etching for artists and hackers: printmaking & circuit boards
DESCRIPTION
Etching is the process of using corrosive chemicals to cut into the unprotected parts of an object’s surface. These slides explore the history of etching, intaglio printmaking, and the etching of circuit-boards.TRANSCRIPT
ETCHING FOR ARTISTS
AND HACKERS
Kyle Geske
SkullSpace Hack-a-Thon
April 2011
ETCHING
The process of using corrosive chemicals to cut into the
unprotected parts of an object’s surface.
The process has been around for hundreds of years and
has both artistic and industrial uses.
Mankind
has always
strived to
leave
permanent
marks upon
the world.
THE ISHANGO BONE
A 20,000 year old baboon fibula with a piece of quartz
affixed to one end. The bone is covered with the markings of
a tally stick. Was the quartz perhaps used for engraving?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishango_bone
ENGRAVING
The practice of incising a
design on to a hard,
usually flat surface, by
cutting grooves into it.
In ancient times coins
were manufactured using
hand-engraved dies.
European goldsmiths in
the Middle Ages used
engraving to decorate and
inscribe armour, weapons,
jewelery, and other metal
work.
To preserve and
catalogue their
designs, goldsmiths
would make “prints”
of their work by
taking impressions
using cloth or paper
with charcoal and
ink.
With the arrival of the
printing press in
Europe in the early
1400s, the engraving of
metal plates to produce
images on paper came
into its own.
Many early engravers
came from a goldsmithing
background.
Albrecht Dürer.
The Knight, Death and the Devil c. 1513
Albrecht Dürer.
(Detail) The Knight, Death and the Devil c. 1513
Copperplate Engravings
Stanley William Hayter
Wrestling Angels c. 1950
Torero c. 1932
Allan Geske - Copper plate Engraving
CHEMICAL ETCHING
Acids had been known
to man since the time of
the ancient Egyptians
and Greeks.
In the Middle Ages
corrosive chemicals were
being exploited by
alchemists to dissolve
precious metals.
Rembrandt. “Faust” c. 1652-53
Goldsmiths soon adopted the use of acids to etch their metalwork designs.
Daniel Hopfer (Germany 1470–1536) was a craftsman who decorated
armour in this way. He then applied the method to printmaking.
Etchings
Rembrandt van Rijn
The Three Crosses 1632
The Windmill 1641
Etchings
Jim Dine
Five Paint Brushes, 1972
Dartmouth Still Life, 1974
Allan Geske - Copperplate Etching
Allan Geske
Atlas Vignette 2006
Allan Geske
My Own Map 1981
Printing
Processing
1) Ink
2) Wipe
3) Press
4) Pull
http://jimhubbman.calkinsc.com/mezzotint/mezzotint.htm
The Copper Etching Process
Printmaking Circuit Board
Preparing the Plate
Printmaking Circuit Board
• Bevel Edges
• Polish Surface
• Clean Surface
• Dull Surface with Sandpaper
Applying a Resist – Part I
Printmaking Circuit Board
• Apply Acid Resistant Ground
• Affix Contact Paper to Other Side
• Download or Create Circuit Layout
• Laser Print on Glossy Paper
Applying a Resist – Part II
Printmaking Circuit Board
• Scratch Image into the Ground
• Touch up with More Ground
(Ground coating should be consistent for best results.)
• Iron Circuit Onto Plate as a Resist
• Peel Away Paper
• Touch up With Needle / Resist
Etch the Copper – Part I
Printmaking Circuit Board
• Place Plate Face Down in Tub of
Ferric Chloride for 15-20 Minutes
• Acid Will “Bite” Exposed Copper
• Place Board Copper-side Up in Tub
of Ferric Chloride
• Brush Board with Plastic Brush
Etch the Copper – Part II
Printmaking Circuit Board
• Remove Plate from Acid
• Rinse with Water
• Remove Ground Using a Solvent
• Remove From Acid When Exposed
Copper has Dissolved
• Remove Ink Using Sandpaper
Kyle Geske - 2007
Prototype Before Etching Circuit!
Breadboard Stripboard
North Nassau Studio Public Tours
First Friday Evening of Every Month.
Vented Acid TableHot Plate and Wiping Table
Artspace Building, 100 Arthur Street
North Nassau Studio, Room 523, Artspace Building
RESOURCES
The Intaglio Printmaking Processhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNKn4PORGBI
How to Etch a Single-Side Circuit Boardhttp://hackaday.com/2008/07/28/how-to-etch-a-single-sided-pcb/
Two Interesting Circuit Board Etching Techniqueshttp://robot.homepageentry.com/pages/makepcb.phphttp://www.pulsarprofx.com/pcbfx/main_site/pages/tech_support/tips_n_tricks/rolling_pin.html
Allan Geske & North Nassau Printmakers, Winnipeghttp://allangeske.ca
Kyle Geske
Hardware / Firmware Engineer
Turned Web Developer
Instructor at Red River College(Ruby/Rails, PHP, HTML, CSS,
Javascript, Philosophy of Time Travel)
Artist w/ Studio @ Artspace
V-World Avatars
Twitter, Flickr, Pinboard,
Github, Gmail, Etc: stungeye
stungeye.com
codeglutton.tumblr.com
HE WHO PRESENTED