Etching Aluminum and Stainless

Date 05-02-2008 16:08

We recently acquired a bend and tensile tester from Sawyers and would like to prepare our coupons for testing with macroetching involved. Where can we get the solution used for etching aluminum weldments (D1.2) and stainless weldments (D1.6) near Jackson, Ms?

Thanks for the response in advance.

By ravi theCobra (**)

Date 05-02-2008 21:50

FOR   ALUMINUM
You can probably do a passible job with water   and   lye ( NaOH )   - you can make this as dilute as you have to - start at about   40 or 50   % NaOH   and start diluting - get the NaOH if you feel the lye doesent work well

For Stainless   You can   boil   the specimens in   1/2 &   1/2 Concentrated   H Cl ( Hydrochloric Acid ) - Water.
After about ten minutes   rinse off after you boil them   and rinse in 1/2   & 1/2 Nitric Acid - water

Of course these are dangerous chemicals   so the standard precautions apply   -