If you have to because you aren’t getting a good enough contrast,
use an image editor on the PC to convert your image to greyscale and
with some manipulation darken it then print it out, Alternatively
setting the contrast level on your machine to highest should lay down
enough toner/ink to provide a good copy. I have used an HP 1200 for
years with a consistent result every time. I also use a transparency
in the machine- something that you can get for about a buck or less
each at a local print store if you don’t keep a box of them on hand.
It is a ‘plastic’ though so remember the print head on a laser
printer gets hot and you’ll need to pay attention as the transparency
is going through the machine.
Then, after preparing your copper plate (use brass wool if not steel
wool and lay down a good ’ tooth’ as you would sand wood for
painting but not pressing hard enough to leave visible trails of
where you have rubbed it or the strokes you have made, just enough
pressure to roughen the rolled metal plate), use some ethyl alcohol-
denatured alcohol- to wipe clean any metal particles and remove oils,
dirt etc.
Next, use a tack iron or an ordinary iron on a hot setting (without
steam) and covered with a piece of waxed or parchment kitchen paper
on the reverse side of the transparency to iron the image on. With
the first stroke press straight down to make a good contact without
sliding it at all.
Carefully iron the image to the metal for about 5 minutes (using a
tack iron may go faster) taking great care not to move the image
around the plate. the metal will get hot so leave the transparency in
place as it cools then carefully lift an edge (if i have a larger
plate than image i need I use a registration/test image the size of a
thumbnail or slide to test the ink transfer) to insure the contact
and image was completely transferred. More ink will transfer as it
cools too. If almost, if not all, the ink did not transfer : without
moving the waxed paper or transparency go over it again. If you are
in a hurry and can’t wait the 10 min. for the plate to cool, you can
run cool water over the back of the plate and then dry it. that way a
10 second period is all needed to cool the metal. you are then ready
to submerge it into the etchant bath.
Keeping the etchant moving on the metals surface is important. Try
adding glacial acetic acid or a citric acid solution to your basin
with the etchant solution (presuming you are using a ferrous, or
ferric chloride etchant).If you are using a pool acid and peroxide
etchant the extra boost of citric or acetic acid isn’t necessary.
Connect your pump (if using an aquarium type pump with your etching
set-up) or keep the solution agitating so the etchant goes over the
metal evenly print side up always if flat and if set on edge the pump
will do it for you as it’s difficult to keep the etchant moving when
the plate is standing up without a pump moving the solution over the
plate. After about 30 minutes to an hour depending on the image and
solution strength you should have a deep etch. Adjust this timing to
your needs. Some fresh etchant and a smallish image may take only
10-15 minutes to complete. then peel off the transparency after you
are satisfied that its what you were after and go over the plate with
cheesecloth and alcohol to clean it up (or you can use mineral
spirits if you like, but that requires further cleaning. If you are
using a copper clad fibreglass board instead of copper plate this
isn’t necessary (but your image/texture plate won’t last as long).
The sludge that collects on the bottom is the copper removed by the
acid. You can filter it off between uses. Make sure you dispose of
it according to local laws or if in a university system or craft
school /organization call the dept. that handles disposal to take it
away from your studio.
The etchant can be used a few times until it is depleted. The darker
green it gets will indicate depletion as well as the degradation of
the etched image. If you keep a record of mixing proportions and
times per size of image you can gauge when the solution is thoroughly
depleted per quart or gallon. Same is true for the muriatic acid
peroxide etchant bath ( but the colour will differ so it’s not the
same rate of depletion- about 4-5 uses for approx. 5" x 8" plates).
you can develop so-to-speak, two plates at a time by taking 2
sections of dowel and using a cut off tool to make two cuts no deeper
than the plate on each to hold them apart by at least 1/4-1/2"
depending on the size of your basin and the amount of solution you
have (if 14 g. plate the cut will be 1.5mm, 20 g. plate about .8mm or
1/32 ", etc. You want to be able to insert the plate into the dowels
and either lay them on their side or suspend them from heavy iron
binding wire connected to a length of dowel that will span the top
in a vertical “tank”.
The more movement of etchant over the plate the better the etch will
be. A darker image will also effect the quality of the etch. the
solution you choose will also be a variable some being better than
others. Also if the copper plate doesn’t work for you there are many
pre-coated metal plates on the market (for printing and screen
printing) some that “develop” with water or chlorine bleach sponged
on that can be run through a rolling mill with out damaging it and
that will last for years without scaling on the metal (most often
zinc).PnP blue is another option - an easy to use process that any
laser printer will work with. I am a bit surprised that you’ve tried
3 different machines without the ink deposition you were after. i
also have a Brother all-in-one fax printer that works when I am out
of HP toner or don’t need to store a plate for later use and an
inkjet image is enough. There are a number of different methods of
image transfer using home chemicals or easily available chemicals,
transparencies or polymer films.-if you need more info contact me
off list… rer