I think he was hoping to find an alternative where we could use his
super dooper inkjet printer - maybe the Image-on system would suit,
as suggested by Vera.
That appears to be a regular photoresist, and certainly would work.
You can even get fancy and do things like half-tone images.
There is a wide variety of photoresists available, including
spray-on films that would “fit” any object. Look for printed circuit
board supplies.
Looking at the specs, it might not be ideal. They recommend drying
at 70 degrees C for 15 minutes, in the dark. When I ran a small PC
lab years ago, we sprayed with a paint gun in a semi-clean room,
filtered air at positive pressure to keep out the dust that causes
pinholes. http://www.rapidonline.com/netalogue/specs/87-0705t.pdf
Lots of possibilities.
Gee, I wonder if you could convert the outer surface of a silver
piece to silver halide and expose it directly .
you need to be sure you use a laser printer/copier. so yes, if
you’ve another form of ink, it’s the problem. also be sure that
you’re printing the ink onto the emulsion (non-glossy) side of your
Pnp sheet.
Frank, Thanks for the thinktink source. I’m not sure I’ll ever need
quantities that large. It takes me quite a while to use 2 square
feet. I believe Imag-on and Puretech are interchangeable, although I
haven’t tried Puretech. I think I will try it next, just so I will
know.
I will describe my basic exposure setup that I use for Imag-on. I
work in a small bathroom with a yellow bug light in the overhead
fixture.
I cut out a piece of resist material the size of my metal and spray
the metal with water and use a small soft silicon kitchen spatula as
a squeegee to stroke the surface. When the Imag-on has adhered I dry
it with a hairdryer. I then sandwich the metal and a thin piece of
soft foam material between two pieces of clear acrylic and secure
with 2 jumbo binder clips. I put it face up in my exposure box.
The exposure box is a bankers box from Staples which is a sturdy box
with a lid. I cut a 6" hole in the lid. The light source is a
250-watt equivalent CFL fluorescent bulb screwed into a reflector
lamp with an aluminum shade http://www.jaykang.com/reliwcl8alsh.html.
The light sits on top of the box and shines down into the hole. (I
also use the box to store everything.)
I turn on the light, time it for 3 minutes and 15 seconds, take the
art out and develop it for 9 minutes. The developing solution is
water and washing soda. I hold the processed piece under running
water to rinse away the unhardened resist, spray with vinegar, rinse
again. and dry with a hairdryer.
I have noticed that some web info suggests using sunlight. I like my
exposure box because it gives me constant exposure time and works at
night and in the rain. Very dependable.
Also, suggestions for more complicated ways of holding the art in
contact with the resist may be necessary when you are doing large
pieces, but for jewelry-size pieces the acrylic sandwich with jumbo
binder clips does the job. No point in getting crazy!
And one last thought, the advantage of this resist is not only that
it holds up much longer in the etching bath (both acid and
electo-etch) but you also get significantly finer detail than with
PnP. I have artwork for an earring that is so different when it is
etched after PnP and Imag-on that it is now two different earring
styles!
Yes, that's the stuff, Helen. I haven't tried it yet, as it looks
like a pain to apply and PnP works for me.
Yes, PnP works for me too, but it is somewhat of a pain. I am
looking for an alternative to try, just to see whether it’s easier
and cheaper, and then I’ll be in a better position to take my pick of
techniques. Thanks for your input.
That appears to be a regular photoresist, and certainly would
work. You can even get fancy and do things like half-tone images.
There is a wide variety of photoresists available, including
spray-on films that would "fit" any object. Look for printed
circuit board supplies.
Sounds interesting. I’ve often wanted to etch a D-profile ring shank
for example. How would I do that using a spray-on resist? Presumably
I’d have to make some sort of stencil or something like that? That
sounds infinitely impractical, unless I’ve got the wrong end of the
stick. I can’t think of a way to neatly etch a 3D object, but would
be very happy to hear of suitable methods.
Or would the best way be to somehow iron on the PnP image around the
D- profile wire when it’s flat, and then bend the wire around a ring
mandrel, hammering with a nylon/hide mallet so as not to damage the
pattern, prior to soldering?
Sounds interesting. I've often wanted to etch a D-profile ring
shank for example. How would I do that using a spray-on resist?
Presumably I'd have to make some sort of stencil or something like
that?
It would be fun to play with. If you work in a darkroom, you could
even project an image on the object. The photoresists I’ve worked
with (and this is (Gads! 35 years) out of date) were nowhere near as
sensitive as photo film, and the only projected image application
I’ve seen (an experiment at Eastman Kodak) used an arc lamp
projector.
If you work in a darkroom, you could even project an image on the
object.
Interesting idea - hubby’s actually just built a darkroom in his
photography studio!
Oh btw, when you mentioned the other day whether or not you could
convert a silver surface to a silver halide and expose directly,
I’ve often wondered the same thing myself - but obviously I don’t
know the answer. It’d be very interesting to find out some day.