etching negatives onto Bronze or other metals?

[Peter York]

Hi all,

I am quite interested in printing/etching on metal, either as an end in itself or as a way to make ink prints. Yet I am completely ignorant of the process. Are there some books or online resources I can consult? Thanks.

[Laura_Campbell]

I recommend "Printmaking With Photopolymer Plates" by Dianne Longley. Takach Press in Albuquerque carries it. Also, Aaron Bass at Takach Press is a wealth of information. He was very helpful to me when I was learning the process.

http://takachpress.com

There is a bit of a learning curve with these plates. The most important piece of equipment besides the etching press, is the plate burner with a good vacuum frame. Starting with the right equipment can really expedite the learning process.

[AF-ULF]

I saw the same Mythbusters a few years ago. On the Mythbuster's website they had a bit more information on the process used. I made quite a few plates using circuit boards and ferric chloride, which is what they used on Mythbusters. It is actually pretty easy to do. The problem with using negatives and circuit boards is that the process only covers about one stop. I scanned my negatives and then converted into a line drawing in photoshop and printed out the line drawing on overhead film. I then printed on the board according to the instructions for the boards. Circuit boards come photosensitive or not. Just google instructions on how to etch a circuit board and you will find plenty of examples on how to do the process. If you just want to play with the process, Radio Shack should have the supplies you need.