Etchings
While my favorite part of this class due to the infinite possibilities, This was one of the hardest parts due to not being in complete control over the acid.
Etching and Oxidizing
Copper
Before I could tar the piece, I needed to brite dip it to clean it. Then I put tape of the bottom side and coated the top and sides with a thin layer of tar. I then let it begin to dry for a day. Once the tar was dry enough, I was able to sketch the design I made and remove the tar where the acid would be used to etch the image. The piece was in Nitric Acid for a day till the etch was deep enough and I remove the tar with paint thinner. I cleaned the metal and used Perma-Blue to oxidize the metal. When it was dark enough, I took a wet piece of sand paper and gently took the Perma-Blue off of the surface of the metal leaving it in the etched parts.
Nickel Silver and Brass
The process for etching is the same for all three metals. However, when oxidizing, I use Liver of Sulfur to darken the metal. I cleaned the metal's surface and for the nickel silver piece I didn't oxidize it and instead polished it with the flex shaft.