Description: Spring Sprang Sprong, Tue 26th Mar 2024 - At last some colour and life in the garden
illustration (15906) writing (6016) type (582) aegir (6)
I have wanted to try intaglio printing for a long time, since writing about guilloché patterns for my old blog. Because it was how banknotes and certificates were printed it seemed a bit special to me, and I wanted to try it for myself. Now years later I get to have a go. I've made a bit of progress, there's still a lot to learn but I wanted to write down where I'd got to so far.
I'd researched what I needed, and what I could make using what I already had. So, I got a Fome etching press, some brass sheet, a bottle of ferric chloride and citric acid for etching, and already had a laser cutter, paint and other bits I needed.
I made a test image first. It's intaglio printing so I wanted something sort of certificate-ish. I spray painted the brass sheet using black acrylic paint, and used the laser cutter to burn the image into the paint. I then wash the burned paint off and it leaves the brass exposed where I want the image to be, with the rest still covered in paint. Then, into the mix of acids (this mix is called Edinburgh Etch, and saves time and makes a cleaner image). Then, after a while (45 minutes roughly) I clean off the