I do sand casting at times because I like the texture I can get. But I'd like another way to get that texture on sterling sheet without having to sand cast. Does anyone have tricks / tips that work well? Anything you can use will a rolling mill? Any ideas would be great.
Take two sheets of fairly coarse sand paper, layer them abrasive out.
Sandwich that between two sheets of metal, so the silver forms the
“bread” for the abrasive fillings. Run this combination through a
rolling mill, and you’ll have roll printed a nice sandpaper texture
much like a sandcast surface, into your two pieces of metal. Other
more subtle textures can also be done by rolling printing. Even just
paper itself gives an attractive texture. Oddly, glassine or
onionskin papers give more texture than you’d expect, more even than
ordinary typing paper. Manila folder stock is also interesting.
Always of course, have metal on both sides of what you’re roll
printing. It’s surprising, but even paper, under enough pressure,
can leave a mark on a rolling mill. To do both sides of sheet stock,
three pieces of metal, and two pieces of sand paper or whatever
you’re using. The center piece of metal gets textured on both sides,
and the two sides don’t have to be the same texture if you like. The
outside sheets of metal get a different texture on one side. Even
that back side of the sand paper can leave an intersting texture…
Experiment, experiment, experiment…
Peter