Habeas Corpus Earrings (2007) 22k, sterling & fine silver, first silver etching effort
I have been back in the studio, but it has been a very, very ugly time. I've been working on my Habeas Corpus line, applying my transfer paper resist (PNP Blue) to the metal and mixing a fresh batch of ferric nitrate to etch the silver. The short story is, the etching did not go according to plan. I reviewed every step to determine where I went wrong. I stared at the pieces of 22k bi-metal I shelled out plenty of money for, wondering if I'd ever get this to be a reliable process, or even better, if I'd ever get any of my planned pieces made in time for my upcoming show.
I reached out to knowledgeable people in the jewelry community, hoping to find an answer. So thank you Noel (Noelle) Yovovich for trying to help, and to Cynthia Eid for sharing her experience and finally to Karen Christians, who hit the nail on the head for my particular problem. I truly appreciate the wonderfully generous spirit of the jewelry/metalsmithing community in the USA.
Cynthia adds citric acid to her ferric nitrate, improving it's effectiveness. Noel, recommended trying this as it works with ferric chloride (Edinburgh Etch) for copper and brass. Karen explained that the ferric nitrate is a hygroscopic chemical, meaning it absorbs moisture. So once the container of crystals has been opened, you can never close it tightly enough to keep it from becoming inert. She recommends placing smaller portions into relatively air tight containers, wrapping the closure with plastic wrap and storing with desiccant bags in another larger air tight container also wrapped. Mix only what you need to use immediately. It also has to be stored in opaque containers.
Here is the link on Ganoksin for Karen's very thorough article on etching. So, I have to shell out some more money, hey it's research and development, right? Here is the source I found for desiccant bags. I'm going to get the ones that change color, indicating when they have absorbed moisture.
It's back to square one once the materials arrive. I'll keep you posted, hopefully changing a very, very ugly time into beautiful experience.
2 comments:
I have found a lot of info that you can use Ferric Nitrate to etch Silver, but no one lists how to mix it. What is the ratio of water to Ferric Nitrate? How much Citric Acid would you add? Any help would be appreciated. I love etching Copper and Brass and would love etching Silver.
Brenda
Hi Brenda,
I know people do it, but I've found it takes so long and that the chemicals break down as soon as they are exposed to moisture in the air. My results have been frustrating at best. Still if you are determined to try, I wish you luck. The ratio is 2 parts ferric nitrate to 1 part water by weight. You can look up Edinburgh Etch for the suggested citric acid addition. Perhaps, using a fish pump to aerate is the missing element to my tests. My resist just wasn't lasting. I have since purchased a nitric acid (diluted formula) for silver through Rio Grande, however I have access to a fume hood with great ventilation where I teach. I found in twenty minutes my iron on resist lasted and the results were excellent. I know some people use this outside or in their private studios, but I'm not comfortable with it. It is a personal call.
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