What's the best way to get rid of this stuff once you've used it?
I think you can re-use the etchant. I'm not sure though, I'm a perf-man :)
There is a point when etchant becomes too saturated to be useful.
You could pour it down the drain provided you don't have copper drain pipes. You should do this only after you have consulted the local water company confirming that they handle this type of chemical.
If they don't then you should take it to a chemical dispossal facility. The company that produces the chemical or the supplier should be able to give you information on where you can drop off the chemical to be processed.
Heres alittle tip, find a local school that does etching. Ask them if you could drop off your bottle of etchant for them to take along when dispossing of their etchant. Most schools won't have a problem handling some extra bottles for someone local if it means that its being taken care of properly.
Andrew
Dilute it with water. Mix in some washing soda (sodium carbonate) and it should be quite acceptable to flush it as long as you have small quantities. The soda neutralizes the remaining acid to render it harmless to pipes or sewage processing.
regards, Jack
good idea jack. i used to mix it with water and quickdrying cement. to make blocks of nothing.
Quote from: Ansilgood idea jack. i used to mix it with water and quickdrying cement. to make blocks of nothing.
that's funny. that's what they used to do with radioactive waste
i talked to the poison control at work a long time ago, because we used to use laquer thinner for cleaning, and have a bunch that was saturated with dirt, and grease and paint. they told me that i could just dilute it and pour it in the toilet.
That's what i have been doing with my etchant.
im on septic... i hope my lawn makes it.
I drink mine. Is that bad???
Mike N.
well not if you dont' want to live very long.. lol.............. reminds me of my unlces neighbor. he said all he wanted fro chrstmas was a quart of antifreeze to drink..
A friend of mine plays with case-modding on his PC, and he makes PCB's for his flashy lights (god knows why), and he just gives the saturated etchant to the chemistry teacher, who disposes of it with other school waste :twisted:
I buy a box of baking soda and pour it in...a LITTLE BIT at a time. The chemical reaction between ferric chloride and baking soda produce a very large-volume rust foam which quickly increases in size to the point where it can spill over the edges of you container and stain everything around it. So trust me when I say you need to stir it in SLOWLY. Once you<ve used the soda to deactivate it, it will be in the form of a crusty rusty-looking foam, which you can then put in a garbage bag and throw out.