Basic Brass Etching Techniques and Tutorial

Etched Brass Pieces on Sarjeant & Co on Etsy

How about an etching tutorial?

These etched pieces are for sale in my store Sarjeant & Co. with the exception of the corset. I sold out of the corset and will probably not make anymore (okay that’s a lie, I have ONE more but it’s not for sale).

Anyway, here’s some basic information on how to get started in etching. This is my own ‘self taught’ way of etching–I am not an expert. There are many ways to etch. I will show you my way. I have only etched brass.

I use an ‘etching’ tank. I made this tank with household items I picked up at Wal-Mart.

Etching Tank by Sarjeant & Co.

Etching Tank Supplies:

Plastic Container with vacuum lid (I couldn’t find a picture but I got it at Wal-Mart)
Cheap aquarium pump with tubing
Acrylic 8 x 10″ sheet available at Lowes (used for picture frames)
Hot Glue gun
Bic Pen (old school kind, you will take out inside and use outside)

Use your dremel or flex shaft and cutting disc and cut a hole on the side just below the lid so the tubing fits in even with lid closed. Take the acrylic sheet and hot glue it to the bottom of the container this makes it stable so it doesn’t topple over.

Attach tubing to pump, I then hot glued pump to the tank. Next, You need to drill holes in the clear plastic bic pen sheath. Hot glue the clear pen sheath to the tubing. Take the entire contraption (the bic end with the holes) and hot glue REALLY WELL to the inside bottom of the tank.

Basically, when you plug in the aquarium pump all the chemicals will bubble from the holes in the drilled bic pen sheath. This makes the etching work quicker and circulates the chemicals for a cleaner etch. Heat also helps, I tried an aquarium heater –don’t waste your money. By the time it heats up you will be done. It works fine without heat.

This is the hardest part of the entire process. Finding the FERRIC CHLORIDE!!!!! Apparently Radio Shack used to sell it but guess what–NOT ANYMORE! I tried Fry’s and they had it one time about a year ago. But that was the last time I found it. I had good luck with a little Mom and Pop Electronic Store about 20 miles from my house. I bought 4 bottles, all they had. You can order the ferric chloride online but the shipping prices are crazy expensive! I suggest you go find a store near you and buy all they have before someone else does.

I know there are ways to etch with muriatic acid but it seems way to dangerous for my taste. I just take the ferric chloride and dump it into the plastic tank, about 3/4 of the way up. Make sure to use gloves when handling Ferric Chloride, it will stain anything and everything you come in contact with including your hands! Ugly, ugly.

Use some Staz-on and a rubber stamp and stamp an image on some clean, scrubbed brass. I think stamping is the easiest ‘resist’ to use. You can draw an image, or iron on with pNp (never works for me). I think stamps are the easiest to work with. When you are done take a sharpie and cover all the edges completely. Remember anything that is not covered with some kind of resist will be etched. Take simple packing tape and completely cover the back.

You will need another container of white vinegar to neutralize the etched brass when you take it out of the ferric chloride. Make sure the area you work in is protected–like I said the stuff stains.

Now’s a good time for my disclaimer:
*Be smart–wear gloves, use in a properly ventilated area, read all directions, dispose of chemicals properly, etc., etc.

Okay so you got your tank ready and built, your container of white vinegar ready, you have cleaned your brass, stamped it with something cool, used sharpie around the edges, taped up the back completely with clear packing tape.

It’s time to etch———–yeah!

Take a couple of pieces of masking tape, tape the ends to the brass –then lower it into the tank and tape the other end over the side of the tank (sorry I will take more pictures next time–it’s that darn attention span of mine).

Set the timer for about 20- 30 minutes–plug in the aquarium pump and let it rip!  You will have to just pull it out of the tank periodically and check the etch, if you like it then take it out and put in into the vinegar bath to neutralize.  Then into soap and water and clean well with a brush.

I usually need to shine up my stuff with a little steel wool and then coat with Renaissance Wax–my favorite sealing type agent.   That’s all folks!  I hope I didn’t confuse you too much.   Until next time………………

Reliquary Tutorial Part II and Why I am Sharing..

So my husband says to me yesterday, “Why the heck are you showing everybody how to make your cases?”  “It’s your wealth!’.  So before we get started– let’s straighten a few things out.

Number 1:  It’s not my wealth.  We all know as Etsy artisans that $22/$24 cases will not be  your wealth, nor was it ever meant to be.   The wealth is in the enjoyment of making them (hokey I know but 100% true!), owning my own shop, keeping my brain occupied, seeing designers use them as their own and meeting so many cool people.  Truly.

Number 2: If you think about it by the time you buy the $200 disc cutter,  tools and a myriad of other supplies, it’s just way easier and cheaper to buy it from me!

Number 3: I have CADD (Crafters Attention Deficit Disorder).   Like everything I make, I will get tired of it and move on to something new.  I love the challenge and I love to try new techniques, use new tools, buy more stuff!  So if for some reason everyone goes out tomorrow and makes these exact cases and sells them, then I will move on to something else.

So now that that’s out-of-the-way, let’s move on to the tutorial–ish (ha! I had to do it)

Watch tin lid and Medal

It’s time to drill the holes in the lid and the medal.  The best thing, (sorry forgot to take pics) is to drill one hole, put your rivet in  then drill the others.  Otherwise everything moves around and you will never get it centered again.  But, of course, I am impatient and pre-drilled the top holes.  So this pic is actually with 2 rivets already in, but we can pretend we just have one hole.  You are an artist–you pretend all the time!

Marking the rivet

Now, make sure your tubing and your hole are a tight fit.  No wiggle room, or it just won’t work.  Once you get your rivet holes the right size, stick the tube in and use the skinny sharpie and mark.  The width of the sharpie is the perfect ‘extra space’ you need for your rivet!

Cutting the tubing

Cut the tube at the line.  This handy-dandy tube cutting tool from Rio is the best!

 

 

Next pop an acrylic circle in the top.  I epoxy it in, I could rivet it.  But for the price I am selling them for, it is just too much work and the epoxy holds nicely.  The disc has the paper still on it.

 

Reliquary Case from vintage watch tin and masonic medal

 

Here ya go!  Sealed with renaissance wax and ready for sale.  I think this one is already spoken for , it not you will see it in my store Sarjeant & Co.  I hope it wasn’t too confusing.   Until next time!

 

 

Reliquary ‘Tute’ (Tutorial) PART I

Well– I am going to send my favorite reliquary off to its new home today along with another.   Goodbye favorite case!

Reliquary Case (masonic medal and old watch tin)

They were popular –so I am going to make more.   Since, I have had few questions on how they are made–I thought I would give you a little ‘tute’ (that’s crafter slang for tutorial) on how I make them.

So here’s where it starts:

finger rosary, masonic medal, old watch tin

Don’t forget the really gross work area or it just won’t be right.  So depending what you are using for your ornamental top–be it the rosary or medal (if it’s a medal you may need to cut out a hole in the middle of that piece).  So for this case I am going to use the medal.

Next you need a hole in the top of the watch tin—you could do what I did forever and saw each one out.    Silly me.

Disc Cutter (Rio Grande)

Don’t go through all that work use your handy-dandy disc cutter.  It is a bit tricky because you have to center it with one eye closed since you have to punch the inside of the top lid.  So if it’s a bit off-center, no problem–“Embrace the imperfections” as a wise teacher (Sally Jean)once told me .

CAUTION: If you punch the outside after you draw a beautifully measured circle, because you don’t believe me–you will get a SMASHED lid.  I have a whole drawer full of smashed lids to prove it!

BEAUTIFUL! Watch tin with center hole

Yes, you are asking yourself why is there a drawn circle in the top AFTER she just said don’t do it!   Because,  you could draw a perfectly centered circle in the top and center it from underneath, turn it over and punch out the inside.  But–it’s a real pain in the ‘arse’ because everything moves around every time you turn it over.  You’ll figure it out…you’re smart.

That’s it for my tute-ish today.  Sorry, I have a birthday party to attend to so you will need to come back for PART II tomorrow-ish.

Sorry about all the ‘ishes’ for some reason in my mind–it  is a great excuse for everything!