What can I do with a sheet of brass?

[jille]

I have a sheet of brass (I bought it thinking it wasfoil for glass inclusions), I am wondering what i can do with it. Can i patinate it, enamel it? Combine it with silver? Any suggestions welcome
thanks
Jill

[mizgeorge]

Texture it, cut shapes out of it (I'd use a platinum king blade though), rivet stuff to it, etch it, make stencils for putting through a rolling mill and much more. There are lots of ideas for brass in the Jinks McGrath Directory of Decorative Finishes.

I find it useful for making prototypes where I'd be using gold to get an idea of what the final piece might look like.

[jille]

thanks George, |i had been thinking of buyiing that book anyway so now I'm going to look on Amazon. i recently bought a rolling mil so the thought of stencils to use over and over might be a good one. Are there any examples of how this might look on the forum?

[mizgeorge]

I don't think so, but I'll try to remember to take some. I've etched brass sheet (saltwater and battery technique) to make stencils, and also pierced it (hard work!). They last a long time though.

You need to remember to reverse the image (yes, I did forget on one of them.....)

[jille]

can you tell me more about etching with saltwater and a battery, it sounds interesting

[mizgeorge]

Art Jewelry Magazine - Metals Project: D Battery + Saltwater = Cheap, Acid-Free Etching (http://www.artjewelrymag.com/art/default.aspx?c=a&id=1251)

There are a couple of free tutorials around if you google saltwater etching battery

[Jemart]

This etching technique sounds interesting. Presumably it would not work for silver though?

[daisychain]

The salt water and battery works brilliantly! I've been making texture sheets with my advanced C&G class and they've got some fantastic results. The simplest way of putting a resist on the brass is to use papercraft stickers!

[mizgeorge]

Rub-ons work even better Jo, and there are some really gorgeous images available. Just remember not to use text ones if they're for texturing or to use as stencils for the rolling mill!

[daisychain]

Rub-ons work even better Jo, and there are some really gorgeous images available. Just remember not to use text ones if they're for texturing or to use as stencils for the rolling mill!

The possibilities are endless!! It's so much safer than using nasty chemicals.

[jille]

This is sounding even more interesting, so lets see if I have my head round this...........if I puch out shapes from sticky labels with a craft punch and stick them to the sheet, use the battery technique it will etch the background. How long would this take, and do i have to clean the brass first?
What size battery?
thanks
jille

[ps_bond]

...do i have to clean the brass first?

Yes! Any deposits or tarnish on the metal will impede the etching. A scrub with a bit of Scotchbrite should be plenty, just so long as you get to the bare metal.


What size battery?

It was just a D cell they used in the article IIRC.

[jille]

I didn't know what a D cell was so i looked it up on google, it's one of those fat batteries, that's a non techy discription!
I have just discovered I have some lazer cut stickers, butterflies etc that i can use :) now I need to find a battery holder.

I will want to use the etched brass sheet with my rolling mill so presumably the etching will have to be deep enough to make an impression. How long does it take to etch?

[ps_bond]

I didn't know what a D cell was so i looked it up on google, it's one of those fat batteries, that's a non techy discription!
I have just discovered I have some lazer cut stickers, butterflies etc that i can use :) now I need to find a battery holder.

Ah, sorry!

Here's a battery holder though: D Size Battery Holders : All Products : Maplin (http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=31429)

[CeliaDM]

Oh golly, how wonderful, I have some copper to practise on, can I use a similar etching technique with this? I really don't like the idea of caustic chemicals.

[jille]

I've discovered another way of making a texture sheet for the rolling mill, you probably all know this already but you can gluethick paper onto the metal sheet

texture on metal « Jane Cather Blog (http://janecather.wordpress.com/2010/01/17/texture-on-metal/)

[Dennis]

I have a selection of fabrics. For instance metal put through more than once with nylon net curtaining,but new each time, will have an attractive interference pattern, like waves. That stuff for cross stitch samplers, which comes in various degrees of coarseness makes a plaid-like pattern. The small squares can even be pierced out here and there with a saw. A bonus is that, if the fabric is wrapped around the metal so that you texture both sides together, the metal will be almost perfectly flat.
Here is my formed pendant, with pierced sqares and CZs, patinated.

[Lindyloo]

I found a free tutorial for etching with salt water, but it uses a different battery which has twiddly bits on the top for attching the wires (techincally speaking). So, as I haven't read the Art Magazine tutorial, I am a bit stumped about using the D battery and the battery covers mentioned. I can't see how to attach the wires.


How to Etch a Candy Tin (http://www.squidoo.com/etching-candy-tins)

[ps_bond]

That article is talking about a 6V lantern battery - if you've already got one, don't worry about it. If not, the battery holders from Maplin have solder tags - and that's low temperature solder with a soldering iron, not silver solder!

If you're really scuppered on that, you could gaffer tape the wires to either side of the battery, that can work in a pinch.

[jille]

Dennis i love what you did, I'm a texture freak . i got a reasonably priced rolling mill off the internet, one of the ebay shops and i love it, i'm always looking for something new to put through it.
i enjoyed the youtube viedo as well,

[MuranoSilver]

I have a selection of fabrics. For instance metal put through more than once with nylon net curtaining,but new each time, will have an attractive interference pattern, like waves. That stuff for cross stitch samplers, which comes in various degrees of coarseness makes a plaid-like pattern. The small squares can even be pierced out here and there with a saw. A bonus is that, if the fabric is wrapped around the metal so that you texture both sides together, the metal will be almost perfectly flat.
Here is my formed pendant, with pierced sqares and CZs, patinated.

WOW - Dennis that's fabulous! And the first time in years I've ever been
interested in anything remotely needlework orentated!!
Nic xx

[Jayne]

Wow Dennis, that's pretty spectacular!!
J x

[disorganised]

That's amazing Dennis. Sorry for the newbie question but how do you stop the texture from being destroyed when you form it? Is it just a case of being really careful?

[Lindyloo]

That article is talking about a 6V lantern battery - if you've already got one, don't worry about it. If not, the battery holders from Maplin have solder tags - and that's low temperature solder with a soldering iron, not silver solder!

If you're really scuppered on that, you could gaffer tape the wires to either side of the battery, that can work in a pinch.

Thanks for that Peter. I assume you mean wire at either end of the battery, is that right? I haven't got a soldering iron, but I guess I could try and borrow one.

I have bought that same rolling mill on ebay, and look forward to doing lovely textures like yours Dennis.

[Dennis]

That's amazing Dennis. Sorry for the newbie question but how do you stop the texture from being destroyed when you form it? Is it just a case of being really careful?

The pendant was made in two haves in the hydraulic press, using a Perspex die. The metal was not allowed to bottom out, so the texture was never in danger.
You can also dome textured disks in doming blocks, preferably brass or wood, using a wooden punch and a leather mallet and not whacking too hard. In addition the disks can have some paper applied with Pritt stick to protect the texture.
Textures are a little less sharp with every heating, so they are heated gently from behind for annealing and soldering.