Did anybody etch their kettle with the electrolyte/9V battery method?

[dsaavedra]

I remember when this method of etching stainless kettles circulated some months ago there was a bit of concern about the etched areas corroding if they were not passivated with something like citric acid.

Did anybody who etched their kettles experience this? Did you passivate with citric acid? Did you find some other way to prevent corrosion or was it never an issue?

 

[MerlinWerks]

For me it's not been an issue, although in full disclosure I clean my kettle with BKF after every brew. Not sure if that qualifies as a passivation step, but I've never done one intentionally.

 

[SanPancho]

stainless passivates on its own by exposure to air. if you want to do it with citric its kind of a pain as you need to keep the area wet for a while for reaction to happen. maybe a spray bottle filled with acid mix?

i etched with both AC and DC for the different colors and i didnt passivate. not sure its really needed. but definitely not the expert here.

 

[Qhrumphf]

I etched that way, aside from washing clean and then hitting with Star-San that was about it. And I didn't even use the extra-high-strength "passivation" concentration of Star-San. So effectively no real passivation. I recall John Palmer weighing in on it (metallurgist by trade, remember) saying that the stainless would passivate quickly on its own, as already mentioned above.

I did it a couple years ago. I've had zero corrosion problems.

 

[Gavin C]

Not a problem. No corrosion after ~20 to 30 batches.

Never did anything other than etch, rinse off and use.

 

[broadbill]

Not a problem. No corrosion after ~20 to 30 batches.

Never did anything other than etch, rinse off and use.

I like that; do you have any tips on how you did the two color, and what you used for a template?

 

[Gavin C]

I like that; do you have any tips on how you did the two color, and what you used for a template?

The pot came with the 1 gallon markings. I just added the quart markings in the relevant areas. Electrical tape was used for a template.

 

[lumpher]

do you have any tips on how you did the two color?

Here's a good article on exactly how to do it, and the specifics on lighter/darker marks:


https://byo.com/stories/issue/item/3113-etch-your-kettle-projects


Running DC power (like from a battery) or a DC adapter will leave a frosty white mark. If you run AC power, it will burn in a darker black mark. Both marks will be permanent.

 

[Buc_Nasty]

I just sprayed a normal mix of star-san on it and I haven't had any corrosion problems.

 

[broadbill]

Here's a good article on exactly how to do it, and the specifics on lighter/darker marks:


https://byo.com/stories/issue/item/3113-etch-your-kettle-projects


Running DC power (like from a battery) or a DC adapter will leave a frosty white mark. If you run AC power, it will burn in a darker black mark. Both marks will be permanent.

details were lacking on the AC method; I would think you would need to use a voltage controller?

 

[broadbill]

details were lacking on the AC method; I would think you would need to use a voltage controller?

nevermind...looks like there are some instructables out there.

 

[boat_eggs]

Not sure yet but I am going to passivate my kettle this weekend and can report back after. Im going to use phosphoric/nitric acid to passivate so that will be a wee bit stronger than citric

 

[Kozwald]

Here's the link to the method I used. I've brewed at least 20 batches and no issues.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=463099

 

[SanPancho]

details were lacking on the AC method; I would think you would need to use a voltage controller?

walked in to a thrift store, over to the electronics section and there was a big ol' bin full of power adapters and cables. got a 12v 1amp in DC and 12v 700mAmp in AC. $3 plus tax if i recall.

its alot easier if you get the adapters that have the actual plug cable made up of two wires running side by side. if you get the kind with only one cable then you have to peel the outer wire away from the inner wire, separate them, etc.

 

[broadbill]

walked in to a thrift store, over to the electronics section and there was a big ol' bin full of power adapters and cables. got a 12v 1amp in DC and 12v 700mAmp in AC. $3 plus tax if i recall.

its alot easier if you get the adapters that have the actual plug cable made up of two wires running side by side. if you get the kind with only one cable then you have to peel the outer wire away from the inner wire, separate them, etc.

The Instructable I was looking at took one of those power adapters and did some additional wiring to get both DC (etch) and AC(burn) capabilities from a single unit.

If I didn't want to do this (don't plan to etch anything else other than my BK), can I just separate the wires on the adapter, expose the ends and attach the wires to the kettle to make the dark marks? I would then use a 9V for the light marks.

EDIT: I just realized that power adapter both transforms 120V to 5-7V and also converts it to DC, so it would be DC coming from the wires which is basically the same as using a battery. To get the AC I would need crack open the power adapter, solder onto the output of the transformer and use those wires for AC etching/marking (basically what is shown in the first steps of the instructable). duh.

The instructable; for those interested: http://www.instructables.com/id/Steel-Etching-and-Marking-from-a-DC-Adapter/

 

[SanPancho]

if you can get your hands on cheap adapters, like at the thrift store, just buy one of each. you can switch back and forth.

most devices are DC. AC is the harder one to find unless you're taking apart computer stuff.

 

[boat_eggs]

Did my passivation today and the etched marks seem more pronounced than before, if you were still wondering