first attempt at etching boxes- it went OK!

[runmikeyrun]

Don't have a pic yet, but things went OK. 

PREP:  I ended up sanding the box with first 80 and then 120 grit sandpaper on one of those drums with the flaps that fits in your drill press.  I buffed after a rub with a scotchbrite pad and steel wool.  It came out with a cool brushed look but was tricky on edges and corners- i flattened a couple.  Next time i think i will just polish w/ scotchbrite and aluminum cleaner, steel wool, and rub on the buffing wheel.  It will still have some of those pits and mottled spots but beats hours of sanding!

ETCH:  I used sharpie paint markers as my resist.  I sucked up my manliness and bought them at the craft store.  I tried to do a second coat of paint but the first coat started coming off (just like regular sharpies do) so i left it alone.  I don't have the time right now to work with/learn PNP but i can see how much better it would work.  The paint markers worked ok- i went with full strength ferric chloride from Rat Shack.  I put some in a stainless steel tin and left the box in face down for a total of 2.5 minutes.  I kept pulling it up to recheck.  I etched a little too long- some of the thinner spots in the paint started to etch, which gave a cool aged effect but wasn't really the desired effect.  I think in the future (or for anyone else trying this method) that 1.5 minutes would be a good comprimise of decent etch depth and full resistance from the sharpie paint.  Man that box heated up pretty good at 2.5 minutes!!

Followed it all up with a rub with some EF steel wool to remove paint and corrosion from the etch, then a buff on the wheel.  Cleaned it all off with brake cleaner.  I used some lettering from the local electronics store, they had these sheets of rub on letters with different electronics terms.  I made an Atari punk sim so i used some applicable terms.  I made sure when i applied my paint marker that I left a big enough spot under each knob to rub them on.  Finally, I applied two coats of clear. 

MISTAKE #1- drilling the holes first.  I should have painted the inside of the box to resist etching.  So i've got some black in there.  Originally i was going to submerge the whole box and i figured it would be easier if the acid came up inside too.  When i decided not to (i would have had to buy two bottles of acid) it made the inside yucky.  Next time i will paint it first if i drill and go for the submersion technique. 

MISTAKE #2- not coming up the sides far enough with the paint marker.  The acid came up higher than the marker so i've got some etching on the side.

MISTAKE #3- etching too long.  But this was really a trial and error kind of thing.  I had read that 6 minutes was the magic number so i figured 2.5 would be ok.  Apparently not for paint markers.

Came out pretty good for a first attempt if i have to say so, good enough for me to keep as a regular on my pedal board.   

For quick and dirty etched boxes, i would recommend this method.  Not the prettiest but for freehand drawings with hand lettering (zvex are you listening) it would work well.  Plus the sharpie markers come in fine points (about the size of a worn down sharpie) and extra fine points (about the width of a ball point pen).  I'll try to post a pic soon.  Thanks to everyone who helped out!

p.s. i don't think i'll paint another box again. 

[markm]

One other problem with paint over the sharpie is that the sharpie doesn't stick well to aluminum in the first place, I guess paint sticks to sharpie well but again, sharpie doesn't stick well to aluminum, which is what was under the paint 
Sharpies are good for very small touch-ups for etching anclosures and not much else because the Ferric Chloride is very aggressive
on aluminum. Heat is bad too. Keep the enclosure cool by rinsing. 2.5 minutes time is long but, some of the time factor depends on the design used.
Drilling, I always drill after the acid dip if at all possible.
The above are just my opinion. Do whatever you'd like or whatever pleases you.
Oh, I do use sharpies to sign the bottom of the inside cover!