Do the
developer and/or stripper usually turn out to be some commonly
(cheaply) available chemical? I would prefer to avoid paying $6+ for a
small bottle if I can avoid it.
One kg of ammonium persulfate will make 4 liters of etchant, and it's
around $18 USD (not including shipping) - not sure if you'll be able to
find it much cheaper than that, but if you do, let everyone here know! ;-)
The other chemical used is ferric chloride.
The developer (as opposed to the etchant) is generally just a strong
alkali. In the UK, sodium hydroxide solution is commonly used, it's sold
(pure enough for PCB developing) for cleaning drains. It's a lot cheaper
bought as drain cleaner than as PCB developer.
-tony