View Single Post
Old 23rd Feb 2021, 10:14 am   #17
marty_ell
Triode
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 44
Default Re: Dalo Pen replacement

Quote:
Originally Posted by Philips210 View Post
Hi.

I've found the Sharpie marker pens to be good too but stopped using them after feeling light-headed and unsteady. I was careful to avoid inhaling the fumes as well. Even out in the open the smell can be quite potent. I never experienced this with the old Dalo pens or the Rotring marker pens. There seems to be something in those Sharpie pens that disagrees with me so reluctantly won't be using them again.

Regards,
Symon
You might like to take a look at Edding 8404 pens. They are excellent for laying down resist for fine, closely packed tracks. They draw easily between DIL pins, SOIC pins are easy; I have even on occasion used them to draw TSSOP pins (you need a steady hand for this !). They don't smell and have never caused me any health problems.

A few tips:
- although the 8404 resist appears to dry near-instantaneously then is dry enough to sustain finger pressure as you lay down other tracks - in fact they take some hours to cure fully. Best left overnight in a warm place. If you don't do this the resist will gradually lift off during etching and the copper will appear rough and pockmarked
- one pen is enough to do eg. a Eurocard full of chips. However as the pen becomes used up the flow rate decreases until you have to wait a few minutes for the nib to fully re-ink. Buy yourself two pens and swap them periodically to keep the ink flowing, or be prepared for frequent tea breaks
- storing them nib down for some hours before you start using them also helps
- don't have your etchant at too high a temperature as this may distort the resist. I never go above 'just too hot to touch'

For large copper areas I swear by parcel tape and Dalo 33 pens.
Cheers, Marty
marty_ell is offline