There Has Got To Be An Easier Way

Okay so cleaning,sanding, and polishing my pendants has taken a toll on fingers!Plus I still need to by a drill to make the holes for the chain and rivets to go through..So I headed on over to Home Depot and did some research long story short I bought the Drimmel 300! It has all the attachments for cleaning,sanding,polishing,even drilling and engraving.It cost me about $80 bucks and tax was like $10..

I went to Casey Rubber Stamps in the east village thinking maybe I could etch more accurate pictures into my future pendants. I am in love with the Lucy one.I saw it and had to have it!

Oh Yeah!

So this is pretty much what the etching process looks like..You draw the design in mind directly to the metal using your oil based art pen..Pour a etching mordant/acid into a glass bowl or plastic polyurethane bowl..Add your pieces..I forgot to buy tape but its much easier if you add a strip of tape to the back of your pieces and tape it to the edges of  the bowl so that only the surface of the metal dips into the acid..Leave it in for atleast 20-30 minutes the deeper you desire the etch the longer the time you leave the pieces in.Remove with tongs and clean peaces off using steel wool.

Aha!

My etchings did not come out as deep as I intended at all.Even after leaving the etching acid on overnight.So I dug deep into my mental archives and remembered just what type of marker I should have been using..So I went to the art store purchased an Art Deco Paint Marker.I redid all the designs and they came out perfect!

Lets Get Started!

Materials?Check!Okay now that I have everything lets get started on some etching.I bought a sharpie marker (though now I know I should have just purchased a oil based paint marker).So initially the designs came out much lighter than intended..But I already have designs in mind so now lets get started!

The Beginning

So one night at work I was talking to this new kid who was telling me about bracelets that he makes from different materials..I started thinking about the Metal art class I took years ago at Gallery 37 in Chicago.Light bulb!How fun and fulfilling it would be to start creating again!So I Googled metal shops in NYC and found Metalliferous aka Metal Heaven ;) I went in and found precut shapes and thought well maybe I could etch my own designs..

Heres some examples of my past work at Gallery 37