Photo Etching Copper

Photo etching paper- £3 for A3

• clean plate thoroughly with 1200 wet & dry paper
• spray with water
• cut etching paper to size
• peel off back sheet of acetate so paper sticks to copper plate
• roll away bubbles and excess water
• leave to cure in light-proof box

 When copper has cured:

• get image (printed onto acetate) and place onto light box
• arrange copper face down over image
• set the light box for 12 units
• put back into light-proof box

When etching:

• 1 litre of warm water
• 1 tablespoon of sodium bicarbonate (do not get any water into s.b tub)
• leave in for approx. 9 minutes (keep in dark), gently rub off image
• stop with white vinegar
• expose in light box to harden film for 30 units
• put stop-out varnish over places you do not want etched (edges etc)- use white spirit to thin down varnish if too thick
• place into ferric chloride containers for 40 minutes- attach tape to back so can use as handle to lever out 

To remove the blue film:

• place in 1 litre of warm water and 9 tablespoons of sodium bicarbonate
• use white spirit to remove the varnish
• place back into the bicarbonate solution to remove the under layer of blue film 

 

This was my first attempt at photo etching and because the first sodium bicarbonate solution had not removed all of the blue film, it meant that some areas did not etch at all.

 

I then redid this plate and it turned out much better!

After the photo etching process was done, I used a scribe and hammer to punch marks into the soldier's helmets and into their belts. I then used liver of sulfur to oxidize my plate and then sanded it back.