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How to get the skeleton leaf effect on brass through etching

Can anyone suggest the process of etching on brass to achieve the dried skeleton effect of leaf(in which all matter is removed except the veins are showing)

Sandeep Gupta
- Delhi, India
2007

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The brass doesn't know where the veins in leaves are supposed to be, Sandeep, so I don't think you'll get a realistic effect by etching brass unless you mask a photoresist pattern onto it. I think what you really need to do is to take a real leaf with only the veins remaining, metallize it, nickel electroform it, and brass plate it. Good luck.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2007

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2007

Dear Ted,

Thanks for the quick response but yes I meant doing a photoresist design on brass then etching it to achieve a skeletal leaf look alike but in brass. The idea is how to get the just veins and the rest of the brass etched away. I tried doing it but the sheet became so thin , as I had to etch away the entire brass in between the veins that it just became like paper. Where as I want a thicker piece all together. So my question is how to etch away the entire brass where its not required and just have the brass of the veins remaining without thinning it too much. at present I am using photo resist paint and photography to have the design on the brass. do I use different photo resist material

Sandeep Gupta
- Delhi, Delhi, India

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First of two simultaneous responses --

Perhaps if you mirror mask both sides or use a thicker brass plate.

Guillermo Marrufo
Monterrey, NL, Mexico
2007

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Second of two simultaneous responses --

Undercutting when etching is, as far as I know, an unavoidable part of the process. You could apply a mirror-image pattern of photoresist to the other side of the sheet and etch both sides simultaneously. That would cut the etching time in half, and reduce the undercutting problem by at least 50% and maybe significantly more. I believe you could make the process more targeted with a high pressure impingement approach, but that may not be practical for you.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2007