By Madame vonHedwig on Sunday, September 13th, 2009
I apologize for failing to post last week. It is the end of summer, where the great airship is moored, and there was music, and music, and water, and water, all of which had to be enjoyed. After all, we must have time off from posting, so that we may have more adventures to post about! I shall try to make it up to you with an extra post, the first in a series of character introductions. Allow me to make known to you my estimable and most cherished husband…
The Fearless Fabricator
P. Phinneas vonHedwig
Scion of an ancient Prussian family, the Fearless Fabricator followed ancestral tradition and attended the prestigious Academy, where for centuries, scientists have gone to hone their mad skills. His academic career proved memorable; he was asked to leave mid-way through his senior year, escorted from the smoking ruins of the Moreau Genetics Wing by grim-faced faculty and cheering students.
Mystery clouds his post-Academy adventures, but he soared back to international prominence with his invention of the Veritiscope, a revolutionary moving picture device, which he used to document the hurly-burly, risque world of Parisian burlesque and circus performers.
He shocked his family by marrying a “showy nobody” (in his mother’s words) and taking to the skies in his airship, the Schoneluft, rather than taking over the family estates on his father’s death.
He travels the world with his remarkable family, inventing and agitating, saving the world, one questionable decision at a time.
This entry is part of a series, How to Etch» Before I go on to post other projects and forget, let’s talk about etching brass and copper. The fan project and some others I had in mind would greatly benefit from some decorative design work, so I had to remember some old knowledge and learn some new skills. Below I will gloss over acid etching and cover electrolytic etching.
Hold on a minute, lets get something important out of the way:
SAFTY FIRST: GOOGLE, GLOVES, VENTILATION and COMMON SENSE.
Now for the fine print:
The information posted here for inspiration and so others can have a base schema of knowledge to from which begin their own research. These are not complete instructions!! Do more research of your own before attempting!!
Repousse was out for a number of reasons, the first being cost in money or time. Lets’ face it – tools either have to be made or bought, and I would need a good number of specialized hardened iron little tools, wax or resin pans, etc. I have tried my hand at it and it takes a lot of time and planning to turn out an impressive little piece, on thinner metal. Plus, I wanted sturdier stock. But mostly because I have some artist friends who have done some really dang good work, antiquity quality work, with repousse, and I would end up judging my own work by means of comparison. Etching and machining is a more period look for steam punk.
On to the work! Prepare the piece for etching by applying a resistor where you want to keep material, so what is exposed to the process will be eaten away or ‘bitten into’ to make an indention. First the piece must be clean of oxidation, oils, and varnish. It is important to note that most brass and copper are shipped covered in plastic film, varnish or what not to keep them from tarnishing. The resistor can be clear box tape, cut on the piece for simple work. For more complex design on flat pieces I prefer the toner transfer method. For my work, the method I learned in electronics lab, using a permanent ink marker as a resistor, does not hold up well to the processes itself, as the ink is not thick enough to protect the un-etched areas.
The toner transfer method that I use requires access to a laser printer. I build the design to scale in photo shop at about 200dpi. Once complete, reverse the image to a negative and converted into black and white. It is important to note that there is a learned ratio for detail to etching time. Once this is crossed detail is lost, so it is best to err on the side of simplicity. Print the image on to glossy photo Inkjet paper loaded into a Laser printer. Take note that I did mean to say glossy photo Inkjet paper loader into a Laser printer.
I try to fill up a sheet of paper.
Freshly clean the work piece so its shiny and reasonably smooth. Cut the paper the image is on down to size and place it toner side down on the metal. Now use a hot iron and a block stamp roller to apply the toner to the metal. Heat by pressing for about 30 seconds, roll, heat, roll, repeat and repeat again. Once complete bonding is achieved and the piece is cool to the touch soak it in water for about 10 to 15 minutes. The paper peels off in layers, this will requires soaking again for a few minutes as you work. The last bit of paper can be rubbed of with your fingers until the toner is revealed. I have found that a little white haze doesn’t significantly slow the process, but that removing too much can weaken the toner’s hold. After looking at the work of others, I remembered that I as a lad in my basement electronics lab, had etched my own circuit boards using basic supplies. After wasting a whole lot of time trying to acquire a bottle of that brown etching solution, and for the most part only getting a lot of attitude about wanting something that everyone says they can get but won’t, it was on to the aether. Bless the DIY electronic geeks out there, for having dealt with this aggravation, and come up with a cheaper solution! Here is a link to some short notes on it.
This maybe simple chemistry, but it is real chemistry with a hazardous chemical so don’t be stupid, do your own research before attempting. Have baking soda handy for first aid. If you get acid on your skin, rinse with cold water, then apply baking soda. Also always add your acids to your peroxide so you don’t get an accelerated reaction. Peroxide first, then acid.
Acid etching is fine for large pieces, but has a few issues: diminished returns on the use of the chemical and disposal of the chemical. Flushing of muriatic acid is allowed into some municipal systems, however the metal content makes it a questionable act environmentally. Waste of this kind is really hard on septic systems and your water table. I also prefer to play with electricity more than just acid.
Part Two…..
ETCHING WITH ELECTRICITY
By Madame vonHedwig on Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
In order to further this aim, we vonHedwigs have been acquiring and decorating hats as fast as our little paychecks and big imaginations can manage. We began with one ladies topper, on permanent loan from Becky, who got it for the purposes of looking like Marlena Dietrich for an evening. Which was an excellent notion, for now we can all look at this:
I decorated this hat with a scrap of black lace and some curly feathers (from a big box store, I am sorry to say, but the black chickens were not forthcoming during molting season, and object strongly to having their feathers forcibly removed), and now it looks like this:
Then Yuletide arrived, and my dear husband and I exchanged the gift of toppers. I decorated mine with a remarkable decorative metal ribbon that a very artistic friend had given me years ago, and that had been ornamenting the pianoforte until I realized I could wear it. Then I lashed together a long, gorgeous pheasant tail feather (a gift from a hunter of my acquaintance) with some chicken feathers (the Reds were much more generous during molt) and more of the crazy black curly ones to support it.
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For my navy ensemble, I purchased a hat blank at a millinery shop on Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg, Virginia. It is very sturdy felt, and the cause of a) acquisition of millinery needles, and b) various holes in my fingers. I trimmed it with lace and ribbon, and a beautiful bow made for me by Annabelle.
To wear it, I first lift up much of my hair and augment it with a pad (what my mother called a rat’s nest) of hair pulled out of the family’s hairbrushes, saved up and shoved in the foot of an old stocking. Then I pin my own hair over it. At this point I look like a terrifying sixties country singer, only with ringlets. (No, you may not see a picture of this.) Then I (or sometimes a team of sturdy-fingered dressers) shove in as many hatpins as it takes, usually 3-4. As difficult as this dressing regimen may be, I am pleased with the effect.
For all of you asking about P. Phinneas latest creation in men’s fashion’ here is the new waistcoat.
Waistcoat
