Printmaking: Etching
There are many different ways of creating an etching and after experimenting you
tend to find the right way for you and your work.
Steel is the most common material as it is the cheapest, but you can also use copper and zink plates.
Please note that etchings should be created in an supervised printmaking workshop
as acid baths and other chemicals require experienced hands and can be both dangerous and flammable.
See also:
Preparing paper for Intaglio Printing
Inking and wiping the plate
The Etching Process:
1. The edges of the etching plate must first be filed down to about 45 degrees to avoid damaging the
paper and the press.
2. The plate must then be cleaned to remove all grease and dirt.
(to make sure that different ground can be applied properly and to
remove finger prints or other grease you do not want to be etched into the plate.)
3. Acid resistant grounds are then applied to the plate to protect the areas not to be etched.
With softground almost any texture can be pressed into the plate,
while the hardground is much better for creating sharp lines.
4. The design is then transferred, carved, drawn, scratched, pressed or painted on to the plate.
5. When the design is finished, the back of the plate need to be sealed and should be covered it large strips of brown tape.
6. The plate is then put in an acid bath where the image you have engraved will be etched into the plate.
Etching time depends on the strength of the acid or how deep you would like the etched areas to be.
7. The plate is ready to be printed after you have removed the ground with some white spirits.
8. A scraper or burnisher can be used afterwards to lighten areas in the plate.
Tips: Use some oil or vaseline when polishing with the burnisher.
If you would want more variation of tones in the print you may want to use Aquatint
This is a thin layer of powered resin particles which is dusted onto the surface of the plate.
The acid etches the area surrounding the dust particles and tones are created depending of the length of bite.
Stopout is an acid resistant liquid used to paint the areas you want to keep as they are.
It is applied before biting to create the whites in the image.
To get a more painted image from the plate you can use Sugarlift.
This is a sugar mix which is painted onto the plate and is dissolved in hot water.
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