[Jewelry making - Article 00420] - Re: [Orchid] Photoetching

[Rene Roberts]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

    I've been photoetching with considerable detail using ImagOn Ultra.
    It's a material developed for printmakers and is available from
    Daniel Smith. They also sell a book by printmaker Keith Howard on how
    to use the stuff. I was using PnP, but consider ImagOn to be far
    superior in its ability to capture detail and it's resistance to
    etchants.   

    ImagOn is an emulsion-coated film that is applied to wet metal and
    then dried with a hairdryer. The emulsion is exposed with a UV light
    source (I use a 500W quartz halogen lamp from the hardware store) and
    then developed in sodium carbonate (washing soda, a common laundry
    water softener). Vinegar is used as a stop. The resist is very tough
    and can capture amazing detail.  The beauty of ImagOn is that it's
    low tech and non toxic.  Also, it's not as light sensitive as some
    other photosensitive materials, and you can work in a room with an
    ordinary low watt light bulb. You also have some time to reposition
    the wet film to get out bubbles and so forth, as you're applying it. 

    Photographic negatives will need to be exposed using some kind of a
    half tone screen, though, if you're looking to capture detail in the
    grays. The kind of screening you use will depend on what your final
    application is. If you're etching very deeply like for a roll
    printing plate, you'll need a coarser screen than if you are etching
    delicate shallow lines. I do all of my screening in Photoshop, and
    then print on overhead transparency film to make the negative. I'm
    doing very deep etching on 16ga copper, for enameling.  

Rene Roberts
sunhotmoon AT mcn.org

____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________