Etching an Odessa Texas Iron with Nitol
10% nitric acid and 90% Ethanol
Nitric acid is a very dangerous, use it with caution. ALWAYS wear gloves. Avoid contact with skin and eyes. Do not breath in the fumes. Mixing Nitric acid with the wrong stuff you will cause an explosion. If you do not know what "the wrong stuff" is, DO NOT use Nitric Acid.
Keep out of the reach of children, good idea to keep it locked up. Please use caution when etching meteorites.
Sanding with 60 grit
After sanding with 60 grit
Sanding with 220 grit
After sanding with 220 grit
Sanding with 400 grit
After sanding with 400 grit
Sanding with 1000 grit
After sanding with 1000 grit
Sanding with 1500 grit
After sanding with 1500 grit
Preparing the acid
Just before the first brush of acid, notice the shine
The first brush of acid, notice that it turned dull instantly
After only 15 seconds a patterns starts to appear
After 30 seconds the pattern starts to get a bit more defined
you can see the acid being brushed on, this is after 1 minute
After 1 minute 30 seconds
After 1 minute and 45 seconds, The pattern is really defined
Here you can see the Kamacite plates start to shine. This after 2 minutes
After only 3 minutes this etch looks finished, but it is not quite done
After 4 minutes the pattern is as defined as it will get, but not finished yet
After 5 minutes it shows Neumann lines. It is now finished
After the etch is finished, rinse it with ethanol.
Here you can see the beautiful etch of the finished product, notice the Neumann lines. After this all I did was spray a bit of WD40 on it to protect the etch, it also brings out the definition.
Nitric Acid info.
POISON! DANGER! STRONG OXIDIZER.
CONTACT WITH OTHER MATERIAL MAY CAUSE FIRE. CORROSIVE. LIQUID AND MIST CAUSE
SEVERE BURNS TO ALL BODY TISSUE. MAY BE FATAL IF SWALLOWED OR INHALED.
INHALATION MAY CAUSE LUNG AND TOOTH DAMAGE.
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Health Rating: 4 - Extreme (Poison)
Flammability Rating: 0 - None
Reactivity Rating: 3 - Severe (Oxidizer)
Contact Rating: 4 - Extreme (Corrosive)
Lab Protective Equip: GOGGLES & SHIELD; LAB COAT & APRON; VENT HOOD; PROPER
GLOVES
Storage Color Code: White (Corrosive)
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Potential Health Effects
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Nitric acid is extremely hazardous; it is corrosive, reactive, an oxidizer, and
a poison.
Inhalation:
Corrosive! Inhalation of vapors can cause breathing difficulties and lead to
pneumonia and pulmonary edema, which may be fatal. Other symptoms may include
coughing, choking, and irritation of the nose, throat, and respiratory tract.
Ingestion:
Corrosive! Swallowing nitric acid can cause immediate pain and burns of the
mouth, throat, esophagus and gastrointestinal tract.
Skin Contact:
Corrosive! Can cause redness, pain, and severe skin burns. Concentrated
solutions cause deep ulcers and stain skin a yellow or yellow-brown color.
Eye Contact:
Corrosive! Vapors are irritating and may cause damage to the eyes. Contact may
cause severe burns and permanent eye damage.
Chronic Exposure:
Long-term exposure to concentrated vapors may cause erosion of teeth and lung
damage. Long-term exposures seldom occur due to the corrosive properties of the
acid.
Aggravation of Pre-existing Conditions:
Persons with pre-existing skin disorders, eye disease, or cardiopulmonary
diseases may be more susceptible to the effects of this substance.