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*finished
artwork, e-mailed to us can usually be returned within
48 hours
Our acid etching service will turn your drawings or
sketches from black & white images into frets of brass,
nickel silver or phosphor bronze. The process involves
making a transparency (phototool) of your artwork,
which is kept on file for two years in case you ever
require a repeat order.
During
the process, the metal sheet is etched equally from
both sides. We can therefore either etch right through
the metal, or just etch into one side to achieve half
etched detailing and fold lines for 3D construction.
An
amazing degree of detail can be achieved through this
process, so any fine architectural detailing can be
accurately replicated. Other uses include name plates,
stencils, lighting gobos, awards, logos and jewellery.
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Artwork
Preparation
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On
the etching artwork above:
| black
= brass |
| white
= etched through |
| red
= half etch |
| cyan
= half etch on the reverse side |
To
create the diaorama above on 0.2/8 thou brass all lines
must have a minimum width of 0.25mm and the minimum
gap width (where etched through) is 0.28mm - see table
below for line & gap restrictions for all metal
thicknesses.
The
etching above has fold lines so a three dimensional
diaorama can be created (below).
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Metal
& thickness options
We
can etch in brass, nickel and phosphor bronze in the
range of thickness' below. A maximum etching area of
12’’x 20” is possible, although we recommended
an A3/A4 size for speed and economy.
| Brass |
5,6,8,10,12,15,18,28
and 36 thou (0.125mm - 0.9mm) |
| Nickel
Silver |
10
and 18 thou (0.25mm - 0.45mm) |
| Phosphor
Bronze |
8
and 12 thou (0.20mm - 0.30mm) |
Finer
detailing can be achieved with thinner thicknesses of
metal. The chart below shows the minimum line width
and minimum gaps between those lines that can be etched
with the range of metal thicknesses:
| thickness
|
half
etch depth |
min.
line width |
min.
gap width |
| 5
thou (0.13mm) |
2
thou (0.06mm) |
6
thou (0.15mm) |
7
thou (0.18mm) |
| 6
thou (0.15mm) |
3
thou (0.08mm) |
7
thou (0.18mm) |
8
thou (0.21mm) |
| 8
thou (0.20mm) |
4
thou (0.10mm) |
10
thou (0.25mm) |
11
thou (0.28mm) |
| 10
thou (0.25mm) |
5
thou (0.13mm) |
12
thou (0.30mm) |
14
thou (0.35mm) |
| 12
thou (0.30mm) |
6
thou (0.15mm) |
14
thou (0.36mm) |
17
thou (0.42mm) |
| 15
thou (0.38mm) |
7
thou (0.19mm) |
18
thou (0.45mm) |
21
thou (0.53mm) |
| 18
thou (0.45mm) |
9
thou (0.23mm) |
22
thou (0.55mm) |
25
thou (0.64mm) |
| 28
thou (0.70mm) |
14
thou (0.36mm) |
34
thou (0.85mm) |
39
thou (0.98mm) |
| 36
thou (0.90mm) |
18
thou (0.45mm) |
43
thou (1.08mm) |
50
thou (1.26mm) |
E.g.
For 10 thou brass the minimum line width is 12 thou
(0.30mm) and the minimum spacing between those lines
is 14 thou (0.35mm).
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Price
Guide
Please note you will be charged
for the Phototool (one
off charge) + the metal sheet charge.
| Artwork
preparation |
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| emailed
artwork |
£14.00 |
| 4D
computer generated per hour |
£42.00 |
| A4
phototool |
£44.00 |
| A3
phototool |
£69.00 |
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| A4
Brass etched sheets |
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| 5
- 10 thou brass |
£33.50 |
| 12
thou brass |
£37.00 |
| 15
thou brass |
£41.50 |
| 18
thou brass |
£47.50 |
| 28
thou brass |
£59.00 |
| 36
thou brass |
£66.50 |
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| A4
Nickel Silver etched sheets |
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| 6
thou brass |
£41.50 |
| 10
thou brass |
£41.50 |
| 18
thou brass |
£64.50 |
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| A4
Phosphor Bronze etched sheet |
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| 8
thou brass |
£52.00 |
| 12
thou brass |
£64.50 |
| A3
Brass etched sheets |
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| 5
- 10 thou brass |
£63.50 |
| 12
thou brass |
£70.00 |
| 15
thou brass |
£79.00 |
| 18
thou brass |
£91.50 |
| 28
thou brass |
£115.00 |
| 36
thou brass |
£129.50 |
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| A3
Nickel Silver etched sheets |
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| 6
thou brass |
£79.00 |
| 10
thou brass |
£79.00 |
| 18
thou brass |
£125.00 |
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| A3
Phosphor Bronze etched sheet |
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| 8
thou brass |
£100.00 |
| 12
thou brass |
£125.00 |
For
quotation for total cost of the etching please
email, fax or post us a sketch of your proposed
etchings giving quantities, sizes, material,
thickness and any other information that is
relevant.
Please
note you will be charged for the Phototool (one
off charge) + the metal sheet charge.
It
is advised that final artwork should be attempted
only after discussion with us first.
For
more details, please call 020 7264 1288 or e-mail
us.
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