I use 16 gauge copper plate (1/16th inch) which comes in 500 mm x 1000 mm sheets polished on one side and covered with a plastic protective sheet.
The modern table top press is now capable of printing etchings that match those done on heavy studio press (at least for small plates) and so there is now no reason why even the printing cannot be done at home!Īll Saints street etching – copper plate before inking up Virtually everything apart from the printing can be done at home with suitable care and little space. The techniques I describe here are traditional methods adapted and modified to a modern domestic environment. The two etching techniques I employ are Hard Ground (the most basic form of etching) and Soft Ground. It can also be steel-faced to last almost indefinitely. Copper is much denser and less brittle and will yield more prints. Zinc is often used as a starter metal for students as it is relatively cheap and easy to work. Most metals can be used for the etching plate although the most common are Zinc and copper. This allows a fluidity of mark and in the hands of an expert a almost infinite degree of control The depth of each line can be controlled by the acid and so can hold as much or as little ink as is required to achieve the desired tone. One suggestion is knights falling on soft ground would have left an impression of the patterns on their armour.Įtching differs from engraving mainly in that acid does the work of removing the metal. The incised lines would have often been filled to darken them and from this it would have been a short step to transferring the image to cloth or paper. The techniques of etching and engraving are believed to have originated in Medieval times as a means of decorating armour and metal.