[meteorite-list] How to etch meteorites

From: mark ford <markf_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:27:50 2004
Message-ID: <6CE3EEEFE92F4B4085B0E086B2941B310143D2_at_s-southern01.s-southern.com>

Ruben,

My experience with Ferric Etching is the opposite!, I have found Ferric
Chloride etching to be much better and more stable than Nitric!, but
you need to neutralize it properly in NaOH / or Bicarbonate and dry the
meteorite well with anhydrous alcohol.=20

The length of time to etch is a little tricky with ferric, but
experience gives you a good guide. And I found it is better to etch for
longer with a weaker solution than quickly with a stronger one, this
gives a more controllable etch!

(A coating of mineral oil is also a must!)

Mark Ford


-----Original Message-----
From: ruben garcia [mailto:meteoritemall_at_yahoo.com]=20
Sent: 17 November 2003 02:15
To: meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] How to etch meteorites

Hi Rene and list,
I just saw the link that was sent to you regarding
ferric chloride etching. Although the link does
explain etching with ferric chloride quite well, it
doesn't go into much detail about the stability of
that type of etch. There is a place for ferric
chloride in etching, after all it does give a better
separation of the pattern as well as a great
holographic type etch. However after years of
experimentation with it and nearly every other type of
chemical that will produce an etch I would say without
a shadow of a doubt that Nitric acid and alcohol does
a better overall job. The Nitric solution leaves a
meteorite more stable ( all things being equal that
is)as far as rust goes . Of course if you are etching
something as inexpensive as a Campo you may not mind a
little experimenting.=20

Ruben Garcia ( mr-meteorite on ebay)

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Received on Mon 17 Nov 2003 05:27:50 AM PST