Printmaking Tips
Gay Malin's Sculpture and Printmaking
About
I owe a debt a gratitude to all the printmakers who were kind enough to share their tips freely in person, on the web, and on the printmaking list forum. To connect up with some of these fine folks, please go to my Printmaking Links . If you would like to add some tips of your own, please e-mail me and I will add them and credit you. Where to buy ferric chloride cheaply and avoid that whopping hazard shipping fee Where to buy copper cheaply for intaglio Translating gauges and ounces Contact Paper Resist How to make a container for odd sized plates How to raise copper plate in a ferric bath How to soak a large piece of paper Positive plates for photographs, etc. How to build your own exposure unit The aquatint screen Magnets are great! Non-toxic tips Drying Embossments Back to Falling Into Life Trip tych Where to buy ferric chloride cheaply and avoid that whopping hazard shipping fee Try your local electronics store. It is used to etch copper circuit boards. Where I live in upstate NY I was able to find it for only $13.70 a gallon. I find that it works wonderfully well. Most Radio Shack's carry it , but it is hard to find it in other than pint sizes from them. Back to top Where to buy copper cheaply for intaglio I was able to find copper inexpensively at a local roofing supply store. It was sold in a 3 foot by 8 foot sheet. Cutting charges are usually about a dollar a cut unless you have access to a university or college or metal fabrication shop where you can cut it yourself. You could also use a metal blade on a saber saw but it is neater and cleaner to have it cut by guillotine. An important tip: check out several roofing suppliers...I found that the price varied enormously. It always depends on the price of copper on the world market at any given time, so it depends when the supplier last bought it and also how much profit they wish to make. I bought a 3 x 8 sheet of 20 ounce for $45 last time. Back to top Translating gauges and ounces Printmaking suppliers sell copper by the gauge: Roofing suppliers sell it by the ounce. Here are the equivalents: 16 gauge =36 oz 18 gauge=30 oz 20 gauge=24 oz 22 gauge=18 oz Roofing supply places have either 16 or 20 oz and mine is 20 oz which is heavier. It is equivalent to .032. I have made plates 15 x 18 without any problems, even with deep cuts, aquatint and purposeful creve. Back to top Contact Paper Resist Plates that are to be etched need to have a resist on the back so the etchant doesn't eat through the metal.The easiest and neatest way to provide a permanent resist for the back of your copper plates is to cover them with contact paper. The be