Disaster Preparation Littleton Nh

Preparing For Etching Class

I met Beth and Fiona in the studio a couple of days ago to talk and test out a few things for the up-coming etching class.

The class is 3 sessions, 3 hours long, starting on Oct 23, 2009. Brass or copper can be etched using this method and the etched metal can be used as components for jewelry, or, the brass plates can be used in the rolling mill to print on another softer metal. Resists are used to create designs. The portion of the metal that is covered with the resists “resists” being etched. The class will concentrate on three types of resists. The first is permanent marker (Sharpie), the second is cut-outs (using contact paper), and the third is PnP (Press N Peel) paper.  Sharpie and cut-outs are your own designs, and PnP paper can transfer your own designs OR designs from your computer or other media (no copyright infringement, of course).

We wanted to test the etchant since Beth had recently purchased some new ferric chloride (a gallon). We decided to do the Sharpie and the cut-out resists.  We’ll also make sure the iron we have works to transfer the PnP design onto the metal.

We cut some squares of brass and copper (18 gauge).  The metal was cleaned with a paste of pumice and water.  Contact paper was used to back the metal (whatever is not covered is etched). We used scissors to make our cut-outs in the contact paper (Exacto knives will be used in class) and Sharpies for drawing.  Zentangle was still fresh in our heads from the class we took, so we drew a few “tangles” (for more information on Zentangle see www.zentangle.com ).

Often I check the depth of the etch by rubbing my finger (gloved) over the metal. I knew, but had forgotten, that this action also does a good job of removing the not-permanent-in-ferric-chloride permanent marker from the metal. It’s something to remember for the class.

We did have a little trouble keeping the bubbler from bobbing.  We had this idea of using a vise grip to weigh it down. It didn’t seem so precarious in real life, but in this picture it looks top-heavy.  This bucket falling over would be a nasty disaster.  I’ll have to think of something else. (Notice some of the cool postcards in the background that we got from other Orchidians!) (And notice Fiona eagerly “watching the pot”.

Congressional Record, V. 150, Pt. 9, June 2, 2004 to June 16, 2004

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