What kind of acid can I use to engrave a calcium stone such as travertine or a light reflective one such as alabaster? Which acid will "eat" up the stone?
by 
de_saracho
ANSWERS: 1
-
Travertine is made of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). As such, just about any acid will dissolve it. The stronger the acid the faster it will work. However, being a carbonate, it will also bubble as the acid eats away at it. This will tend to splatter the acid. The stronger the acid, the more violent the reaction will be. Based on my experience with this, I would not recommend using acid to engrave travertine. In geology we use a week hydrochloric acid to test for the presence of carbonates in rocks. This acid does not eat into the rocks very quickly. Therefore, I suspect that an acid strong enough to do what you want in an efficient manner would bubble violently enough to be dangerous. It would definitely be very difficult to control. You would probably be better off sticking with a traditional hammer and chisel. As for the alabaster, it is a form of a mineral called gypsum. You don't even need acid for this job. Gypsum is quite soluble in just water. So you could use that and not worry about the problems involved with using an acid.
Glenn Blaylock RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC