After trying out the different materials and styles for the plaque I decided that the one I was going to go for was the brass with chemical etched writing on it.
To start I printed my text onto TTP (toner transfer paper – normally used in the manufacture of printed circuit boards) using a laser printer and spent about 20 minutes ironing the transfer onto the sheet brass.
This transfer protects the areas of the brass which are not to be etched from the abrasive chemical. I ended up doing 4 iterations – trying different sizes and styles. The first ones I tried etching the text into the brass and for the other I protected the text using the TTP and etched away the surrounding areas.
Once the design had been transferred on I put it in the chemical etching machine which is basically a spray bath that eats away at any of the brass which isn’t covered.
After about 20 minutes in the machine the plaque was ready to come out. Once out I gave it a quick polish with some steel wool to remove the protective transfer.
Thats the four attempts (above) – as you can see 2 of the transfers didn’t quite work so I didn’t bother putting them in the chemical spray machine. So the choice was between the text being etched into the brass and it looking quite polished and clean or the text being raised and easier to read but looking worn. I ended up going for the more worn looking one.
So that is the final one which will be screwed onto the bin. I’ve already got some old fashioned domed and slotted brass screws. Although it doesn’t look as clean and polished as the other one I feel that the overall style and look of this ones suits the project’s visual language much better. It makes the plaque look as if its decayed over time, giving it an almost antique appearance which I like and feel encourages people to appreciate it more.
Donald Struthers Honours Project 