Eileen Moylan

Jewellery Designer & Goldsmith Cork

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Acid etching Silver: the results

03.21.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

In January I decided to try out acid etching. Having never tried it before my first attempt which I documented in this blog wasn’t a complete success.  The etching was good but the silver was slightly marked in places and definitely not good enough to sell. I said at the end of the post that I would try different techniques and put up some photos when I thought I had it cracked! So here’s the story of my extensive testing and the results.

If you want to see my previous posts on acid etching click here.

First attempt at acid etching
First attempt at acid etching

The problem I had with the etching was that the acid was eating through the resist in certain areas leaving me with little marks on the parts of the silver that I wanted untouched. Rather than waste silver sheet, I began doing a series of tests on the different resists using some scrap silver. This way I could figure out which resist wasn’t doing it’s job.

The technique I used was to transfer a photocopy on acetate onto a clean silver sheet using heat so the printer ink acts as a resist. When I tested this on it’s own it worked perfectly but only when the image was transferred without gaps or marks. This meant controlling the heat when I was transferring the ink. Too little heat and the image would not transfer completely. Too much heat and the ink would run into the design blurring the fine detail. Once I resolved the heat problem, the ink held up in the acid so at least I knew the printer ink worked.

The next thing I used on the silver to patch up any gaps left by the photocopy transfer was a red Staedtler permanent marker. I had read on a few acid etching websites that this was the best to resist the acid. Unfortunately it didn’t work for me, after a few hours in the acid it began to break down and let the acid attack the silver. I tried putting extra layers of it on the silver but it made very little difference so the red marker has been relegated to the office.

Staedtler marker retired to the office
Staedtler marker retired to the office

 

The final thing I tested was the nail varnish as I used this to cover the sides and the back of the silver for etching. This was by far the best. I left it in the acid bath for eight hours and I still had to scrub it with nail varnish remover when I took it out.

Since then I’ve ditched the marker and am using the photocopy transferring which I’m touching up with nail varnish. While previously I only used the nail varnish for the edges and back, I now use it to touch up any areas of the printer ink that haven’t transferred. I use a bright opaque colour nail varnish so I can see clearly what areas have been covered and make sure it doesn’t run into the design.  I’ve tried it on a number of different designs and it hasn’t let me down. The great thing about this is the level of detail I can achieve. Here are a few photos of some of the pieces I’ve done recently.

Etched Cufflinks
Etched Cufflinks

 

Etched Celtic Cufflinks
Etched Celtic Cufflinks

 

Etched Claddagh Tie Pin
Etched Claddagh Tie Pin

Categories // My Workshop Tags // Acid etching, Ferric Nitrate, Silver, silversmith, silversmiths techniques

My Jewellery Bible, by Oppi Untracht

03.18.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

The other day in the workshop I reached for my battered copy of Oppi Untracht’s ‘Jewelry Concepts and Technology’ to solve yet another problem. This book is like the bible of jewelery making and has served me well over the years. So today I’m dedicating a post to Oppi to share this brilliant book with everyone else.

Jewelry Concepts and Technology’ Oppi Untracht
Jewelry Concepts and Technology’ Oppi Untracht

Oppi Untracht was an American jewellery teacher and historian who trained and taught in New York but later moved to Finland. He has written a number of books on jewellery and metalwork. His best known were ‘Jewelry Concepts and Technology’ and ‘Metal Tachniques for Craftsmen’.

When I first got the book years ago it was on the recommendation of a South African jeweler I worked with. She’d occasionally mention that she had checked different things with Oppi and I just presumed it was an friend or old lecturer she was referring to. The minute I found out that all this knowledge was coming from a book and I too could have my own “Oppi”, I snapped up a copy!

I’m delighted to say Oppi has rarely let me down in that eight years. I’ve dragged this heavy book out for everything from starting new projects to idle curiosity. There will be times when I’ll be a bit rusty on different techniques and I dip in to the book quickly to check I’m not about to burn off my eyebrows! Sure enough, Oppi will provide the answers. Because I didn’t study jewellery in college there are some techniques that I’ve never had the opportunity to try. This book is great because it allows me to research different techniques from the process through to the finished piece. While I may need to get some extra help elsewhere on modern procedures (the book was published in the 80’s) I have a great basis on where to start. When I tried acid etching this year the majority of the information came from this book. He goes through different types of surface ornamentation from around the world like the Japanese Mokumé Gane. As well as lots of technical information, he also looks at the origins of jewellery and why we wear it. He has a brilliant diagram that breaks down the various reasons for jewellery such as tradition, collection and fashion.

The Jewel Mandala
The Jewel Mandala

So for all of you who have never heard of this book definitely check it out and for those of you who’ve looked at it on Amazon and debated whether it was worth the money take it from me, it is!

 

Categories // My Inspirations Tags // Acid etching, Jewellery books, Oppi Untracht, Silver, silver soldering, silversmith, silversmiths techniques, silversmiths tools

Etching with Acid Part 4

02.04.2011 by Eileen Moylan //

This is part four of a series on acid etching silver. Click on the links to see Part one, two and three.

Checking the depth of etching
Checking the depth of etching

The silver was immersed in the ferric nitrate solution. I checked the piece every hour, I had initially decided to check it every 30 minutes but it proved a bit pointless since it took six hours to etch. I was able to test the depth of the etching with a cocktail stick. The point of the stick catches on the edges of the lines so you can feel how deep the etch is, if it slides across the design you know it hasn’t etched deep enough.

When I thought it was deep enough I removed the piece from the etching bath and put it in a mix of water and baking soda to stop the ferric nitrate from continuing to eat into the silver. It starts fizzing when it reacts with the baking soda, this is a good thing! When it stops fizzing you know the ferric nitrate has been neutralized, I took it out and rinsed it in water. When I took off the tape and cleaned off the nail varnish here’s what I got.

After resist has been removed

After resist has been removed

When I polished up the silver the areas that the etch had eaten through was easier to see. It only ate away the area that had been masked with the red marker, so at least now I know not to use Marker as a resist in future. I was really happy with the texture of the etched area, it’s a great contrast to the polished silver.

Cleaned and polished silver
Cleaned and polished silver

I finished by doming the disk and giving it a final polish. And here’s the finished piece, not as perfect as I would have hoped but not bad for a first attempt at acid etching. Test pieces like these obviously should never see the light of day. When I have an acid etched piece I am happy with, I’ll be sure to post pictures of the finished product.

Polished and domed
Polished and domed

Categories // My Workshop Tags // Acid etching, Ferric Nitrate, Silver, silversmith, silversmiths techniques

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