If you’re anything like me, you like to etch PCBs at home. Quite often you’ll get the urge, but find that you’ve just run out of Ferret Chloride*, or Bureaucratic Acid*

So what can you do?

I know little about chemistry, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to cook up a substitute etching solution from common household stuff.

And it was during one of these sessions that I seem to have cracked it.

This picture shows 3 candidate solutions – #2 and #3 show very little reaction – but #1 is smokin’ – it etched through the copper clad in about 20 minutes.

It’s made from 3 chemicals – and you can safely put each one in your mouth (although I wouldn’t recommend swallowing them).

I’ll post the formula tomorrow, but in the meantime – anyone like to guess what the 3 ingredients are? It’s highly likely you have them at home right now.

* Ferret Chloride or Bureaucratic Acid – These are not real chemicals – just so you know. 🙂

UPDATE : #3 finally etched the board after about 3 hours – #2 is supposed to work, but doesn’t 🙁