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Old 2015-02-23, 8:01am
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ItsMeSB ItsMeSB is offline
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Join Date: Jan 16, 2015
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Etching was the first thing that popped into my mind when I read about the shallow pan... I definitely like the idea of putting it on the dryer. Ingenious! I was thinking about buying a little $5 aquarium pump, but I already have a dryer .

Got it about the baking soda... Lots of soda first, then litter, then trash. I'll pick up a pkg at Sam's or Costco. Let's hope I'll never have to use it! And I'm definitely going to look for a VERY SECURE container. What's the point of the lid if it won't stay on when knocked off the table. Sure it helps with evaporation but won't matter if it's all over the floor!

Speaking of baking soda... When taking the item out of the EF solution either to check or when completed, should the piece be rinsed in plain distilled water or a water/baking soda mix? I first dropped my piece in a soda/water mix and it fizzed quite a bit and surprised me. Thereafter I've been rinsing in plain distilled water...

So, when I took the shell out this morning it had a shiny penny look; obviously my initial setting was too low. Replaced it with a new shell set at .10. I think I'm on the right track now... I just want to confirm that my paint is conductive enough even though it's doesn't really register very much on the meter (at Rx10). Is this because my coating is too thick? I think I read somewhere here that the conductive coating should be brushed on as thin as possible...

The "Instructable" (http://www.instructables.com/id/Conductive-Paint/) that lead me to using a meter indicated that an acrylic craft paint/graphite powder 1:1 mix had a resistance of 1.2-1.6 (lowest in his test group) but I can't see the range on the meter he used when testing. I'm going to ask...

I have another shell I dipped in lacquer (to see if that has any impact) last night that I'll paint with a lighter/thinner coating and test. I also plan to try the acrylic paint/graphite blend if today's tests don't give the desired results. I think Hannah has had some success with this too. However, I like the floorwax idea because it makes a very fluid blend and is easy to brush on a thin coating... And hopefully I can mix up a large batch and just dip my pine cone. This mixture is best prepared at time of application rather than storing in larger quantities; easier to work with and less messy... if a little wasteful.

Thanks for your help and comments.
Sharon

Last edited by ItsMeSB; 2015-02-23 at 9:23am.
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