Posted by Mike Jackson - Dave Smith on April 27, 2003
Dave SmithDave Smith sent me a photo of some work done in England. I think it is old work, but maybe he will follow up with some addtional details.
CAUTION: READ ALL SAFETY LITERATURE AND INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USING HYDROFLOURIC ACID OR ANY OTHER DANGEROUS MATERIALS! PROPER USE, HANDLING AND DISPOSAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE END USER ONLY!!
Here's how I think it was done:
1. Make a screen which protects the glass in all completely clear areas. Screen with asphaltum.
2. Frost the open areas with a white etch process.
3. Create a new screen which protects all the same areas as the first one, plus a few more areas that will be one step "clearer" than the previous step. Dip Etch the exposed areas which make the exposed areas one step more clear, but still has a noticeable amount of white frost.
4. Repeat the process again, exposing the areas you want to be one step more clear. (Each dip acid will remove a little of the white appearance of the first white etch)
Note: The first asphaltum resist is not removed after the etch. Simply add additional asphaltum with a screen OR by hand painting additional asphaltum resist.
CAUTION: READ ALL SAFETY LITERATURE AND INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USING HYDROFLOURIC ACID OR ANY OTHER DANGEROUS MATERIALS! PROPER USE, HANDLING AND DISPOSAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE END USER ONLY!!
A few years back, Bill Hueg and Noel Weber were attempting something similar at one of the Conclaves. The last time I spoke with him about it, he told me he was never really sure what was going on...just following Bill's lead and Rick's guidance. I spoke with Bill Hueg afterwards and he basically explained the process described above. The photo at the top of the page makes sense, now that I see what they were trying to do. Bill and Noel were trying to START with a fully frosted piece of glass, then remove the frost with acid dips (generally backwards from the piece shown above).
CAUTION: READ ALL SAFETY LITERATURE AND INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USING HYDROFLOURIC ACID OR ANY OTHER DANGEROUS MATERIALS! PROPER USE, HANDLING AND DISPOSAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE END USER ONLY!!
Maybe Dave will help out here and clarify the process for all of us.
Mike Jackson
Mike Jackson - You don't know what you have til it's gone!Mike
these windows were made at the turn of the century. The landlady told me they were glazed at the same time the pub was built. The date on the outside of the pub reads 1904 in all there are 22 windows like this all the way round the building
inside is a 8'x 8' cut glass sign elaboratly etched and silvered.This type of work is still being made here and also exactly the same way with
leadfoil instead of vinyl and brunswick black, which I think is the same as Asphaltum black.
Hope this helps.
I have several reliable formulas,but I am a little worried about giving them over the net due to poss injury in there mixing problems.
maybe we could set up demo some place and show a few people who are interested.
Dave...........
htt[img]p://www.theletterheads.com/signphotos/acid4tones.jpg[/img]
Mike JacksonDave Stewart had mentioned formulas for White Acid being the Dave Stewart's "Sign Work", printed in London in 1984. I bought mine a long time ago from SignCraft and figured they would still be around. But...it appears to be out of print and I didn't even see a used one available on any of my normal searches.
The book is quite thorough on the subject of Acid Etching, Toning, Texturing, and White Acid. If you can find a copy of the book, I'd suggest adding to your library!
I think my original steps were pretty close, with the whitest parts being the white acid etch. The clear areas are called "brights" and the half toned looking areas are called "tonings".
Mike Jackson
Robert Beverly - Is the autor Dave Stewart or Bill StewartMikeI meant to say:
"Dave Smith had mentioned formulas for White Acid being the Bill Stewart's "Sign Work", printed in London in 1984."
Sorry for transposing the names.
Mike
Mike JacksonI did find a copy from a Bill Stewart
Is this the same one:
Stewart, Bill. Sign Work : A Craftsman's Manual.
Hammersmith London, United Kingdom: HarperCollins, 1984
Youth Wants To KnowYes, as my correction said, "Dave Smith had mentioned formulas for White Acid being the Bill Stewart's "Sign Work", printed in London in 1984." Buy it if you can still get it.
I just called SignCraft to see if there was a chance they still had a few on the shelves, but Dotty said they had sold out of them a long time ago. Worth a shot.
Mike Jackson
Mike JacksonAnd this is just a flat piece of glass? No engraving into the surface, just tones of clear and cloudy? Or is there copperwheel engraving for the crosshatched lines (not buffed out) and the little dots (buffed clear)?
Hot stuff, however it's done. Our money used to look like that (but in green), sigh.
Dave Smith would have to say for certain, since he took the pictures and got to see them first hand, but it appears the little cross-cut stars might be ground with a wheel. The white acid etches basically on the surface only and not deep into the glass. The following acid baths would have only removed a minute amout of the frosted etch, so the total depth of the etch is probably less than 1/32". One of the advantages of this technique is the lack of worries about someone touching the glass and leaving an oily fingerprint. If you did this similar job with sandblast style etching, a hand print or fingerprint will usually remain until thoroughly cleaned again.
Mike Jackson
Denver Chapter of the Letterheads