Electric scheming!

[rivenwanderer]

I've been reading more and more about electrolytic copper etching and really wanting to try it. I think I could even use my pasta press as a tiny printing press with small pieces of copper to make prints from the etched metal

Comments

[aliothsan]

1) I'd totally buy small prints in the $5-10 price range, depending what they were of. Cards, maybe.

2) Man, any of those things sounds interesting... "how do I choose?"

3) I'm no good at drawing, but if you ever want to include random stuff written in mysterious-looking scripts (real or imagined), I can totally help you out with that.

[lakmiseiru]

(1) Small prints would be fun! Personally, I'd love to put magnetic backing on them and use them as fridge magnets (that way they're not swallowed up by giant walls or the like. Would totally get a few.

(2) Preference for abstract designs, object outlines, drawings? I can draw biological thingies if that would be of use :^)

[rivenwanderer]

Hmm, I wonder how to make fridge magnets durable enough. Do you have any examples? Maybe mounting the print on a small wooden tile or something would work...

[riumplus]

Mmm... acids and poisons... If you do that make sure you don't get the mixture on you and definitely take it to be properly disposed of, not just down the drain! (If you absolutely can't get rid of it properly, then there's ways to make it a little safer)

Also I suggest you use slightly warm water when trying to dissolve the salt into it. That'll ensure the liquid is really as heavily salt-saturated as possible. :D

[rivenwanderer]

Yep--I'm planning to contact the city's hazardous waste disposal office before even starting, just so I know what to do with the byproducts when I'm done. It sounds like I may be able to re-use the solution for several runs, so hopefully that won't be too annoying.

[balmy_fool]

Looks neat. The only thing I would say is that you may get more consistent results with a power-supply of some sort instead of a D-cell battery.

Were I to hazard a guess, with a current controlled power source and an estimate of your surface area, you could calculate a rough time-to-completion for any given part. The copper concentration of your solution might matter though.

Anyway, enough engineering geeking. I'm probably not your target audience for the art and jewelry.

[rivenwanderer]

Yep--I'll probably try it first with some D-cells my coworker wants to get rid of, then see about modding a spare wall-wart to be safe to use instead (I think I'd just need to get a resistor to limit the current in the case where the solution becomes more and more conductive).

[autumnesquirrel]

Stationary makes me feel warm and squishy inside, but tiny prints are also good. Fridge magnets, as suggested above, are also excellent.

The art store in Central has tiny frames. If I bought a tiny print I might frame it and bring it to work. I try to fill my cubical walls with colorful things.