g’day Neil
Not quite sure whether you want someone to perform the job for you
or whether you are going to do it yourself. If it’s the latter, there
are pictures heRe:
http://users.netconnect.com.au/~scratch/photo-
etched_stuff_Orchid_1.html
of some stuff made using the following processes and some rough
estimates of what it cost me are below. The processes are to
produce masters suitable for making detailed vulcanized rubber moulds
to produce castings.
1/ master vector drawing using Adobe Illustrator (or whatever).
Computer time anything from 2 hours to 50 so far. (my own time
calculated at Aus $ 40/hr)
2/ photopositve or negative produced commercially from the
Illustrator file - ca Aus $30
3/ commercially acid-etched Magnesium masters from photopositive, ca
$Aus 300 for about an A4 sized sheet, single etch, about 1mm deep
4/ commercially photoetched steel-backed photopolymer sheet (varying
thicknesses available up to 4mm I think, although I’ve used only the
thinnest (1.6mm) etched through about 90%) ca $Aus 350 for about an
A4 sized sheet, single etch.
The masters are then sawn by hand from the etched sheets, finished,
and from there on the process is your common or garden lost wax
casting.
If you want to give me a more specific description or picture of
what you have in mind I might be able to offer better info.
cheers
Al Heywood