ETCHING

MATERIALS

- Etch plate (zinc, copper)
- File
- Sanding paper (different coarseness)
- Metal polish
- Polishing cloth
- Etching ground (example Carbonnel - don't have to warm it up) or wax
- Flat brushes
- Cover polish
- Biotex
- Old news papers
- Water
- Nitric acid
- Etching ink
- Etching paper
- Etching press
- Etch pen/dip pen

INTERVENTIONS

- Play with polishing the etch plate
- Play with different concentrations nitric acid
- How long the etch plate is in the nitric acid bath
- Use other materials than wax to protect the etch plate
- Use other material than metal for an etch plate
- Put the etch plate in a different kind of bath
- Try to get structures in the etch plate
- Play with ways to make the etch plate oily and see what happens
- Not focus on the print making, but using etching to design metal (or other material) objects

STEP-BY-STEP

- Cut/saw the etch plate in the size you want

- File the edges to protect the paper and yourself

- Polish the plate by rubbing sanding paper over it; make it as fine as you want by using different coarsenesses

- Get rid of all the oil on the plate; do this by rubbing it in with Biotex (If the etch plate is not oil free - the etch ground will not attach properly and will probably let go during the process)

- Apply a layer of etching ground or wax on the etch plate; let it dry

- Apply a layer of covering polish to the back of the etch plate; let it dry

- Draw in the layer of the etching ground or wax with an etch pen or dip pen; this way you remove the layer and our design is set

- Put the etch plate in the diluted nitric acid bath; let it sit for as long you want


The nitric acid will react to the metal and start engraving the etch lines deeper. So your drawing/design will be engraved in the etch plate.


- Take the etch plate out of the bath

- Remove the wax/etching ground off of the etch plate

- Smear the etch plate full with ink

- Remove the ink from the surface with news papers following with the ball of your hand


Etching prints have to be printed on an etching press. When printing an etching the paper must be pre wet in a water bath for a period of time then patted dry with a towel. A registration or ‘rego’ sheet is used to ensure that the print is printed with the correct placement on the paper. The rego sheet has an outline of the etching plate and the paper to be printed on. It lies on the press bed under where the plate and paper are positioned.


- Once all the ink is removed place the etch plate face up on the press bed

- Lay the paper carefully on top


The felt blankets sit on top to distribute the pressure as the plate moves through the rollers. The pressure applied by an etching press is immense and great care should be taken throughout this process. The plate is moved under the rollers once and then the print can be removed from the other side. Prints are ideally left to dry between two boards. To print another image, the plate must be re-inked and the printing process completed all over again.

SOURCES

https://www.instructables.com/Copper-Plate-Etching/

https://www.dutchpainter.nl/tekenen-en-schilderen/23-druktechnieken/60-etsplaat-klaar-voor-gebruik-maken?showall=1#:~:text=Benodigdheden%20voor%20het%20etsenOm,mee%2C%20maar%20ook%20iets%20duurder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5gpit12goo

https://www.ironbridgeframing.co.uk/printmaking/intaglio-printmaking-techniques/intaglio-etching/

http://www.patriciapayneart.com/processes/

http://markmillmore.com/articles-essays-mark-millmore/the-etching-process-by-mark-millmore/

rembrandt

https://uwm.edu/studentinvolvement/event/intaglio-etching-2/

https://blog.hahnemuehle.com/en/etching-on-hahnemuehle-paper/