How Do You Do Metal Acid Etching?
Etching metal with acid produces interesting artistic effects, with the finished piece displaying a varied and complicated topography, thanks to the acid’s ability to eat away at metal. Metal acid etching is the process of fixing a design or picture on metal with heat-fused ink and submerging the metal in an acid bath. The acid eats away at any exposed metal and leaves intact the metal covered by the ink. The result is a raised design and receded background, as the acid eats the background away. Acid etching is a fairly simple process that needs no special tools but that produces a very professional artistic piece. Select a sharp, black and white picture to etch on to the brass plate and print it with a laser printer set on its darkest, best-quality setting on glassy ink-jet paper. Clean the brass with alcohol to remove any coating or dirt and position the picture ink side down on the metal. Press and hold an iron on its hottest setting for approximately five minutes to the back of the
