Etching Tutorial: a Step by Step Guide to the Etching Process:
Tools and Materials> Preparing a Plate> Applying the Ground> Transfer Art> Working Plate> Etching> Inking and Printing
Etching the Plate:
Now that the plate has been worked, it needs to be put in an acid bath. That's right, a bath of acid! The acid will eat (etch) the exposed / partially exposed areas into the plate. The length of time the plate has to spend in the acid bath is dependent on how strong the acid is or how deep you want the line. With soft ground and aquatint you can very times to get lighter or darker shades. You can take the plate out at intervals and add more hard ground or stop out varnish to areas of the plate you no longer wish to be exposed; making the area lighter than the areas exposed to the acid longer.
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..... | The Acid Box: | |||
An acid box is essential. The etching process can produce some very nasty fumes. I made mine from an old kitchen cabinet (luckily my friend remodeled his kitchen). I cut a whole in the top; added a bathroom fan and a vent to the window. I blocked off the window except for the fan hole. |
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| 1. The plate in the acid bath. The acid is nitric acid, the tray is glass. | 2. Bubbles may form on the surface of the plate. Use a feather to brush them off from time to time as bubbles can interfere and make your lines less clean. | ||||
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