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.

1. ETCHING FOR ARTISTS
AND HACKERS
Kyle Geske
SkullSpace Hack-a-Thon
April 2011

2. 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.

3. Mankind
has always
strived to
leave
permanent
marks upon
the world.

4. 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

5. 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.

6. To preserve and
catalogue their
designs, goldsmiths
would make “prints”
of their work by
taking impressions
using cloth or paper
with charcoal and
ink.

7. 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

8. Albrecht Dürer.
(Detail) The Knight, Death and the Devil c. 1513

9. Copperplate Engravings
Stanley William Hayter
Wrestling Angels c. 1950
Torero c. 1932

10. Allan Geske - Copper plate Engraving

11. Allan Geske. Two Engravings c. 2005-2010
http://allangeske.ca

12. 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

13. 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.

14. Etchings
Rembrandt van Rijn
The Three Crosses 1632
The Windmill 1641

15. Etchings
Jim Dine
Five Paint Brushes, 1972
Dartmouth Still Life, 1974

16. Allan Geske - Copperplate Etching

17. Allan Geske Allan Geske
My Own Map 1981 Atlas Vignette 2006

18. Printing
Processing
1) Ink
2) Wipe
3) Press
4) Pull
http://jimhubbman.calkinsc.com/mezzotint/mezzotint.htm

19. The Copper Etching Process
Printmaking Circuit Board

20. Preparing the Plate
Printmaking Circuit Board
• Bevel Edges • Clean Surface
• Polish Surface • Dull Surface with Sandpaper

21. Applying a Resist – Part I
Printmaking Circuit Board
• Apply Acid Resistant Ground • Download or Create Circuit Layout
• Affix Contact Paper to Other Side • Laser Print on Glossy Paper

22. Applying a Resist – Part II
Printmaking Circuit Board
• Scratch Image into the Ground • Iron Circuit Onto Plate as a Resist
• Touch up with More Ground • Peel Away Paper
(Ground coating should be consistent for best results.) • Touch up With Needle / Resist

23. Etch the Copper – Part I
Printmaking Circuit Board
• Place Plate Face Down in Tub of • Place Board Copper-side Up in Tub
Ferric Chloride for 15-20 Minutes of Ferric Chloride
• Acid Will “Bite” Exposed Copper • Brush Board with Plastic Brush

24. Etch the Copper – Part II
Printmaking Circuit Board
Kyle Geske - 2007
• Remove Plate from Acid • Remove From Acid When Exposed
• Rinse with Water Copper has Dissolved
• Remove Ground Using a Solvent • Remove Ink Using Sandpaper

25. Prototype Before Etching Circuit!
Breadboard Stripboard

26. North Nassau Studio Public Tours
First Friday Evening of Every Month.
Hot Plate and Wiping Table Vented Acid Table

27. Artspace Building, 100 Arthur Street

28. North Nassau Studio, Room 523, Artspace Building

29. RESOURCES
The Intaglio Printmaking Process
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNKn4PORGBI
How to Etch a Single-Side Circuit Board
http://hackaday.com/2008/07/28/how-to-etch-a-single-sided-pcb/
Two Interesting Circuit Board Etching Techniques
http://robot.homepageentry.com/pages/makepcb.php
http://www.pulsarprofx.com/pcbfx/main_site/pages/tech_support/tips_n_tricks/rolling_pin.html
Allan Geske & North Nassau Printmakers, Winnipeg
http://allangeske.ca

30. HE WHO PRESENTED
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