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Help Identifing a tecinque

Hand Lettering topics: Sign Making, Design, Fabrication, Letterheads, Sign Books.

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Roderick Treece
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Help Identifing a tecinque

Post by Roderick Treece »

I had a client send me these photos. Anyone know how this was done. Maybe acid embossed or briallant carved?
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Patrick Mackle
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Re: Help Identifing a tecinque

Post by Patrick Mackle »

Hey Roderick.
"Here I come to save the day!!"
I am almost 99.99999% certain that the mirror you have was done by my friend Roger Page.
Patrick Mackle
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Re: Help Identifing a tecinque

Post by Patrick Mackle »

Bingo!
Roger is going to look in his old art files. I called just in time because as he is retired, he is clearing out some old files as he has taken up painting now in his retiring years.
I always wondered how he created the art master for these mirrors. I thought maybe they were drawn out in pen and ink on press board, then photographed into a negative film to use in burning a silk screen. (since these were done way before home computers were available). But no, it seems Roger and I employed the same method back then of hand cutting a rubylith (lacquer film on clear acetate) to burn the screen. (Totally "old school" by today's standard)
Look at the detail and clean lines and you will see that Roger was very keen with a blade. I might add that Dean Hensley was also very good at hand cutting.
I always hate to see these guys retire, but thankfully new guys pick up the ball and carry it even farther.
Pat
BruceJackson
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Re: Help Identifing a tecinque

Post by BruceJackson »

I'm still curious for more info Pat. Making the screen with rubylith i understand, but what next?

I'm assuming you use the screen to print on a bitumen resist, and then do an acid etch. right?

But there seems to be two levels of depth...the main area as one level, and the line work seems to be deeper. Is that what I'm seeing? So would you have two screens? How's that going to work?

Beautiful piece of work. what a pity it broke.

It reminds me a little of another method that a friend of mine was using. He would sand-blast a design into the front surface of a mirror, then fill it with clear resin. This made the carved areas less matt in appearance. The finish he got was more like this type of acid etch.
Anthony Bennett
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Re: Help Identifing a tecinque

Post by Anthony Bennett »

BruceJackson wrote: It reminds me a little of another method that a friend of mine was using. He would sand-blast a design into the front surface of a mirror, then fill it with clear resin. This made the carved areas less matt in appearance. The finish he got was more like this type of acid etch.

What an interesting idea Bruce, was your friend surface blasting to do that or was it with some depth please?

PAtrick, stupid question so I will ask it :D What procedure do you mean when you say "burning the screen" please?

Roderick, that's a very exquisite piece, thanks for showing it.
BruceJackson
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Re: Help Identifing a tecinque

Post by BruceJackson »

Anthony, he was deep carving. Also, he didn't fill it with resin, just enough to give it a good thick coating. It still felt dimensional. If you just do the surface it's not as dramatic.

With plenty of depth to the sand-blasting, it looked more like a casting.

Burning the screen is when you expose it to an arc lamp. The rubylith, being red, blocks out the UV light so that the image is set on the screen.
erik winkler
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Re: Help Identifing a tecinque

Post by erik winkler »

Can you just imagine what extra will come out if it was etched on the rearside of the glass and then silvered?
I can, master Dave made this along with his old friend Rick Glawson.
They gold leaved the reliëf glass with different carats of gold leave instead of chemaically silvering.

Got to make more, got to, got to, I got to make more!
More!! More!!!

So little time..... :cry:

First of all I have got to get on with this asphaltum based acid resist.
I can just see Pat on stage...
Wait for 50 seconds


Erik
Realizing we are in the 2nd renaissance of the arts.
Learn, copy and trying to improve...
Still in the learning phase ;-)
Amsterdam Netherlands
www.ferrywinkler.nl
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Patrick Mackle
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Re: Help Identifing a tecinque

Post by Patrick Mackle »

As Bruce mentioned, "burning a screen" is a term for exposing screen emulsion in a vacuum frame with ultra violet light. Then followed by a wash out with water.

Bruce, as to the etching you see in Rod's post. As you know a camera sees glass one way, and your eyes see it differently- then your brain has to figure out what's really going on.
Actually, Larry White just called me earlier and I had to take the info that his eyes were telling his brain about this piece and reorganize that sensory input so that now when he looks at the photos, he is really understanding what he is seeing.(Whew)
So, even though the photo is telling you that there must be multiple depths or more going on, this is the true scoop. It is only a single acid bite using only diluted acid done with the glass face up. The figure areas and border were the only areas etched.
All of the remaining background glass was protected by resist. Then the glass was silvered. Any variations that you believe that see are the result of the overhead lighting in the shop ceiling and angle of photography.
So there it is. Simply as stated. Print resist. Top with acid. Remove resist. Proceed with silvering.
A very elegant look.
Mighty Pat
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