{"id":97,"date":"2020-12-19T04:59:33","date_gmt":"2020-12-19T04:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/techarthistoryactivities\/?page_id=97"},"modified":"2020-12-22T04:48:12","modified_gmt":"2020-12-22T04:48:12","slug":"etching-workshop-directions-and-tips","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/techarthistoryactivities\/etching-workshop-directions-and-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Etching Workshop Directions and Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Before Class:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Have metal plates already covered in asphaltum before class begins, as it will take 2-3 days to dry.<\/li><li>Have students prepare a design before class<\/li><li>Lay down newspaper to protect work surfaces<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Find a plate and bevel the edges<\/li><li>Coat a zinc plate with asphaltum<\/li><li>Etch a design into the asphaltum so that you can see some of the zinc, but do not etch into the zinc plate<\/li><li>Make a nitric acid and water solution that is about 1:5- (acid to water ratio). <ul><li>When making the solution, add the acid to the water to prevent unnecessary chemical reactions<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Place the plate in the acid solution for 5-10 minutes (in this activity we were doing a medium to fast process). While the plate is in the solution, circulate the solution to prevent bubbles from sitting on plate as this would cause inconsistencies in etching<\/li><li>Take the plate out of the solution and wash thoroughly with water<\/li><li>Prepare animal bedding in container<\/li><li>In a well-ventilated area, pour mineral spirits on the plate over the container with animal bedding<\/li><li>Use a cloth, animal bedding pieces, or other absorbent material to completely remove the asphaltum- be careful with sharp pieces that may scratch or damage the plate<\/li><li>Prepare the ink- the ink used in class was black, blue, and brown but other colors are acceptable as well<\/li><li>Smooth the ink over the plate until each line is filled<\/li><li>Remove excess ink from the surface- depending on how deep your incisions are you will either use a card to scrape off ink or use a q-tip to gently wipe off areas you don\u2019t want saturated with ink<\/li><li>Place the plate on a piece of paper and run the paper and plate through a press<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Tips:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Wear apron or messy clothes that you do not care about when doing this workshop.<\/li><li>Have gloves and eye protection ready.<\/li><li>Always add acid to water! (You may use tap water )<\/li><li>Rate of reaction tips:<ul><li>1:5 ratio of acid to water<\/li><li>1:3 for faster etch (thick lines)<\/li><li>1:7 for slower etch (delicate lines)<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>You only need to scratch through asphaltum. (the acid will etch the metal for you)<\/li><li>Simple, linear\/abstract designs are easier to etch.<\/li><li>Shake the ink to mix the pigments as they may have settled to the bottom in storage.<\/li><li>Thin lines will hold the ink better.<\/li><li>To shade, make use of cross-hatching technique.<\/li><li>You can manipulate how your design will turn out by using a q-tip to take away or add more ink to a desired area. This will create highlights and shadows, respectfully.<\/li><li> Be mindful of how ink application will affect print (plate edges, plate tinting, etc.)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Helpful website: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moma.org\/interactives\/projects\/2001\/whatisaprint\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.moma.org\/interactives\/projects\/2001\/whatisaprint\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Safety:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Bevel the zinc plate prior to etching to prevent sharp corners.<\/li><li> Wear apron or alternative clothing protection to protect against ink stains or chemical spillage.<\/li><li>Handle needle-tool as if they were scissors, keep point away from bodies.<\/li><li>In case of acid gets on skin rinse affected area for at least 15 minutes<\/li><li>Have an acid spill kit available during workshop<\/li><li> Wear non-porous gloves when handling acid or acid-soaked plates.<\/li><li>Add the acid INTO a water pan in order to avoid superheating the liquid.<\/li><li>Do not ingest, inhale, or soak in the acid solution.<\/li><li>Do not overexpose yourself or others to mineral spirit.<\/li><li>Wear non-porous gloves while working with the mineral spirit.<\/li><li>Handle in a well-ventilated area, such as the outdoors.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Before Class: Have metal plates already covered in asphaltum before class begins, as it will take 2-3 days to dry.&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6982,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-97","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/techarthistoryactivities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/97","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/techarthistoryactivities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/techarthistoryactivities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/techarthistoryactivities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6982"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/techarthistoryactivities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/techarthistoryactivities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/97\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":234,"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/techarthistoryactivities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/97\/revisions\/234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/techarthistoryactivities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}