texturing metal

[Goldsmith]

Sandra Tingle asked about texturing metals, on another posting. So I thought it worthwhile mentioning that textures can be achieved by using home made steel punches. This method has been used by chasers for centuries and is a cheap start to texturing. I make my own punches using silver steel rods that I buy from; https://ekpsupplies.com/materials-me...l/cat_141.html ,they sell 13 inch lengths of silversteel rods in various thicknesses. I find the 5mm. diam rods at £1.67 each will give me 3 decent size punches. I file them to shape and add textures to their ends using needle files, then harden and temper them before use.

I also use a Faro hammerhead attachment to my pendant drill, which has changeable screw in hammerheads, that I also shape and add textures to before use.

As examples, this copper sheet was textured using my hammerhead attachment with various texture heads and the silver crest badge was textured using a chasing hammer and home made texture punches.

James

[Goldsmith]

For anyone who does not know the technique of hardening and tempering as used when making punches of shaping scorpers. I prepared this photo tutorial sheet a while back, it shows my method preparing a scorper for use, but the hardening and tempering process is the same one used by me for hardening and tempering chasing tools and texturing punches.

James

[Sandra]

Thank you for posting this information. I've also been searching the Internet for etching but not having much luck finding anything helpful. Would anyone know of a good tutorial or link to good info on the subject?

[mizgeorge]

There are literally hundreds of tutes out there. Search for "etching copper with ferric chloride" as a starting point. You can also use a D cell battery and salt water solution if you prefer, but ferric chloride is so simple that it's hardly worth it. You can use exactly the same techniques for silver, using ferric nitrate.

There are also lots of youtube video tutes, including this one from Andrew Berry (if google is eluding you). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHMmP7wpskI

[Dennis]

Andrew's video suggested by George is pretty comprehensive. Two points he does not elaborate on are:

To reverse writing for this, you print first on plain acetate sheet such as used for overhead projectors. You then turn it back to front, back it with clean white paper and print the reverse image on PnP.

Etch resist pens can be bought from Maplin, or failing them from Intaglio Printmaker London. Dennis.

[LydiaNiz]

a friend of mine is a reptile (and spider) obsessive, so he gives me lots of skins that have been shed - some of them give lovely textures with the rolling mill.
The best has come from one of my own bearded dragon's tummies though ;-)
I'm doing my first silver etching with acetate printing this week, I've only done it by hand with one of the etch resist pens so far, but I want to get handwriting of a (far away) author friend onto on a piece.

[art925]

I convert photos in Photoshop to B&W then transfer the print out to silver. I find photoshop allows me to manipulate the image to a way that suits, invert the image, cut out shapes etc. Rather than heating the acetate from above with an old iron, I heat a slab of steel from beneath add the silver plate then position the acetate for transfer over the silver, then I place another heavy slab of steel over the acetate I find this offers a much cleaner transfer and I have never used pnp. I tried the salt water etch but unfortunately found that acid provides a much cleaner etch.

[Dennis]

Quote: I heat a slab of steel from beneath.

That's a novel way, Les. How do you heat it and how do you know it has reached the desired temperature? What about the top slab: do you heat that too? Regards Dennis.

[art925]

Quote: I heat a slab of steel from beneath.

That's a novel way, Les. How do you heat it and how do you know it has reached the desired temperature? What about the top slab: do you heat that too? Regards Dennis.

Hi Dennis, I have no standard working method, and therefore no tutorial to offer, it is a process still in development, but I find this works better than those discussed in other tutorials online
My base steel plate is 15 x15cm block and place on the smallest gas hob ring for about 5- 10 mins, I guess using an electric hot plate will also work. I have no idea the temperature the block reaches but I use a test piece of silver and off cut of printed acetate to test if it is hot enough for the transfer of the print - then turn off the gas. If the test sample works, I position the working silver usually 10cm x 10cm on the steel slab then position the acetate over the silver as quickly as possible. I find that as the silver draws heat up from the steel the acetate tacks to the silver a lot easier than using an iron from above which for me always melts the acetate. I warm the top steel and use oven gloves to position ontop of the silver and acetate. Here others describe using the back of a spoon to press the ink onto the silver but I find the ink smudges and the pattern is lost. After a few minutes I remove the top steel and place my hot silver to cool on another steel, bottom of a pan or granite work surface. When cooled but not cold I peel the acetate off, leaving the ink on the silver. Any required touch ups are done using a thin permanent marker. Its trail and error but works more times than not.
Just also to note that my printer is a Brother which has also been a bone of contention regarding this method, but it all works for me.

[LydiaNiz]

Interesting, but I have no such steel. I was going to put a *slightly* damp tea towel between iron and acetate, d'you think this would stop it working?