ETCHING FOR ARTISTS

AND HACKERS

Kyle Geske

SkullSpace Hack-a-Thon

April 2011

ETCHING

The process of using corrosive chemicals to cut into the

unprotected parts of an object’s surface.

The process has been around for hundreds of years and

has both artistic and industrial uses.

Mankind

has always

strived to

leave

permanent

marks upon

the world.

THE ISHANGO BONE

A 20,000 year old baboon fibula with a piece of quartz

affixed to one end. The bone is covered with the markings of

a tally stick. Was the quartz perhaps used for engraving?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishango_bone

ENGRAVING

The practice of incising a

design on to a hard,

usually flat surface, by

cutting grooves into it.

In ancient times coins

were manufactured using

hand-engraved dies.

European goldsmiths in

the Middle Ages used

engraving to decorate and

inscribe armour, weapons,

jewelery, and other metal

work.

To preserve and

catalogue their

designs, goldsmiths

would make “prints”

of their work by

taking impressions

using cloth or paper

with charcoal and

ink.

With the arrival of the

printing press in

Europe in the early

1400s, the engraving of

metal plates to produce

images on paper came

into its own.

Many early engravers

came from a goldsmithing

background.

Albrecht Dürer.

The Knight, Death and the Devil c. 1513

Albrecht Dürer.

(Detail) The Knight, Death and the Devil c. 1513

Copperplate Engravings

Stanley William Hayter

Wrestling Angels c. 1950

Torero c. 1932

Allan Geske - Copper plate Engraving

Allan Geske. Two Engravings c. 2005-2010

http://allangeske.ca

CHEMICAL ETCHING

Acids had been known

to man since the time of

the ancient Egyptians

and Greeks.

In the Middle Ages

corrosive chemicals were

being exploited by

alchemists to dissolve

precious metals.

Rembrandt. “Faust” c. 1652-53

Goldsmiths soon adopted the use of acids to etch their metalwork designs.

Daniel Hopfer (Germany 1470–1536) was a craftsman who decorated

armour in this way. He then applied the method to printmaking.

Etchings

Rembrandt van Rijn

The Three Crosses 1632

The Windmill 1641

Etchings

Jim Dine

Five Paint Brushes, 1972

Dartmouth Still Life, 1974

Allan Geske - Copperplate Etching

Allan Geske

Atlas Vignette 2006

Allan Geske

My Own Map 1981

Printing

Processing

1) Ink

2) Wipe

3) Press

4) Pull

http://jimhubbman.calkinsc.com/mezzotint/mezzotint.htm

The Copper Etching Process

Printmaking Circuit Board

Preparing the Plate

Printmaking Circuit Board

• Bevel Edges

• Polish Surface

• Clean Surface

• Dull Surface with Sandpaper

Applying a Resist – Part I

Printmaking Circuit Board

• Apply Acid Resistant Ground

• Affix Contact Paper to Other Side

• Download or Create Circuit Layout

• Laser Print on Glossy Paper

Applying a Resist – Part II

Printmaking Circuit Board

• Scratch Image into the Ground

• Touch up with More Ground

(Ground coating should be consistent for best results.)

• Iron Circuit Onto Plate as a Resist

• Peel Away Paper

• Touch up With Needle / Resist

Etch the Copper – Part I

Printmaking Circuit Board

• Place Plate Face Down in Tub of

Ferric Chloride for 15-20 Minutes

• Acid Will “Bite” Exposed Copper

• Place Board Copper-side Up in Tub

of Ferric Chloride

• Brush Board with Plastic Brush

Etch the Copper – Part II

Printmaking Circuit Board

• Remove Plate from Acid

• Rinse with Water

• Remove Ground Using a Solvent

• Remove From Acid When Exposed

Copper has Dissolved

• Remove Ink Using Sandpaper

Kyle Geske - 2007

Prototype Before Etching Circuit!

Breadboard Stripboard

North Nassau Studio Public Tours

First Friday Evening of Every Month.

Vented Acid TableHot Plate and Wiping Table

Artspace Building, 100 Arthur Street

North Nassau Studio, Room 523, Artspace Building

RESOURCES

The Intaglio Printmaking Processhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNKn4PORGBI

How to Etch a Single-Side Circuit Boardhttp://hackaday.com/2008/07/28/how-to-etch-a-single-sided-pcb/

Two Interesting Circuit Board Etching Techniqueshttp://robot.homepageentry.com/pages/makepcb.phphttp://www.pulsarprofx.com/pcbfx/main_site/pages/tech_support/tips_n_tricks/rolling_pin.html

Allan Geske & North Nassau Printmakers, Winnipeghttp://allangeske.ca

Kyle Geske

Hardware / Firmware Engineer

Turned Web Developer

Instructor at Red River College(Ruby/Rails, PHP, HTML, CSS,

Javascript, Philosophy of Time Travel)

Artist w/ Studio @ Artspace

V-World Avatars

Twitter, Flickr, Pinboard,

Github, Gmail, Etc: stungeye

stungeye.com

codeglutton.tumblr.com

HE WHO PRESENTED