Glass vs acrylic rods
Stephen R. Harrison (stephenr@silcom.com)
Wed, 2 Oct 1996 23:45:11 -0700
I continue to get very good results with acrylic rods. No problems noted or
observed with uneven contact. I use both 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch diameter
rods up to 22 inches in length. I probably have 15 or so of them of
varying lengths as they are so easy to make .I make a small handle of 1/8
inch thick 4x3 inch sheet acrylic which I use to spead the sensitizer
with. They are so much more durable than the glass rods as I have gone
through a significant amount of breakage on the glass rods. I use them all
the time and have no complaints. The biggest problem is to be sure the
table is very level ( use a level to measure this ) or the distribution of
the sensitizer will flow secondary to gravity and will thus be uneven and
this might appear as a contact problem instead of a gravity problem. Also
, a 5ml to 10ml syringe is helpful to get a more even distribution along
the rod to assist the capillary action .
Stephen Harrison