I wish to do some etching on 16 gauge sterling silver. I hadn’t
done any type of etching for a long time (15 years). I’m
planning to use Nitric acid but am wondering if any you have
found some new resists. My recollection is, I used asphaltum or
oil base paint, way back then but I would believe that there are
some new type of resists that would be interesting to try. Any
suggestions? Delores
P.S. The gold ring worked until yesterday. Got such a painful
swelling in the joint of the finger I couldn’t hold my cup on tea
in my right hand. Seemed to be the worst I ever had it!!
I wish to do some etching on 16 gauge sterling silver. I hadn’t
done any type of etching for a long time (15 years). I’m
planning to use Nitric acid but am wondering if any you have
found some new resists. My recollection is, I used asphaltum or
oil base paint, way back then but I would believe that there are
some new type of resists that would be interesting to try. Any
suggestions? Delores
I am curently trying a new resist used in fine arts printmaking.
I am using feric cloride to etch copper, but the specks say it
will hold up to any mordant. It is a non toxic acrylic based
resist, but so far I am not happy with the results. I have only
tride using it twice though and the methid of aplication is a
bit diferent that with asphaltum, so it might just take me some
time to become comfortable with it.
Here is url for the companey that sell the resist.
The name of the product is Z*ACRYL hardground Emultion. Mark
Zaffron is the name of the man who developed the resist, and
will ansewr any questions you have by phone or E-mail. Good
Luck
Check the archives for past etching discussions. You can use the
toner from copy machines or laser printers. Do your design on
paper or computer. Copy or print and transfer to the silver with
heat.
sharpie pens have a type of ink that works as an ascid resist or
so i have heard. also th press on letters called Press Type are
supposed to work as acid resist. Both sound kind of odd but seem
worth looking into. Anyone know for sure? alternatives are
always more intrigueing than the standard answers.
Some other fun resists are sharpee marker (just draw your design
on) and copy machine ink. To use the copy machine ink as resist,
get a copy made of your design onto vellum. Then put the metal
onto a hot plate, and burnish the ink off of the vellum and onto
the warm metal.
I know that hard ground works pretty well(printmaking material
much like asphaltum) and Rio Grande sells an etching/photoetching
kind of kit that has a really good resist which is tricky to work
with, but does not break down as easily in acid as does hard
ground or asphaltum.
sharpie pens have a type of ink that works as an ascid resist or
so i have heard. also th press on letters called Press Type are
supposed to work as acid resist. Both sound kind of odd but seem
worth looking into. Anyone know for sure? alternatives are
always more intrigueing than the standard answers.
I have used the press on letters and they work really well, just
make sure the edges are pressed down =-) Haven’t used a sharpie
tho. For something that won’t be in the acid super long I’ve used
finger nail polish.
Some other fun resists are sharpee marker (just draw your
design on) and copy machine ink. To use the copy machine ink as
resist, get a copy made of your design onto vellum. Then put
the metal onto a hot plate,
Susan and Marilyn: I’m confused but I think I know what you are
saying. If I use a sharpee marker or the gold pilot pen, as a
resist to draw my line design and put the silver in the acid the
silver will etch around the resist ( my marker drawing) right?
What I want to do is have a line drawing etched and protect the
silver. What if I used the vellum and place it over the line
drawing that I want to copy and copy the lines in white paint and
then put it in the copy machine and have the toner turn the rest
of the vellum black except my white lines. Put the silver on a
hot plate and burnish the toner off the vellum on to the silver.
My line drawing, hopefully, does not have the toner and when
placed in the acid will etch and leave etched lines of the line
drawing that I can oxide so just the line drawing shows black on
the silver. Right? Now if I want my drawing to be the positive in
the silver, I would use the pens or the copy machine to cover my
drawing (not a line drawing but a full figure) with with black
ink or toner, over a hot plate, burnish the drawing on the silver
(my design is now covered with the toner or with the pen’s ink)
place it in the acid. Etching now occurs around my design
creating a negative space, leaving my design as the positive.
Sounds very interesting and I will experiment. I have used the
copier toner as sublimation dyes for textiles but have not
thought of using it as a resist for acid on metal. Thanks for the
info and I’ll tell you how it works for me. Delores
I haven’t done a lot of etching as I may have mentioned and
haven’t any experience with the toner method. It seems a little
indirect for my tastes but I will be watching for your results!
Uh, I think what you are suggesting is correct. If you want your
lines to be etched and not the negative space, I would just draw
my picture, make a negative of it in the copy machine( maybe
touch up the copy if you lose any resolution) and then use this
to make the copy onto the vellum. This method is a good
inexpensive way to etch, but if you want a very precise etch, I
would recommed using one of the Gocco screen printing things ( an
investment, but it produces the most exact results). If you
don’t know about these gadgets, just ask and I’ll give you more
info.
would recommed using one of the Gocco screen printing
things ( an investment, but it produces the most exact
results). If you don't know about these gadgets, just ask and
I'll give you more info.
I would like to know more about the Gocco screen printing thing.
Another way I have heard to release the toner but havn’t
tried…this may have come from Mary Ann Scheer (can’t quite
remember).
Lay the copy toner side down on the metal. On the back side of
the copy use a nice juicy “blender” marker, available anywhere
they sell good art markers. Use it on the back and it leaches
through the paper and releases the toner onto the metal. Not
having tried this my only other thoughts are…use thin copy
paper so it’s easier to soak through, get a nice dark copy, tape
it down so it doesn’t move around while you go over the back.
I have a Gocco screen printing kit and it is great. Never used
it for etching, but I have used it to make my own earring cards,
business cards, and even wedding invitations. It’s an affordable
and easy way to do your own printing, the only thing is it is
time consuming to print 100 items. Wouldn’t be so bad if you are
doing just one piece.
If you are in the NYC area, Pearl Paint carries the kit for
about $70.00. If not, they have a web site: http://www.viamall.com/pearl/index.html It may not be listed on
the site, but I know they carry it. So you could probably call
or email them about it. Or try your local craft store. Hope
this helps:)
I would like to know more about the Gocco screen printing
thing.
Actually, i have a sneaky suspicion that it is the same thing as
the Rio Etch Press system that they have mentioned. It is a small
device that was originally used in Japan to make ones own screen
printed greeting cards. It is basically a gadget that is able to
reproduce whatever design you would like onto a photosensitive
(self developing) screen that is about 4"by 5". In addition to the
gadget itself, each screen created requires that you buy the
screen itself and a special flash bulb. The machine itself costs
around 150+ dollars, and each screen+bulb is 10+ dollars. But it
creates a very exact screen that one can use (and reuse) to print
resist onto the metal for etching. Aside from the Rio system, the
only place that I have seen the Gocco for sale was on QVC. Anyone
know of another supplier?
Check the archives for past etching discussions. You can use the
toner from copy machines or laser printers. Do your design on
paper or computer. Copy or print and transfer to the silver with
heat.
Also check out a similar process in an article in MetalSmith
magazine, either last issue, or the one before.
sharpie pens have a type of ink that works as an ascid resist or
so i have heard. also th press on letters called Press Type are
supposed to work as acid resist. Both sound kind of odd but seem
worth looking into. Anyone know for sure? alternatives are
always more intrigueing than the standard answers.
I have observed the Sharpie method, and seen the results of the
PressType resist. Both looked great! The sharpie was used on a
brass plate personalizing recognition awards, and was
unavoidably done at the very last moment. The teacher of an
adult education class I was taking at Memphis College of Art
asked one of the other students in that class (who had lovely
handwriting) to write the message on the brass plate with a
sharpie. This inscription was then carefully darkened by going
back over the lines with the same sharpie. Then immediately
into the ferric cloride, while the second one was started, and
then the third. One of the plates didn’t etch deeply enough the
first time, so the resist area was reapplied, again with
Sharpie. They looked really great, and highly personalized.
They were presented the next morning!
As a result of the class discussion of this, a small section
left over from a piece made (I think) by the head of the metals
area, Richard Prilliman, was brought out. He had used press-on
type, whether of PressType brand or not, I’m not sure. Judging
from the small sample, it is possible to get a quite deep etch.
It looked to my uneducated eye as if a first set of letters was
applied to the copper, etched, cleaned, and another set of
letters laid over the first etching, and etched again. It
looked to me as if there had been at least two such cycles, and
possibly more. The deepest etch made the letters clearly
visable from across the room, even in the somewhat less than
pristine state in which we were shown it. I don’t know if
nitric acid or ferric cloride was used, but it was most likely
FC.
Like I say, they both looked great! (At least to me!)
have used the copier toner as sublimation dyes for textiles
but have not thought of using it as a resist for acid on
metal. I know that this news grp is devoted to jewelry but I
would just love to know more about how toner is used in this
way..
And btw does anyone have the address of aany groups that are
devoted to art? Thanks Barbara