Hi Diana,
I often use the inside of a tetrapack to etch. It works great. As a press I use a pastamachine. I put the paper on the plate en put a piece of foamsheet on top. The only thing is that you can only use small plates.
Sincere thanks Diana.
Tremendously pleasing and useul way of making printmaking even more accesible.
We so wish we hadn’t thrown out all those old CD and DVDs!
Quite awhile ago I did etching on aluminium but can’t remember the cheap alternative ground used collected from our hardware store. I thought it had something to do with shellac flakes or a liquid bitumen product – can you suggest something- Julie
Hi Julie, it sounds like you may have been using a chemical process with hardware store supplies. That is so cool. I have only used alternative drypoint materials, but if you rediscover your process, I hope you’ll share it here for posterity. This is my most popular blog and I’m sure many fellow printmakers would also love to know.
Hi Deb, I will likely make them again some day, but I have no plans as of now. I’m sure you’ve noticed that my press building plans are for sale on this site. With a small section of a 2×4 and some other hardware store parts, you can build your own.
Just wondering if you have discovered any good ‘scrim’ alternatives. Tarlatan is expensive…..do you just wipe off your unwanted ink with newsprint or a dry cloth?
Thanks
Excellent question! I’ve been using cotton scrap fabric to wipe my plates for so long that I forgot that it wasn’t the norm. The cotton I use is similar to a cotton bedsheet, which is what I will probably use when I run out of my current fabric. I have also used leftover cheesecloth, though I’m not sure this would be cost effective and telephone book pages. But I tend to go for the cotton fabric scraps.
Lol! If you are.willing to try a roller skate and your weight, try rolling over it with a car tire (Papermaking idea), put a smooth board over it and just stand on it.
I think these are great ideas! Thanks!
Thanks so much for these ideas! I’m a high school art teacher trying to teach etching and needed some budget options for tools!
Hi Diana,
I often use the inside of a tetrapack to etch. It works great. As a press I use a pastamachine. I put the paper on the plate en put a piece of foamsheet on top. The only thing is that you can only use small plates.
Sincere thanks Diana.
Tremendously pleasing and useul way of making printmaking even more accesible.
We so wish we hadn’t thrown out all those old CD and DVDs!
Quite awhile ago I did etching on aluminium but can’t remember the cheap alternative ground used collected from our hardware store. I thought it had something to do with shellac flakes or a liquid bitumen product – can you suggest something- Julie
Hi Julie, it sounds like you may have been using a chemical process with hardware store supplies. That is so cool. I have only used alternative drypoint materials, but if you rediscover your process, I hope you’ll share it here for posterity. This is my most popular blog and I’m sure many fellow printmakers would also love to know.
So sorry to hear that you are no longer making your little hand presses! Will you be making them in the future?
Thx,
Deb
Hi Deb, I will likely make them again some day, but I have no plans as of now. I’m sure you’ve noticed that my press building plans are for sale on this site. With a small section of a 2×4 and some other hardware store parts, you can build your own.
Thank you for your innovative thought provoking ideas for me as a poor aspiring artist.
Hi,
Just wondering if you have discovered any good ‘scrim’ alternatives. Tarlatan is expensive…..do you just wipe off your unwanted ink with newsprint or a dry cloth?
Thanks
Excellent question! I’ve been using cotton scrap fabric to wipe my plates for so long that I forgot that it wasn’t the norm. The cotton I use is similar to a cotton bedsheet, which is what I will probably use when I run out of my current fabric. I have also used leftover cheesecloth, though I’m not sure this would be cost effective and telephone book pages. But I tend to go for the cotton fabric scraps.
Lol! If you are.willing to try a roller skate and your weight, try rolling over it with a car tire (Papermaking idea), put a smooth board over it and just stand on it.