Sunday, June 26, 2011

Metal Etching

In the recent issues of Belle Armoire Jewelry, there have been a of couple articles on copper etching and I couldn't wait to try it.
The photo on the left was in the Summer issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry, article by Lynn Stevens. The item on the right is my attempt at this project.  I bought the brass and metal sheets (26 gauge from Otto Frei). You also need ferric chloride, which I found at an electronic store in Berkeley. Here are some of my steps.
Stamp with StazOn ink. The sheet on the left is brass, the sheet on the right is copper.
Keep the ferric chloride in the garage with the other household chemicals. Suspend your metal in a plastic tray in the ferric chloride. 3 hours later you wash with baking soda and water and it's done.

Below is another project I did - a mini book inspired by Janet Loomis in the Spring issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry.
I found it's not easy to stamp on metal, it's very slippery. They have this product called StazOn remover that easily removes your image, which I must have done about 6 times before I got a clean image. And working with the ferric chloride is kinda scary - something that can eat away at metal is strong stuff, but it works! I like working with small pieces the best.

4 comments:

  1. Beautiful work as usual...especially love the mini book pendant necklace! F

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  2. Hi Connie,
    It looks great, Isn't it fun to play with the metal etching.
    I'm a new fan of yours too. Do you have a followers list? If not I'll put you in my favs!
    Hugs Lynn

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  3. Your metal etchings turned out great! Thanks for explaining the process and your experience using this technique. I love the rustic look to the pieces, especially the mini book.

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  4. thanks for sharing this project w/ us. the final piece looks fab. appreciate the caution as well.
    will have to give it a try..you rock, girl

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