OK everybody, here is the photo etching information/question/comment/idea thread.
First item is that I remembered a cool website I found a few years ago. Click on the link below and page down a bit and you will see links to this great guy's home etching set. He has done a large amount of research and development on etching processes. I almost dove in using his ideas but decided against it due costs and chems in the house.
http://www.prototrains.com/John
PS It seems Randy has hit hard times based on what he wrote on the front page. Let's all hope he gets going again soon.