There is a fabulous tutorial at http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/acid-etching-metal-jewelry-part-1.html by Virginia Vivier (Esprit Mystique Jewelry) using acid. The tutorial has great tips and techniques. This article is about using saltwater and a battery. If you dig a little you can find ‘how to’ information free of charge and that is what I did, or you can buy it from a popular magazine.
What you need:
Patience (this process takes longer than acid)
Safety Glasses and Rubber Gloves (strong salt solutions can burn)
D battery and a D battery holder
Alligator clips and heavy ga. copper wire
Copper to be etched and scrap copper
Kosher or canning and pickling salt
Glass container deep enough to hang your art piece
Resist
Resists Available: PNP blue paper (good info on this at: http://www.makersgallery.com/goss/pnp.html ) , nail polish (if you’re desperate), enamel paint, etc.
Hook up a D battery in the battery holder, attach alligator clips to the lead wires on your battery holder and then to the two pieces of copper wire to suspend the art piece and the scrap piece in a saltwater bath. Current draws copper from the piece being etched to the scrap copper. You can use the same kinds of resists you would use for acid etching. Red alligator clips on your jewelry/art piece. Put resist on the back of your art piece or etch a design on the back too.
Make a saturated salt solution by dissolving salt, (lot-o salt)
Clean your art piece and clean it again, alcohol works well.
Draw or transfer your design with whatever resist you want. The scrap copper needs to be cleaned off with a scruby pad to remove any residue, then it's ready.
Fill glass (I don’t like plastic) container with the salt solution, attach your two pieces of copper to copper wires and hang them from the sides of the container so they are submerged in the solution. Attach the positive alligator clip to the art piece etched and the negative clip to the scrap copper. You will see little bubbles rising from the scrap copper, and the water will become cloudy.
It takes an hour or more to get a nice deep etch (patience).
Disposal of used salt water, well I’m not convinced it’s a good idea to pour into the sink, there is copper in it. Maybe consider calling waste management services and double check with your area requirements.
Love those little Altoids Tins? Etching Altoids Tins: go to http://steampunkworkshop.com/altoid-etch.shtml
The fun of this is you can transfer virtually any image or pattern to copper, nickel, or brass.
Want more info? Search the web there is a lot of free information. Take some time and learn something new!! I welcome any comments and additions to this method of etching.
Showing posts with label copper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label copper. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Mookaite jasper, also known as mookite, mookalite, mookerite,
moakite, moukalite and moukaite. However, mookaite is considered the correct
spelling and is named after the local area it comes from, Mooka Creek in the
Kennedy Ranges near Gascoyne Junction which is about 100 miles inland from the
coastal town of Carnarvon in Western Australia.
Mookaite is found only in Australia and is actually a fossiliferous sedimentary rock & it is reasonably common to find cavities left by decomposed belemnite casts or in some rare cases, impressions of ammonites. (Windalia Radiolarite) Microscopic examination shows this rock consists of the remains of tiny organisms known as radiolaria that have an unusual skeletal structure of opaline silica. Billions of these little critters were deposited as sediment in the shallow areas of ancient sea beds. When the seas retreated, these sediments were cemented into solid rock by silica carried in groundwater. The type and degree of silicification varies from place to place, forming opalite, chert and chalcedony.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Oh my beat up heart
14ga. Planished Copper, using surgical steel wire earrings. I always use surgical steel for ear wires with copper.
Copper Information
Pictures from: www.desertusa.com
From http://www.essortment.com/all/copperinformati_rdfr.htm
Copper has a fascinating history of healing. Labeled an "unproven remedy" by the American Arthritic Foundation, copper has an extensive history of relieving aches and pains in arthritic joints. One of the world's ancient recorded medicinal texts contains instructions to treat "inflammations" with pulverized copper. Celtic tribes fashioned copper bracelets and wore them to avoid rheumatism, a debilitating disease. Inca and Aztec tribes believed that the Gods dictated that copper should be worn by warriors in battle. The reason for this was increased agility and prowess in the field.
The records do not end here. Copper is also believed to have many empowering qualities. Tibetian elders keep copper bracelets as holy relics. Sheperds in Arab states believe that their bracelets store and release power as needed. There are references in Greek literature to copper cuffs worn by gladiators. Copper's power as a talisman is noted in everything from African literature to Sanskrit.
When in contact with human skin, older copper ornaments would often create green films on the flesh. These chelates, formed by the intereation of copper alloy and human sweat, are noted to have many healing qualities once absorbed by the skin. "Copper chelates are the next progressive step towards relieving the symptoms of rheumatism and arthritis," states a Medical Journal from 1972. Copper creates an essential enzyme for the regeneration of cartilage and bone. It also flushes destructive radicals from body tissues, known as superoxide radicals.
Medical debate regarding the usefulness of copper in treating illness is fierce. Experiments contrasting copper and aluminum bracelets on arithmetic patients show that copper reduces swelling in joints under all atmospheric conditions. Other experiments indicate that bones heal more quickly when exposed to copper salts. But is this medical fact, or are patients just responding hopefully to a placebo? Records from Europe indicate that copper was used to ward off warts, hysteria and witches in the dark ages. Chinese medicine believes that copper is effective in helping the flow of "chi," or life energy. The possibility that copper is just an exciting mental inspiration exists, but this possibility should not be underestimated. The use of copper for the stimulation of neural healing processes poses new and exciting pathways for medical science and natural healing.
The most recent advances in copper therapy are as follows: live fields of copper ions that the patient can place an affected limb into, copper cuffs and bracelets that can be painlessly sealed to the wrists and ankles of the elderly and arthritic, and copper pieces that can be placed inside the wrist or ankle itself to further reduce swelling. And in the near future, who knows what's in store? It's possible that braces of copper may reduce swelling in teeth and gums during mouth surgery. Copper chelates may be collected and harnessed into an elixir for the bloodstream. Copper bits may be used in tatoo-removing surgery to regenerate skin while lasers burn it away. Most importantly, copper may become an accepted and recognized member of the reconstructive community.
From http://www.essortment.com/all/copperinformati_rdfr.htm
Copper has a fascinating history of healing. Labeled an "unproven remedy" by the American Arthritic Foundation, copper has an extensive history of relieving aches and pains in arthritic joints. One of the world's ancient recorded medicinal texts contains instructions to treat "inflammations" with pulverized copper. Celtic tribes fashioned copper bracelets and wore them to avoid rheumatism, a debilitating disease. Inca and Aztec tribes believed that the Gods dictated that copper should be worn by warriors in battle. The reason for this was increased agility and prowess in the field.
The records do not end here. Copper is also believed to have many empowering qualities. Tibetian elders keep copper bracelets as holy relics. Sheperds in Arab states believe that their bracelets store and release power as needed. There are references in Greek literature to copper cuffs worn by gladiators. Copper's power as a talisman is noted in everything from African literature to Sanskrit.
When in contact with human skin, older copper ornaments would often create green films on the flesh. These chelates, formed by the intereation of copper alloy and human sweat, are noted to have many healing qualities once absorbed by the skin. "Copper chelates are the next progressive step towards relieving the symptoms of rheumatism and arthritis," states a Medical Journal from 1972. Copper creates an essential enzyme for the regeneration of cartilage and bone. It also flushes destructive radicals from body tissues, known as superoxide radicals.
Medical debate regarding the usefulness of copper in treating illness is fierce. Experiments contrasting copper and aluminum bracelets on arithmetic patients show that copper reduces swelling in joints under all atmospheric conditions. Other experiments indicate that bones heal more quickly when exposed to copper salts. But is this medical fact, or are patients just responding hopefully to a placebo? Records from Europe indicate that copper was used to ward off warts, hysteria and witches in the dark ages. Chinese medicine believes that copper is effective in helping the flow of "chi," or life energy. The possibility that copper is just an exciting mental inspiration exists, but this possibility should not be underestimated. The use of copper for the stimulation of neural healing processes poses new and exciting pathways for medical science and natural healing.
The most recent advances in copper therapy are as follows: live fields of copper ions that the patient can place an affected limb into, copper cuffs and bracelets that can be painlessly sealed to the wrists and ankles of the elderly and arthritic, and copper pieces that can be placed inside the wrist or ankle itself to further reduce swelling. And in the near future, who knows what's in store? It's possible that braces of copper may reduce swelling in teeth and gums during mouth surgery. Copper chelates may be collected and harnessed into an elixir for the bloodstream. Copper bits may be used in tatoo-removing surgery to regenerate skin while lasers burn it away. Most importantly, copper may become an accepted and recognized member of the reconstructive community.
Copper History
- One of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls found in Israel is made of copper instead of fragile animal skins. The scroll contains clues to a still undiscovered treasure.
- Archaeologists have recovered a portion of a water plumbing system from the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt. After 5,000 years, the copper tubing was still in serviceable condition.
- A copper frying pan at the University of Pennsylvania's museum has been dated to be more than 50 centuries old.
- When Columbus sailed to America, his ships (Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria) had copper skins below the water line. The copper sheathing extended hull life and protected against barnacles and other types of biofouling. Today, most sea-going vessels use a copper-based paint for hull protection.
Archaeological evidence indicates that copper was used as far back as 10,000 years ago in western Asia. During the prehistoric Chalcolithic Period, societies discovered how to extract and use copper to produce ornaments and implements. As early as the 3rd-4th Millennium BC, copper was actively extracted from Spain's Huelva region. Around 2500 BC, the discovery of useful properties of copper-tin alloys led to the Bronze Age.
It has been documented that Israel's Timna Valley provided copper for the Pharaohs. Papyrus records from ancient Egypt reveal that copper was used to treat infections and sterilize water. The island of Cyprus is known to have supplied much of the copper needed for the empires of ancient Phoenicia, Greece, and Rome.
While the Greeks during Aristotle's era were familiar with brass, it was not until Augustus' Imperial Rome that brass became abundantly used. In South America, the pre-Columbian Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations exploited copper, as well as gold and silver. During the Middle Ages, copper and bronze flourished in China, India, and Japan.
The discoveries and inventions in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries by Ampere, Faraday, and Ohm propelled copper into a new era. Demonstrating excellent electrical conducting and heat transfer characteristics, copper played a pivotal role in launching the Industrial Revolution.
And, it makes gorgeous jewelry!
- Archaeologists have recovered a portion of a water plumbing system from the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt. After 5,000 years, the copper tubing was still in serviceable condition.
- A copper frying pan at the University of Pennsylvania's museum has been dated to be more than 50 centuries old.
- When Columbus sailed to America, his ships (Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria) had copper skins below the water line. The copper sheathing extended hull life and protected against barnacles and other types of biofouling. Today, most sea-going vessels use a copper-based paint for hull protection.
Archaeological evidence indicates that copper was used as far back as 10,000 years ago in western Asia. During the prehistoric Chalcolithic Period, societies discovered how to extract and use copper to produce ornaments and implements. As early as the 3rd-4th Millennium BC, copper was actively extracted from Spain's Huelva region. Around 2500 BC, the discovery of useful properties of copper-tin alloys led to the Bronze Age.
It has been documented that Israel's Timna Valley provided copper for the Pharaohs. Papyrus records from ancient Egypt reveal that copper was used to treat infections and sterilize water. The island of Cyprus is known to have supplied much of the copper needed for the empires of ancient Phoenicia, Greece, and Rome.
While the Greeks during Aristotle's era were familiar with brass, it was not until Augustus' Imperial Rome that brass became abundantly used. In South America, the pre-Columbian Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations exploited copper, as well as gold and silver. During the Middle Ages, copper and bronze flourished in China, India, and Japan.
The discoveries and inventions in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries by Ampere, Faraday, and Ohm propelled copper into a new era. Demonstrating excellent electrical conducting and heat transfer characteristics, copper played a pivotal role in launching the Industrial Revolution.
And, it makes gorgeous jewelry!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Planished Copper Earring
Sometimes a simple earring is all you need. I've made several necklaces and bracelets with this link. Simple but pretty.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Kiwi Jasper and Copper
I had 13 days at home over the holidays to work on my passion. I haven't had that much time off, well since I can't really remember. It's a good thing I had plenty of wire and ton's of stones.
Mustard Jasper wrapped with Copper
Although sometimes hard to find I love all shades of yellow stones. This jasper donut matches a couple rings I made some time ago.
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