Aloha Ron,
Since reading the article and you and your son wrote, I have used
nothing but Ferric Chloride to etch my irons. Your directions were
very thorough. A few months ago I etched a Campo that I resurrected
from a rusty graveyard and it produced a gorgeous pattern using FC.
Of course after sanding, I polished it before etching. Don't let one
sour grape get at you--especially since he didn't follow your
directions correctly. Even though it's been eight years since your
article was published, I want to say "thank you" to you and Jim for
your contribution to the field; It gave me the confidence to etch my
own irons...and with stunning results!
Matthew
Quoting R N Hartman <rhartma...@earthlink.net>:
I was just browsing through some of the posts on Joes Skyrockcafe
website when I ran across a post from a collector who was unhappy with
the Radio Shack etchant for iron meteorites. He claims to have sanded
a Campo down to #400 but could not get a Widmanstatten pattern,
although he did get a beautiful pattern using the traditional Nitric
method.
My son, Jim, and I posted an article in the November 2002 issue of the
Meteorite Times about preparing and etching irons using Ferric Chloride
(which is the same material as used in the Radio Shack etchant). The
method has been used widely since that time with outstanding success by
many and with superior results, so there is now an undisputed 8 year
positive history. Etches show more contrast and subtle details come
out more readily, and fears of ferric chloride use have been put to
rest as the specimens are not rusting and crumbling. In fact, they do
just as well if not better than when etched with nitric. (But that is a
topic for another day.)
I think the problem of the person in posting his negative experience
was that after grinding down to a #400 grit that he did not then polish
out the surface. Unlike preparing an iron to etch with nitric acid,
the surface wants to have a highly reflective mirror-like surface
before etching. As we say in the article, however, every meteorite is
different and can react differently to different circumstances, so he
may have just had an unusual, but uncommon, experience. He may have a
very different experience with a different Campo. (I have many
Ferric-etched slices of Campos in my personal collection and they are
all doing well.)
Ron Hartman E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
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