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FVT
26-06-2010, 05:20 PM
Hi,

I'm desperately trying to get hold of a small amount of either Nitric Acid, or Ferric Nitrate so I can try etching some silver. Can anyone suggest a UK supplier? Someone's suggested MegaUK, but on their website it says you can only make a minimum order of £30 :N:

Are there any other options for etching solutions that don't sound quite so 'scary'?

Thanks,

F.x.

methuselah
03-07-2010, 11:12 AM
I'm wondering the same thing. There doesn't seem to be a cheap alternative, here are some other suppliers:

www-camlab-co-uk
www-hswalsh-com
www-reagent-co-uk
v1-vitrumsignum-com

Perhaps etching copper then silver plating it is an option for you.

methuselah
03-07-2010, 12:12 PM
I also found these recipes:

4 g potassium iodide
1 g iodine
40 ml deionized water (or more for more dilute etch)

Also try
10 ml ammonium hydroxide
10 ml hydrogen peroxide
40 ml methanol
on this site: www-finishing-com/140/75-shtml

-both untested by me though.

FVT
05-07-2010, 11:31 AM
Thanks for responding Methuselah...I've had a look at your suggested links. Reagent seems like the best bet, although the courier service seems pretty pricey :(

Doesn't seem to be an awful lot of choice in the UK, especially if you want a very small amount to experiment with.

Not sure I'm brave enough to try the recipes you posted, but would still be interested to know if anyone has tried this?