[Boatanchors] Crystal Etching Using Whink- Need Chemical Person

[Brian Harris]

I talked to a guy on the air yesterday who uses what he called plastic P clamps to hold the crystal blank upright in the solution. Said he moved one crystal over 500Kc. It was originally in the 5500KC range. He also said post WW2 crystals (which are not made from original Brazilian crystal rocks) are harder to move (take much longer) than WW2 and earlier natural crystals which can change much more rapidly and unpredictability. He made a crystal to run 17 meter AM on 18.117 with his Viking 2.  He was tripling so crystal was at ~6MHZ. 

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> On Jan 4, 2021, at 10:39 AM, Dale Parfitt <parinc1 at frontier.com> wrote:
> 
> I read recently in ER that  the acid etching (as opposed to grinding) rounds the sharp edges and may reduce crystal activity.
> No personal experience- I have always ground them.
> Dale W4OP
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: boatanchors-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:boatanchors-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Bill Abate via Boatanchors
> Sent: Monday, January 4, 2021 11:13 AM
> To: David Stinson; Boatanchors at mailman
> Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Crystal Etching Using Whink- Need Chemical Person
> 
> Dave,
> 
> 
> There is one way to find the answer to your question and that is to try 
> the suggestion but I believe you are wasting your time. Whink is 
> composed of hydrofluoric acid and should not be susceptible to 
> oxidation.  In my opinion it is more likely that the Whink is just 
> loosing its strength due to use.  I've used hydrofluoric acid to etch 
> crystals in the past but in a more concentrated form and never had a 
> problem with it slowing down the process.  The only thing I found was 
> that the edges of the crystal got rounded and the crystal lost its 
> activity.  Grinding with an abrasive on the edges cured that.
> 
> 
> GL,
> 
> 
> Bill, K3PGB
> 
>> On 1/4/2021 10:27 AM, David Stinson wrote:
>> I've etched crystals with Whink for some time.
>> Recently, I used a plastic tub about 3 inches
>> in diameter, poured 1/4 inch of Whink in it
>> to etch a crystal.   The first hour, it moved a
>> 4110 KC crystal 3 KC.  After that hour, it slows
>> waaaay down.   With fresh Whink, I etched a
>> 3498 crystal over night, wanting to move it
>> up into the Extra CW band.
>> This morning, after 8 hours, it has moved to 3500 KC.
>> 
>> A friend suggested that the open-top,
>> wide tub is exposing the Whink to the air,
>> which oxidizes and loses strength the longer
>> it's exposed.  He suggested I use a plastic
>> "pill bottle," which will take less Whink,
>> and seal it from the air.  I'd build a "stand"
>> to hold the pill bottle stable, since a small
>> bottle would be subject to spilling and you
>> don't want to fool around- the stuff can hurt ya.
>> 
>> What do you think?  Is air exposure
>> the culprit in the rapid weakening of Whink?
>> 
>> 73 DE Dave AB5S
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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