I.  Soft Ground

A.  Use Graphic Chemical #1659 Water Based Ink.  Stays wet up to 6 hours

1.  If no plate tone is desired, polish the plate with 600 grit sandpaper and then degrease with Bon Ami.

2.  Roll out on inking slab to a thin, even layer.  It transfers well from inking slab surface to the plate for up to 2 hours when it dries.

a.  Trial and error as to maximum time out due to thickness of layer, humidity, roller surface, etc.

3.  With good coverage one to two passes of the roller on the plate provides the right amount of ink.  Some copper is seen as dust like particles among tightly placed ink dots.

a.  A more open distribution of ink and open dots of plate will produce a pattern that produces aquatint like results when etched.

1)  2 to 3 layers of a thin ink on roller will provide good aquatint like distribution of ink dots.

2)  Can use the tools listed below following 4.

3)  Use of good quality roller is essential.

b.  Stop out with hard ground acrylic coating or screen filler to mask white areas.

1)  Give the Future hard ground at least 20 minutes to dry atop of the soft ground.

4.  Can work into the surface with brushes, rags, sponges, water spritz, in order to lighten areas, create brush like strokes, blunt line, texture and mark.

a.  Can place newsprint atop of inked plate and use pencil or ball point pen to draw with, the pressure will pull up those lines of ink and so produce a pencil weight line drawing.

5.  Place the plate on the press bed and arrange porous, relatively thin materials atop of the inked surface.

6.  Spray the arrangement and plate with oil (Pam).

7.  Use waste Mylar from photo-polymer or plastic wrap atop of items and plate in order to reduce likely-hood of ink pulling up from the negative space.

8.  Lay newsprint atop of all three layers, lay down felts and run through the press.

9.  Remove newsprint, plastic and materials.

10. Can be reworked with brushes, etc. and water to alter textural and linear information.

11. Let the plate dry before etching or if unhappy with the arrangement then rinse the plate with water.  If stubborn use Bon Ami to remove the ink.

a.  Should the ink lie atop of the plate for a long time, then a solution of 10% ammonia to 90% water (soak) will remove the dried ink.

12.  Allow the ink soft ground to dry to the touch before etching; can use low setting on hot plate to speed up drying time.

B.  Etching:

1.  Average line bite will take 30 minutes.

2.  Do not use the aerator when etching the soft ground or aquatint.

3.  When etching session is over,

4.  If stage biting the soft ground covered plate then do the following:

a.  Let the majority of the ferric chloride drip back into the tank.

b.  Dry the plate with a hairdryer or set the plate on the hot table with several layers of newspaper beneath.

c.  Once dry, let the plate cool and then set in vinegar/salt solution in order to deoxidize.

d.  Allow plate to dry either with the hairdryer or hot table.

e.  Allow the plate to cool and then stop out areas that have satisfactory depth with screen filler.

f.  Dry the filler and then submerge in ferric chloride for subsequent biting times.

5.  Stop out; let it dry and then submerse in ferric chloride again.

6.  If etching session is a multi-hour one, then be sure to do the following:

a.  Remove from ferric chloride after 30 minutes or an hour.

b.  Carefully blot the plate.

c.  Dry with hairdryer or hot table.

d.  Cool the plate and then re-submerge in the vertical tank.

7.  When finished, rinse the plate completely and de-oxidize.

8.  Remove ink and screen filler with 10% ammonia solution.  If layers do not break down, submerge the plate in a 10 grams (1 teaspoon) soda ash to one-liter (1 quart) solution.

9.  Rinse the plate, dry and print.

II.  Hard Ground

A.  Use of Future acrylic floor solution will be used as hard ground and it can be colored in the following ways:

1.  1 small bottle of blue food color can be added for visibility on plate surface.

2.  India ink can be added to make for a more chalky consistency but results in less durability.

a.  Powder form of pigment is best for visibility and consistency.

B.  Sand the plate with 600-grit sandpaper.

1.  If whites are desired be sure to use Putz Pomade and degrease with whiting and vinegar.

C.  In a plastic tray hold the plate at a forty-five degree angle and squirt a steady stream of Future onto the plate from the top edge down.

1.  If bubbles develop when applying use a stream of Future to dislodge them.

2.  The acrylic floor solution is water-soluble when wet.

D.  Carefully turn the plate several rotations in the first 3 - 5 minutes of drying time to be sure that it dries as a thin even coat on the plate.

1.  Dry the plate on one edge and carefully blot the excess solution of the bottom edge before leaving the plate for its drying time.

2.  20 minutes is the average drying time for the acrylic solution.

a.  It fully dries in three days and will take caustic soda to remove from the plate.

E.  Pour the remaining Future that lies in the tray back into the bottle and rinse the tray completely.

1.  10 grams soda ash to 1-liter solution will remove dried Future from the tray.

F.  When the ground is dry it can be drawn into with a needle tool.  The longer that it remains on the plate the more brittle the ground becomes and so the line quality is affected.  A smooth consistent line will become one that shatters if drawn a day or two after initial application of the ground.

G.  Several layers of ground can be applied atop of each other.  Be sure that each layer is completely dry before applying another.

1.  The wet ground can be altered with water and a brush as can the dried ground with the 10% ammonia solution and a brush.

H.  Once the drawing is completed, the plate is submerged in the ferric chloride:

1.  A line appearance similar to a HB graphite pencil weight will take approximately 30 minutes in ferric chloride alone.

2.  Stage biting is done by: 

a.  Removing the plate from the tank after its initial biting session,

b.  Rinsing it thoroughly,

c.  Drying it completely with hairdryer or burger lamps,

d.  Cooling the plate and then applying Screen Filler to stop out those line areas that are to be retained and leaving those areas exposed that will be bitten deeper.

e.  Allow the Screen Filler to dry completely, cool the plate,

f.  Submerge the plate for another biting session.

I.  Use 10% ammonia solution to remove the Future and Screen Filler if on the plate for up to two days.  If it will not come up then, rinse the plate completely and use the 10% soda ash solution for removal of the grounds.

III.  Aquatint

A.  Brands of acrylic solution that can be used in creating aquatint with an airbrush:

1.  Badger Aquatint Solution:

a.  Black pigment that is easy to see on the plate.

b.  It is designed to go through a fine tip airbrush nozzle.

c.  Dilute the concentrate with 50% water.  It is comparable in price to Screen Filler.

d.  It is difficult to remove from the plate. 

1)  Soaking the plate in a 10 gram soda ash solution for a day removes the dried solution.

2)  If stubborn, a caustic soda solution can be used as last resort.

e.  Do not use as a stop out solution

2.  Speedball Screen Filler:

a.  It is difficult to see on the plate when used as an aquatint.

b.  For use as an aquatint solution, mix 1 part screen filler with 3 parts water.

c.  It is a Non-toxic material.

d.  To remove from plate first try the 10% ammonia solution, then if it will not budge try the 10 gram soda ash solution for a day's soak.  Use caustic soda as a last resort.

e.  Its thick consistency makes for an easy to use stop out.

B.  Use an airbrush with either solution:

1.  Know how to operate the airbrush.

a.  Pushing the top button straight down shoots air through the nozzle from the compressor.

b.  Pushing the top button forward and down shoots a spray of paint through the nozzle.

c.  Leaving the top button up causes nothing to happen with the nozzle.

2.  Turn on the compressor and be sure that it reaches and maintains 35 - 40 lbs. of pressure.

a.  Using 18 lbs. of pressure pull out the needle found at the back of the airbrush pen.  The result is a splatter of the acrylic solution instead of a controlled dot pattern.

3.  Stir up the solution before pouring the solution into the airbrush's glass container.

4.  Screw the nozzle down with its needle forward and a fine even dot pattern will result.

5.  Stand 1½ feet from the plate in order to get the 50% dot pattern evenly over the entire plate.

a.  Be sure to use a degreased plate.

b.  Be sure that the pressure is maintained at 35 - 40 lbs.

c.  Use a mask for acrylic spray.

6.  Clean the airbrush pen with 10% ammonia to water solution.

a.  Fill the glass container and spray until it comes out as clear solution.  Hold the pen upside down as you finish the cleaning session and finally shots out air alone.

7.  Approximate values and etching times using 42°< Baume ferric chloride solution:

a.  value 2 = 30 seconds

b.  value 5 = 6 minutes

c.  value 10 = 1 hour and 40 minutes

C.  Crackle Effect:

1.  Lay the plate flat and spray the airbrush very close to the plate surface.  The over spray will crackle as it dries.  Pre-etched plates can be used, just be sure to deoxidize the plate and dry it completely before spraying the plate with the aquatint solution.

IV.  Destruction Ground & Crayon Resist:

A.  Destruction Ground:

1.  Water down the screen filler and paint it on the plate in varying thicknesses.  Allow the washes to dry.

2.  Cool the plate and then submerge in the ferric chloride.

3.  The washes progressively break down in the water-based solution.

a.  Really thin washes are the most effective in this process.

b.  Long etching sessions work best, 4 - 5 hours.

c.  A tray of 32°< Baume ferric chloride can be used in this process to promote the destruction of the ground since this ratio is higher in water than the 42° Baume etch.

B.  Crayon Resist:

1.  Using a lithographic crayon, draw on a degreased plate.

2.  Apply a thin, even coating to Future over the entire plate.

3.  Heat the plate with a hairdryer.

4.  The heat loosens the crayon so that you can rub it off along with the layer of Future.

5.  The now exposed areas can be etched as etched line or open bit or areas can be sprayed with an aquatint solution.

6.  Allow all grounds to dry thoroughly and then etch.