Copper Sheet Etching

4 start your etch.

Copper sheet etching.

Brass or copper to etch. I love the resulting detail. These are fun to etch but i advise starting with something smaller. The time for etching will depend on the levels of temperatures and the thickness of the copper sheet.

I was looking a while for a good set of instructions for electric copper etching and found a quite good instruction at jake von slatts steampunkworkshop and decided to refine it a bit and create an own instruction set in german. Then put the sheet with the print towards the copper on the plate and apply it with high. You can also find brass bracelet blanks. Before you wear them make sure to prepare the copper sheet you will be etching first.

5 rinse clean inspect the pcb. Firstly make sure you re wearing safety glasses and wearing appropriate gloves to protect yourself from any spillages of the acidic solution you ll be using. A computer directs this laser to follow the cutting line provided in your digital design. Safety first when learning how to acid etch copper sheet it s best to follow some basic safety steps to avoid the possibility of injury.

Now that you have the blank copper sheet set the next step is to choose a design and put it in a resist either through cutting or printing. After this check the traces remove any unwanted copper between the traces using a scratch pen. First invented simply as a method of replicating an image intaglio printmaking has evolved over centuries into an art form in it s own right. For example punching in the stamping process can cause deformation especially with smaller and or numerous apertures.

Buff the surface with steel wool once the etchant has been neutralized and rinsed away. I highly recommend stamping blanks unless you have a trusty pair of metal shears and a metal hole puncher. Create patina for your beads. The high precision laser vaporizes a cut line through the copper leaving a 90 degree high quality cut edge finish.

Because copper is a softer metal some sheet metal fabrication processes may compromise the structure of the part. You can cut your own pieces from copper sheet or purchase pre cut brass or copper stamping blanks. Clean and dry it thoroughly to remove any residue that might inhibit the etching process. Place the cu clads in the ferric chloride fecl3 solution for around 5 8 minutes.

Copper plate etching is a traditional form of printmaking that delivers beautifully crisp line work and a wonderfully unique aesthetic. 8 steps to copper etching.