass with ferric chloride, What to use as a resist?

[Dan Ashlin]

Well, labor doesn't need to be minimized entirely, i just dont want to spend hours picking paint off of something lol. As far as a cleaning procedure goes, i've buffed the shells to a high polish on the buffing wheel and then cleaned with denatured alcohol. Is there anything else i should do before i add the resist?

[Dan Ashlin]

Test run was a massive success!! Better than i could have hoped for. Thanks for the elp guys! Once the final product is done, i'll be sure to post pics!

[Daniel A Thomas]

Beeswax with charcoal or lampblack should work. You might even experiment with jeweler's rouge thinned with alcohol. When applying wax remember to warm the part for even flow.

[Gary Hair]

although your desire to help is commendable, I'm pretty sure this 9 year old thread was long resolved or long forgotten.

[Allen Marlow]

@Gary - If I knew how to PM you on this forum, I would. But I don't, soooo... this will be in the thread...

I came here just today looking for info masking red metals for etching, have read down to the end here, and do not have the impression anything was resolved in the posts from 2010 (eg, no feedback from the OP). And clearly the subject has not been forgotten. My personal opinion is this: if someone has something to contribute, to add to the thread, then that's a good thing (and, as you say, commendable), even if it's years later. It certainly doesn't hurt anything, and I find the beeswax with charcoal idea interesting.

Just as it has taken time for me to respond to you now, it took you some time, however gently, to dismiss @Daniel's efforts. I'm not sure why you did. My (hopefully gentle) comment is this: your response did not add to the thread, and may have in fact stymied Daniel's future contributions.

[Gary Hair]

To be fair, I didn't say the topic was forgotten, just this thread. Several of the people in the thread are no longer active and the OP hasn't posted since 2015 and the fact that the last post in the thread was 2010 it has most certainly been long forgotten by everyone involved - I certainly didn't even realize I had a reply I the thread until I browsed through it to see who had replied. I'll stand by my post.

FYI - if you are a "member" you don't have PM privileges, that requires becoming a paid (donating) contributor. I believe $6.00/year is the minimum for that status.