Comments on: How to Etch on Low Dome Wire for Wedding Bands?

By: Cindy

Cindy — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 17:46:39 +0000

I would etch my flat piece first, then form ring with rubber mallet.

By: Melody Shull

Melody Shull — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 13:16:01 +0000

Dena,
You don’t say what etching method you’re using, but I etch silver with a nitric acid solution. Laser printer images heat transferred to flat silver works well, but I’ve found that oil based paint holds up the best, by far and, of course, is necessary for a curved surface. For a recessed image, you can paint the whole surface, then scratch out your design or, for a raised image, draw/trace your design with an extra fine tipped OIL based paint pen. It’s more of a freehand technique, but I have drawn my design on the silver with a regular lead pencil, then gone over it with the paint pen. To remove the paint, after etching, I let the piece sit in a shallow dish of paint thinner for a few minutes, then clean off with a paper towel and Q-tips.

By: Judy Bjorkman

Judy Bjorkman — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 12:15:10 +0000

Dena, try cutting your design out of something like Contact Paper. If your metal is clean and the design sticks very well to the metal, the Contact Paper should follow its curve. The metal should etch everywhere it’s not covered (tightly) by the Paper. I’d recommend experimenting with this technique, first! Probably, the more complicated the design, the more problematic the etching will be.
If you (or a friend) own a Cricut, it can cut Contact Paper in many designs (maybe a Sizzix would do the same). Are there others out there who have tried this?
Judy Bjorkman