The Gem and Jewelry World's foremost Resource
on The Internet. Open to the public, Free of Charge! We are here to build a strong pool of
information for the benefit of Web's jewelers and craftsmen - and those
interested in jewelry and gemstones.
Metalsmiths and enamelists have used ferric chloride for several years as a safer alternative to nitric acid for copper and brass etching purposes. Although it is generally thought of as etching with an acid, ferric chloride is actually a salt. Etching and resist removal solutions recently developed by Friedhard Kiekeben have greatly improved the process and final product, as well as safety, cost and simplicity.
This article summarizes my experiences with these exciting methods for etching metal and removing resists. I have also included my own observations as well as an overview of the etching process, resists, equipment and materials necessary.... (2004) Complete Story
The book is based on a workshop for beginners given by the author some years ago called 'The Second Coat'. The publisher limited the book to 64 pages and wanted step-by-step projects. Since the book is about enameling and not metal working, the publisher also insisted on projects with pre-cut or pre-formed copper. Of course, there is no reason readers cannot cut and fabricate their own metal shapes, or use silver instead of copper for most of the projects.... (2005) Complete Story
This book is profoundly logical, extremely obvious and demystifying. The book and it's content presents more relevant information about glass on metal than has ever been put into print in a single volume.... (2005) Complete Story
The use of PnP paper-originally designed to create printed circuit boards-to meet the artistic needs of metalsmiths, jewelers, and enamelists. With results similar to photo etching, but without the expense and more complex procedures, the heat transfer method using PnP has revolutionized the world of artistic etching. Now, the procedure is not only used throughout the USA, but also in many other parts of the world... (2001) Complete Story
After experimenting with the various techniques of enameling I decided that champleve jewelry best suited my interests. Being very familiar with the usual etching methods of scoring the metal, I thought the process was rather cumbersome and in some instances lacking in precision. As an engineer I was familiar with the machining of metals and acquired a small milling machine to score the metal for champleve enameling.... (2004) Complete Story
