Darkening backgrounds

[Greg McGowan]

What do most engravers use to darken their backgrounds and what techniques are used?

 

[monk]

most will say to clean surface with acetone or similar solvent. then apply a bit of good ole rustoleum flat black. carefully wipe away the excess and that's one way. there are others.

 

[JMiller]

Same as Monk, I also use etching ink (Gamblin I think)… use paper, news paper or business cards are good to wipe off the excess. It leaves the ink in the relieved areas instead of wiping it away like a cloth would.

 

[John B.]

Following stippling, Speedball Oil-Based Block Printers Ink. Black #3550 has worked for me for many years.

 

[tortlieb@verizon.net]

What do most engravers use to darken their backgrounds and what techniques are used?

please let it be known you are getting this from someone that doesn't know anything! not completely understanding your question I offer this. I just lower my background and stipple it to make the background darker and thus making the engraving stand out. then I will add color. some people line the background and others like to place lots of dots. lol consider the source of this info. I'm no expert and might be way off in the wrong direction completely. if this answers your question, please say so. I am also curious about other background treatments that I might not be aware of

 

[Greg McGowan]

Thank you to all

 

[SamW]

As per Tort, I relieve the background and stipple for contrast. For most projects that are not blued, or have been "French grayed" I like to use Renaissance wax with a bit of lamp black added to give a flat black coloring to the background and shading cuts. Two coats with the lamp black and two coats plain. This is very easy to apply, gives good protection and can be easily retouched. Just wipe on and then wipe off with a paper towel.

 

[Greg McGowan]

Thank you that sounds less messy than the rustoleum paint solution

 

[AllenClapp]

Thank you that sounds less messy than the rustoleum paint solution

The Rustoleum route isn't all that bad. I use a glue spreader to wipe off the majority of the paint on the surface, follow quickly by dragging a square of paper grocery bag across the surface and, if necessary, slightly dampen a piece of the paper grocery bag and wipe the last smudges off the surface. The paper grocery bags are relatively absorbent and stiff enough not to go down into crevices like paper towel will do; they do a good job of leaving paint in the shading lines and, unless you press down too hard, won't dig paint out of the larger background areas.
As to the glue spreaders, I use two types. One is about a half inch wide and works like a small putty knife. It is made of polypropylene. For larger areas, I use flat silicone spreaders to remove the bulk of the paint.

 

[Dave London]

Your fingers and the heel of your hand MTC

 

[AllenClapp]

The time-honored tradition for wiping paint is your finger. Walgreens and other places sell FINGER COTS, i.e., single finger latex finger covers. If you want to make your hand cleanup easier, get the assortment first to see what size fits your finger best and then look for boxes of that size online. The finger cots are tightly fitting and don't tend to have wrinkles like some of the latex gloves have, thus making it easier to have a clean sweep without leaving a streak.

 

[tdelewis]

I like SamW's method. I thought I was the only one using it. Instead of lamp black I use inletting black. It same thing, only it comes in a neat little container from Brownell's. I mix it in a small container with a screw top. They are about the size of a 50 cent piece. My wife gets them from Walmart. She uses them to put hand cream in so she can keep them in her purse. I think they come in a package of several. If I'm real nice to her she will give me one.

 

[rmgreen]

I like SamW's method. I thought I was the only one using it. Instead of lamp black I use inletting black. It same thing, only it comes in a neat little container from Brownell's. I mix it in a small container with a screw top. They are about the size of a 50 cent piece. My wife gets them from Walmart. She uses them to put hand cream in so she can keep them in her purse. I think they come in a package of several. If I'm real nice to her she will give me one.

Inletting black-I use lots of it in stock making work. It is very slow drying. It still rubs off after weeks of having been applied. What do you do to get the inletting black dry?

 

[tdelewis]

It doesn't take much of the inletting black to darken the Renaissance Wax. You need to experiment with small amounts. Take about a tablespoon of wax and mix in the inletting black until you are happy with the look. The wax will dry rather quickly after it is mixed. The drying time, when applied, is about the same as plain wax. If the mixture is not kept sealed tightly it will dry out and become harder to apply. If that happens I add a drop or two of lighter fluid to the mix.

 

[Leland Davis]

Your fingers and the heel of your hand MTC

I always have a fat sharpie on my bench. I just go over my work and wipe it off with my fingers before it dries just helps me see where I'm at. Last summer I went to town for parts and stopped in our local convenience store for an ice cream. I was standing in line behind the under sheriff in our county who I had never met. He turned around and started asking me questions and kind of was an A-hole. I finally asked him what his problem was. He replied why were you fingerprinted? I started laughing which was not helpful so I had some explaining to do.

 

[AllenClapp]

Behold: the power of finger cots! I love that story. I am also surprised that they are still using ink for fingerprints, instead of the electronic scanning systems. I thought the days of using ink for fingerprints were all gone.

 

[Leland Davis]

Allen, you have to remember I am very rural Kansas.

 

[AllenClapp]

Allen, you have to remember I am very rural Kansas.

God's Country

 

[Travis_UT]

Honestly I have tried almost all the different variations to blacken my engravings. Honestly getting paint or whatever to stick into fine shadding lines has been the most frustrating part of leaning this art.

 

[John B.]

Travis. Try taking the high polish off the graver you use to cut your shading lines.
Use a graver sharpened on nothing finer than a 600 grit.
I advise using Speedball Oil Based black block printers ink to darken engraving.