Wet Plate Emporium

The Photographic Method Electrolytic

Etching of Brass

Joseph J. McAllister

[Link]/[Link]

(This is a non-profit tutorial that uses the Press-n-Peel PCB Blue Toner Transfer Method)
 THIS COPY IS

VERSION 1.0

Check for a Newer Update Online

HOW TO TUTORIALS
How to Make Glass Cyanotypes [pdf]

How to Make Glass Van Dyke Brown Prints [pdf]

Electrolytic Etching of Brass [pdf]

How to Make Ground Glass View Plates [pdf]

Bellows Replacement [pdf]

VIDEOS
Glass Cyanotype Process [Youtube]

Glass Cyanotype Test 1: Ferric Ferrocyanide (Prussian Blue) + Potassium Cyanide [Youtube]

Van Dyke Brown Microforms (Microphotographs)

Wet Plate Emporium Portfolio Book [Youtube]

PRESS-N-PEEL BLUE PCB TONER TRANSFER METHOD
I didn’t invent electroplating or electrochemical etching. This is an old process used to make
circuit boards. Etching to create images has a long history for images starting in 60,000 BC. A
more modern process using electricity as well as chemicals has been used for circuit boards for
many yeas. I’m not sure who is the first to apply it to photography. I read several tutorials and
watched several videos on circuit board making and decided to use a combination of several
ideas from videos and websites. I believe this is the easiest way to do this if you making
photographs and not circuit boards. I imagine the Press-n-peel Blue PCB Transfer Paper
company owns the patent on using their paper to make circuit boards.

PRESS-N-PEEL BLUE VS. STAPLES PHOTO BASIC GLOSS PAPER METHODS

STAPLES PHOTO BASIC GLASS PAPER TONER TRANSFER METHOD

([Link], [Link] & [Link])
1) Negative
2) Inkjet glossy photo paper (Almost impossible to remove)
3) Sprayed the plate with black primer
4) Scotch Bright to remove the primer from the high spots
(Block sanding would not discriminate between raised and relief areas due to very small
distance).
5) Polished it with some Noxon Metal Polish

PRESS-N-PEEL BLUE PCB TONER TRANSFER METHOD

1) Positive
2) Press-n-peel Blue PCB Transfer Paper (easy removal)
3) None
4) None
5) None

RESULTS
This Press-n-Peel method offers an inversion of the methods above. The black areas are the
raised non-etched areas, instead of the black being the low etched areas. Using the staples gloss
photo paper method, the paper would not come off. Trying to paint an embossed plate with
primer, and sand the raised surfaces didn’t work for me as well. I ended up with several plates
that I had to just toss in the garbage. The press-n-peel toner transfer method in my opinion is far
superior. The following sources are listed as part of my research, and can be considered as well.
PRESS-N-PEEL (BLUE) VS. PCB ELECTRONIC PROTOTYPE (BLACK)
There are two options here… black or blue. The Press-N-Peel Blue comes in 8 ½ x 11” sizes. So
you can make large 8x10 plates. The draw back is that it’s hard to get the blue color to darken in
the Copper Sulfate bath. Sometimes I just leave it blue.

The PCB electronic prototype paper is really nice. It leaves a black image on the plate and
transfers easily. The drawback of this one is really that you can only get it in 6x8 inch. So 5x7’s
are the largest standard size.

Heat Transfer Paper PCB Electronic Prototype: eBay

FURTHER READING: (INFORMATION SOURCES)
(Please refer to these links for a Press-n-Peel PCB Blue Toner Transfer method).

[Link]

[Link]

[Link]

no place for the dead [Youtube]

[Link]

[Link]

FURTHER READING: (INFORMATION SOURCES)

(Please refer to these links for a Staples Photo Basic Gloss paper method).

[Link]

Nontoxic Print

[Link]

[Link]

[Link] [Youtube]
HISTORY OF ENGRAVING
ENGRAVING
Engraving is the art of making grooves in an object to form a picture, decorate an objects surface
or to create an intaglio printing plate for printing illustrations onto paper. Usually engravings are
on use wood, stone, jewels, glass, or metal. The origin of engraving dates back to 60,000 BC
when patterns were carved into ostrich eggshells used to carry water. A burin tool is traditionally
used to carve images into copper plates for print illustrations as far back as 1790 and continued
to be the method of printing up until the early 1900s.

INTAGLIO PRINTING
Intaglio engraving was invented in Germany in the 1430s, well after woodcut printing. Engraving
had been used by goldsmiths to decorate metalwork, including armor, musical instruments and
religious objects since ancient times, and the niello technique, which involved rubbing an alloy
into the lines to give a contrasting colour, also goes back to late antiquity. It has been suggested
that goldsmiths began to print impressions of their work to record the design, and that printmaking
developed from that.

PHOTOGRAVURE
The earliest forms of photogravure were developed in the 1830s by Henry Fox Talbot in England
and Nicéphore Niépce in France. The modern method of photogravure was developed in 1878 by
Czech painter Karel Klíč, who built on Talbot's research. This process, still in use today, is called
the Talbot-Klič process. In France the correct term for photogravure is héliogravure.
ELECTROLYTIC ETCHING PROCESS
(Using the Press-n-Peel blue PCB transfer paper process)

PHOTO
Take a photo that will have high contrast definition between the darks and lights

PHOTOSHOP IMAGE
Black & white
Raise contrast
(You need a fairly high contrast image, because mid tones make by lost during
etching and transferring)
Flip horizontal
(Any text should be backwards)

PRINT
Use 8 ½ x 11” Press-n-peel Blue PCB Transfer Paper
It has to be printed with Laser jet toner printer
Cut the transfer paper to the exact size of the image, to help you line up the photo on the
plate.

(Inkjet will not work)

(White transfer paper works better then blue to avoid a blue tint, but I have only
found it in 5x7 direct from China)
(Make sure you print on the correct side of the transfer paper. Check instructions.
The correct side should be the matte side of the paper. Write up and down on a
piece of test paper and see what side your printer prints on. The HP Laser Jet
P1102w prints on the top of the paper. Print a test paper and cut it to 8x10 to
make sure it is the right size and has a strong contrast with good black density).
3M Press-n-peel Heat Transfer Paper
CUT
Cut the print down to the size of the image with a paper cutter so you can line it up
properly. You won’t be able to see the image when it is facing down, so this is how you
see your alignment. Hold the paper down with a piece of white paper when cutting. Do
not touch the face of the print. (The oils in your skin will keep the print from sticking to the
plate).

Paper cutter / trimmer

BRASS
Brass plate 22g. (0.025) or 26g. (0.016)

SCORE
Lay the brass plate on a firm surface and scrub it horizontally with a green Scotch-Brite
pad until the entire plate is covered in scratch marks. This gives the transfer something to
grip onto. (Do not use an S.O.S pad. The detergent will stop the image from sticking).

Green 3M Scotch-Brite heavy duty scouring pad

CLEAN
Scrub the plate with soap water and a sponge. Then scrub the plate with grain alcohol
(Everclear) or isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and a paper towel. Keep scrubbing the
plate with new towels until the towels appear clean when you are done. (This is very
important, or the transfer will not stick).

Soap water & sponge

Isopropyl rubbing alcohol or grain alcohol
 Scotch-Brite pad residue

DRY
Dry the plate with a clean towel and blow dry it for a minute. You should see a noticeable
change as the alcohol evaporates form the score marks. (Again this is important to
getting the image onto the plate).

IRON
Place the plate score side up on a firm heat proof surface. (A concrete floor works well, or
place a piece of wood under it to absorb the heat. You are going to put your body weight
into the iron when transferring the image. As much as your iron can take without breaking
so you can’t use an ironing board to do this).

Place the transfer paper image side down on the plate.

Iron the plate on the high using you’re as much body weight as you can to work the
image into the brass. Use your other hand with an oven mitt to hold the paper to the plate
until it starts to stick. (The brass is going to get as hot as the iron).
Start on one corner twisting the iron back and forth to get the corner to take hold. Then
start twisting the iron right/left in a circular twisting motion as you work it from left to right
across the plate. Keep doing this as you work you way down the plate. Do this 2-3 times
and then go over all the edges of the plate.

Now go over any questionable areas using the same twisting method, but put the
pressure into the front tip of the iron as you go to focus on small spots that didn’t get
worked well enough.

Making good transfers is not easy. It will take experience to know how much or little to do
before trying peeling the print off the plate. In general, keep working the plate until the
transfer paper starts to detach form the plate. This is usually the correct time to stop. Do
not keep going over areas that have detached, it will ruin it. If you peel part of the image
up and it doesn’t look good enough, do not push it back down and try ironing it again. The
area that was not pulled up will look different then the area that was.

Ironing
COOLING THE PLATE
Drop the hot plate into a tray of water. The plate will instantly cool. Pick up the plate. Start
at one corner. Fold the transfer paper back at a sharp angle against the plate. Slowly and
evenly start peeling the transfer paper off the plate, maintaining the sharp angle, pulling
the paper along the surface of the plate, not upwards away from the plate.

(If you are using white transfer paper you might want to stop here. The image should be
black and gold. If you are using the Press-n-peel PCB blue transfer paper you will
probably want to get rid of that blue, and etch it a lightly for effect).

Cooling bath
ETCHING
Copper(II) Sulfate (Pentahydrate) 250 g
Water 1000 ml

You can buy the Copper(II) Sulfate Pentahydrate on eBay or use Enforcer Prod. ERK2
Drain Care Root Kill which is the same thing. Make sure to get pentahydrate and not
anhydrous which contains no water. The crystals should be blue not pale green. The
etching container should be a plastic container that will be large enough to hold the plate.
A Rubbermaid Cereal Keeper from Wal-Mart will work. You will need a 12v car battery
charger.

Copper(II) Sulfate Pentahydrate + 12v power supply = 02 + H

ANODE & CATHODE
You will need to make two plate holders out of a strong metal coat hanger. These will
only last 1-2 sessions before being etched away to nothing. The holders will need to hook
over the side of the container on the top end, and hold the plate on the bottom end. Don’t
allow the coat hanger holders to touch the face of the image plate. Where ever it touches
the plate it will collect oxidized brass, leaving an ugly sludge of rust, so it is preferable to
have that hidden from view on the back side of the plate. To hold the plate on the holder,
bend the wire around the edges of the bottom and sides of the plate at a 45 degree angle
away from the plate, so it will hold the plate, but not touch the front.

Cathode (-) Cations toward the cathode.

Anode (+) Anions move toward the anode.

In electro etching, oxidized brass moves from the (+) Anode (etching plate) to the (-)
Cathode (receptor plate).

Etching bath
ELECTRICAL SHOCK
Turn off the battery charger when you’re touching the water or electrical attachments.
The risk of being shocked is very low due to the low voltage and the fact that your body is
not an ideal path to ground like the electrical outlet is. Do it as a precaution anyways.

HYDROGEN (H)
Do the etching outside, because the bubbles formed during etching are highly explosive
hydrogen gas.

In this process, when the (+) anode: image plate & (-) cathode: receptor plate are
immersed in H2O + electrolyte: copper(II) sulfate the Oxygen (O2), & Hydrogen (H) will be
released. Oxygen at the (+) anode & hydrogen will appear at the (-) cathode. Hydrogen
always appears at the negative lead regardless of whether you are etching or plating,
because the H molecules are stripped away from the H2O where the (-) electrons enter
the electrolyte solution at the (-) cathode.

Although hydrogen is being formed, there is very little risk of harm as long as you’re
aware of it, and take precaution. This is a very common method used around the world
for electroplating circuit boards, often done in electronics classes and by hobbyists.

ETCHING
Put the etching solution into the container. Stir to dissolve. Attach the (+) lead to the
image plate holder, and the (-) lead to the receptor plate holder. The image and receptor
plate should be 1 inch apart in the solution, and should not be touching. The short
distance increases the speed of the reaction.

Turn the battery charger on. You will see tiny hydrogen bubbles start to form. The
exposed brass on the image plate will start to leave the plate and travel through the
solution forming rust on the receptor plate, thus etching the plate.

The reaction will be fast a first, and then start slowing down as the exposed areas of the
plates and holders become covered in rust. Every few minutes, turn off the battery
charger and gently remove the bulk of the rust with a wet sponge while the plate is
immersed in clean water. Change the water each time. (Do not allow the plate to dry with
rust on it, or the rust will attach to the plate and ruin it. This can happen in 1-2 minutes
after being removed form the water so it is customary to sponge it off before inspecting
it).

The longer you etch the plate, the more the mid tone detail is lost. The basic idea is to
etch the plate just long enough to create a light etching without loosing detail. Just
enough to expose the blue transfer image to the chemicals so it will be black after it is
washed off. (Longer etching can be done for if you’re going to scrub the image off to
make an embossed brass plate).
WASHING
Take the plate out of the solution and wash it under tap water, using a sponge to lightly
brush away the rust. This needs to be done immediately or the rust will solidify on the
plate. Rust marks on the back of the plate are normal. They can sometimes be peeled off
later. The blue image should be black or a dark blue color with reflective gold highlights.
Sometimes the blue is very hard to get rid of, other times it turns jet black.

DRYING
Blot with towel.
CLEAN UP
Filter the copper(II) sulfate solution into a storage container using a funnel and coffee
filter. Do not allow the rust sludge at the bottom to pour into the container. Using solution
contaminated in too much rust can cause the rust to start forming on the etching plate.
The solution can be used over and over.

FINISHED PLATE

Drying Electrolytic Brass Etching

EMBOSSED PLATES
To make an embossed plate, do a long etching bath, then scrub off the transfer film while
the plate is wet using a green 3M Scotch-Brite heavy duty scour pad.

Embossed plate
ELECTROPLATE TONING
Yes, you can even tone the plate. After a light etching, reverse the positive and negative
leads to lightly electroplate the image plate. Pull the image from the bath and allow it to
dry as is. This will give a pink rust color to the gold, and also helps turn the blue to black.

Electroplate toning
PHOTO MATTING

Electrolytic Etched Brass Matting

COPPER(II) SULFATE PENTAHYDRATE
Copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate (CuSO4), aka cupric sulfate, copper sulphate, blue vitriol,
bluestone. The anhydrous form is pale green or gray white powder, while pentahydrate
(CuSO4·5H2O) is bright blue. Copper sulfate is water soluble as [Cu(H 2O)6]2+.

MSDS Copper sulfate pentahydrate - ScienceLab [PDF]

SUPPLIES
Green 3M Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Scour Pads

Rubbermaid Cereal Keeper

HP Laser Jet P1102w

HP Toner Cartridge 85A

Press-n-Peel Blue PCB Transfer Paper

Brass Sheet 22g. (0.025) or 26g. (0.016)

Enforcer Prod. ERK2 Drain Care Root Kill or Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate

12v Power Source (12v Car Battery or 12v Car Battery Charger)

Everclear Grain Alcohol or Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol

Metal Coat Hanger

Paper cutter/ trimmer

LINKS
HP Laser Jet P1102w $50

HP Toner 85A $23

Press-n-peel Blue PCB Transfer Paper eBay $20 10 sheets

Copper(II) Sulfate Pentahydrate eBay $15 5 lbs

Enforcer Prod. ERK2 Drain Care Root Kill Amazon $17

Brass Sheet 22g. (0.025) Amazon $42 12x24”

Brass Sheet 26g. (0.016) Amazon $44 12x24”

Rubbermaid Cereal Keeper Wal-Mart

3M Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Scour Pads eBay $12 18 pads

Paper Cutter / Trimmer eBay

FINISHED PLATES