I'm interested in trying this to make some christmas decorations. Could anyone tell me the chemical makeup for it? I have a place very near work that'll probably be able to make it for me rather than buying (already got them to make patina for me very cheap!) Thanks in advance for any help! Bonnie :o)
dags.
ammonium or sodium bifloride. it's pretty dangerous stuff to be working with, so i doubt that they're going to make it up for your cheaper than just buying a small bottle of it.
You could always try hydrofluoric acid, it may be cheaper but I am not sure its any safer.
Steer clear of HF.
Here's a cautionary tale regarding hydrofluoric acid:
Twenty some-odd years ago, when we were first starting in stained glass, we had a job that required us to etch a piece of flashed glass. We wanted to use the HF acid because it leaves the glass transparent (in this case we removed a green flash to reveal the clear base). I had taken a seminar that demonstrated the process, so I thought I could handle it OK. We setup outside using a large plastic photographic tray to work in. We filled the tray with HF and put the masked piece of glass into the solution. We then turned on a high-velocity fan to blow the fumes away from our working area. Wearing gloves, we carefully sloughed-off the green layer using a flux brush. The entire process took about a half-hour. Throughout the time we were working, plumes of whitish vapor rose out of the tray and were blown away by the fan. When we were done we neutralized the acid and threw it away. The glass looked great and we were quite pleased with ourselves.
HOWEVER, about a week later we notice that the 40' pine tree that was downwind from out working area-- a tree that was about twenty feet distant-- started to look bad. Within a couple of weeks it was DEAD! The fumes from the HF killed it after only about a half hour of exposure!. We decide that maybe this HF was too dangerous and have since farmed out our etching needs to studios with the proper setup (full ventilation hoods, rubber suits face masks and respirators). HF is not to be messed with without proper training and a great deal of R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
-Cactus Bob
Are you sure that you didn't dump the stuff into the root system? I find it hard to believe that 30 mins of fumes can kill a tree. I demand a controlled experiment to repeat the procedure.
Knock yourself out. Let us all know the results!.
I stand (or sit typing, as the case may be) by my story.
--Cactus Bob
OK I just spent 30 minutes with a small brush fire in front of a pine tree. I burned a can of acid, kerosene, turpentine, toothpaste, pickle brine, and my own day old bad breath. As I look, the tree is still standing... wait a minute... it's starting to lean towards the house!!
I was a machinist for 20 years in a refinery in Salt Lake where we had HF for the refining process. I carried a card in my wallet at all times with medical instructions. We wore complete rubber suits with supplied air. Often a mild burn doesn't show up for hours. Mild burns are serious. I have no doubt that strong fumes for 30 minutes will kill a tree.
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