Question 1

How do you dispose of it when you are done useing it?

Accepted Answer

I have heard that baking soda will neutralize the acid.  A web search revealed the following method:Baking soda (NOT baking powder) will produce a chemical reaction with ferric chloride that will render the solution relatively harmless to the environment.  It is how I have been disposing of my etchant for decades now.Note the following, though:    Like any rapid chemical reaction, heat is produced so you do NOT want to engage in this on a large and rapid scale; a little bit at a time, wait for it to settle down, and then continue with a bit more    The reaction results in a foam-like substance being produced which dries into something that looks like rust-coloured styrofoam.  The byproducts of the baking-soda/ferric-chloride interaction occupy about 7-10x the volume of the original ingredients.  This means that if you have a tub of etchant, filled to the brim, and you dump a box of baking soda into it, the reaction will overflow the container and cover your counter with ooze within  20 seconds or so.  Keep in mind that the "ooze" is partly de-activated byproduct by also not-yet-deactivated etchant which will stain for life anything it comes into contact with.  So, you will need a large container (or else place small amounts of your main etchant bath in a medium container) to contain the whole mess or else you risk something you will deeply regret.The thing about the etchant is that it may LOOK completely treated when it isn't.  You may have just a small residual film at the bottom of the container, and when you dump a few tablespoons of soda on it, it starts foaming like crazy.  You will want to keep applying the soda until the rust-coloured mess you have is fairly dry in texture.  Once you have turned it from wet and dangerous into dry and harmless, you can simply pour all those crumbly bits into a garbage bag and set it out with all the other household waste.Finally, etchant can often be extended for use a bit longer.  If you have a way of safely storing and transferring the stuff to another container, let your bath sit idly for a couple of days (at least) so that all the copper precipitates are sitting like a thick mud at the bottom.  GENTLY pour the still-useful etchant from the top into another container.  Now you can dump your baking soda into the thick stuff to finish using up whatever molecules of ferric chloride are still around.

Question 2

I'm using this for etching PCB, do I need to heat this product? or do something else in order to make this product working?

Accepted Answer

I use this for PCB's and have never heated it. Heat will make it work faster I am told, but I am satisfied with my results. I use a small HDPE plastic tub with lid, and every 30 sec or so tip the tub to move the solution around. 10 to 15 min is what it takes for me.

Question 3

can this product be used to etch damascus knives?

Accepted Answer

I understand that ferric chloride is used in etching but I do not know what solution strength is needed for that purpose. The problem with the MG is the solution strength is not listed anywhere on the bottle. You may wish to contact them to obtain that information.

Question 4

How long will this etching last on stainless steel?

Accepted Answer

I'm guessing forever, you are taking away the finish with acid.

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MG Chemicals Ferric Chloride - 1 Quart

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