PnP -on Pipe ? - applying PnP on Pipe for etching

Well after reading this months Jewelry Artist and the Chris Darway article  (page 20)  - I just had to try applying PnP sheet to Copper Pipe.

I took two sizes of copper pipe and cut them down (picked up at Home Depot)
I really like this cutter - leaves and nice end - no puckering like the other pipe cutters 

Nice and clean

I use 000-0000 steel wool to clean the surface
and I cut the PnP to fit 
Now at this point as much as I am going to wrap in silicone tape  I need something to hold it while I do 
so I taped the sides 

 Just put small pieces at either end and in the middle
I wrapped the silicone tape (plumbers white tape - you can get at home depot)around the pipe - tightly 
I have a Hot plate that I use for the my application of painted glass to beads so I plugged it in and set it to low as I was not sure how hot I needed to get this to work - 
I also put a probe on the hot plate just to see what the temp was 
so I stood them up on the heated surface hoping that the heat would flow up the tubes 


I reversed them but could not get them to stand so put one inside the other and let stand for another 20 minutes to 1/2 hour  - they didnt seem really that warm (even though it said 345 degrees F)  so I eventually laid them flat (one inside the other) on the plate and hoped for the best 
Totally forgot for about an hour (I am getting really bad at this ) 

I unwrapped the silicone tape -  the PnP looked dark like it does when I use the press 

OMG it worked 

Its about 90% perfect - some small areas that need touch up but nothing major 


What the PnP looked like after I took it off 

I applied the Stop Out (another liquid resist) to the tiny areas needed and letting it dry 
will etch hopefully today just have to get a container tall enough (bought a bunch of drink containers from dollar store  - I have one rubber plug for the larger pipe but I have to come up with something for the other 
going to fill with sand to make it heavy and the plug will not allow any ferric into the inside where I dont want to etch 








23 comments:

  1. Thanks for explaining this process so clearly. Yours is the first blog I have found with such complete and clear directions.

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  2. Oh My God, you are brilliant! I love the simple, clear and concise. Thank you.

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  3. So what kind of toner printer did you use for the pnp. Have had no luck with that material. even on a flat surface. Any hints would be much appreciated.

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  4. Can you get Pnp that is already printed?

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  5. Can you get Pnp that is already printed?

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  6. Can you get Pnp that is already printed?

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  7. Can you give a complete list of everything needed to etch. Love it. Thanks.

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  8. What is pnp n were can I get it.

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  9. What is pnp n were can I get it.

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  10. what can I use instead of hotplate? Thank you, Kris

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  11. Perhaps you can lay it down flat on an electric griddle and roll it back and forth with chopsticks! You can use plastic from a butter tub for the ends-just hot glue or even epoxy to the tube, and cut it off later.

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    Replies
    1. Sorry for lateness took a hiatas and didnt get the notifications - if you get one of those breakfast hotplates - griddle - you can adjust the temp (wont go to 1000 like mine ) but its hot enough to do the job

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    2. If you don't have a portable griddle, you could just use your kitchen oven. PnP doesn't make any fumes to speak of, and silicone tape is heat resistant. Just preheat the oven to the Tecniks recommended temp. Allow the PnP-wrapped copper tube to heat soak in the oven for maybe 10-15 minutes. Then quench.

      Thanks for posting this. I have a kaleidoscope kit that I wanted to etch the outer tube before assembling. I love the idea for using sand to weight the tube!
      The Silicone tape should provide a good even pressure to guarantee contact for the toner transfer without needing to burnish– great idea!

      Q: Did you use any agitation in your acid bath?
      a/o Would you do so if repeating the project?
      Thanks!!

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  12. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  13. I don't have a hot plate or even know much about them. I did read about using the oven.

    I love your blog. You have so many helpful and interesting things to read about. Thanks for sharing.

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  14. I have not been doing much in last few years and just catching up - sorry for late response - Oven is good and so is a toaster oven

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  15. So you didn't use acid in this application, does the heat activate something in the Pnp? Or the silicone tape? Not sure what activated the etching. Would like to read the Jewelry Artist article. Thanks in advance

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  16. To polish, we use a drill press with a dead center and a uni-bit to spin the copper tube. Are you using clear lacquer or varnish to protect?

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