Make your own Embossed Business Cards using Acid Etching

Step 7 Acid Jazz.

Once the plate has dried, it's ready for its Harvey Dent facial. This is where you really need the plastic bus tub. It should just be a little wider than your plate. I prepared my acid solution as per the directions, and set it, and the plate to soak in the tub overnight. I highly recommend that you go out to a hardware store, or home depot to find one. Do not use a metal pan.

I happened to have broken a desktop fan that day, and it was missing a blade. I strapped the whole rig down to a miniature ironing board, and it acted like a vibrating lab table (I felt this improved the speed of the etch by moving reacted material off of the plate, exposing the brass beneath, but it did end up toppling over once, so I scrapped the idea after a few hours). I would apply the concept only in an area with an easy to clean floor.

After a 12 hour soak, I found that the plate had etched about .05". This is noticeable to the touch, but if I were to do it again, I probably would have stopped after a full 24 hours.

Comments

[acidkid]

Add hydrogen peroxide to the HCL..

[Offstream]

The vibrations would help the etching. When etching a plate (Ive etched with copper and nitric acid rather than ferric chloride and brass) printmakers will use occasionally lift the plate out of the acid, or use a feather to stir it, in order to disperce any bubbles and detritus that form. Bubbles that form will stop acid from etching into the parts of the plate that the bubble is touching. .........just a note.