Benjamin + Galvanography = AWESOME
I've been etching brass, for the most part, using a combination of hydrogen peroxide and muriatic acid (which is basically just hydrochloric acid diluted with water). It's effective but slow, noxious, and a monstrous pain to work with. Since I began etching I've read about something called galvanic, or electrolytic, etching and thought, "One day... one day I'll try that!" Good Friday 2010 was that day.
It's basically this: you get a power source (a DC battery, or what I used: a laboratory power source with adjustable amp and volt meters), a bucket of solution, some wires, and some brass plates (one with your image on it). I threw it all together, read the online information, and pushed the ON button.
The short version is this: acid etching takes one to two hours, thins the plate on the front and the back, and often discolors the metal. Galv-etching takes about forty minutes, removes metal from only one side of the plate, and leaves the finished plate looking shinier than when it first arrived in the box. Also the solution is reusable, where the acid etching really isn't. It's just fantastic. The depth of the etch is such that I can now envision making custom prints.
You've been warned.
~Benjamin
P.S. To learn more about the history of electrolytic etching, visit Etching Without Acid.
Galv-Etch, Plate & Solution
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Galv-Etch Set-Up
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Galv-Etch Detail
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Brass Self Portrait 2, No Paint
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Brass Self Portrait 2, No Paint Detail
I've been etching brass, for the most part, using a combination of hydrogen peroxide and muriatic acid (which is basically just hydrochloric acid diluted with water). It's effective but slow, noxious, and a monstrous pain to work with. Since I began etching I've read about something called galvanic, or electrolytic, etching and thought, "One day... one day I'll try that!" Good Friday 2010 was that day.
It's basically this: you get a power source (a DC battery, or what I used: a laboratory power source with adjustable amp and volt meters), a bucket of solution, some wires, and some brass plates (one with your image on it). I threw it all together, read the online information, and pushed the ON button.
The short version is this: acid etching takes one to two hours, thins the plate on the front and the back, and often discolors the metal. Galv-etching takes about forty minutes, removes metal from only one side of the plate, and leaves the finished plate looking shinier than when it first arrived in the box. Also the solution is reusable, where the acid etching really isn't. It's just fantastic. The depth of the etch is such that I can now envision making custom prints.
You've been warned.
~Benjamin
P.S. To learn more about the history of electrolytic etching, visit Etching Without Acid.
Galv-Etch, Plate & Solution
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Galv-Etch Set-Up
-----
Galv-Etch Detail
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Brass Self Portrait 2, No Paint
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Brass Self Portrait 2, No Paint Detail