The photo etching process allows us to transfer your drawings onto sheets of metal: brass, nickel silver or copper. Contact Iain to discuss your project artwork@modelshop.co.uk / 020 7264 1295 |
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All our metal etching is undertaken on-site from our London workshop. We pride ourselves on producing the highest quality photoetched sheets available.
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Whether you are looking for photo etching on brass, nickel silver etching or photo etching on copper, we have a range of sheet thicknesses available:
Available thicknesses: 0.15, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.38, 0.45, 0.7 and 0.9mm
Maximum etching area: 297 x 490mm (we recommended an A3/A4 size for speed and economy).
Available thicknesses: 0.25 and 0.45mm
Maximum etching area: 297 x 490mm (we recommended an A3/A4 size for speed and economy).
Available thicknesses: 0.3mm, 0.5mm and 1.0mm
Maximum etching area: 243 x 493mm.
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:
E.g. For 0.25mm brass sheet, the minimum line width is 0.30mm and the minimum spacing between those lines is 0.35mm.
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We can provide a full photoetching artwork service if you prefer. If you are providing us with your own artwork, please follow these guidelines:
Photoetching artwork key:
PLEASE NOTE: Red (front etch) and cyan (back etch) must not touch or cross over each other.
Wherever possible:
Please Provide:
It is advised that final artwork should be attempted only after discussion with us first.
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Please note you will be charged for Artwork set up + the Phototool (one off charge) + the metal sheet price shown below (these prices do not include VAT):
Artwork setup - £20.00
A5 filmwork (2 part) - £37.40
A5 0.2mm (10thou) etched brass - £26.90
Total = £84.30 +VAT
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Iain and his team in our Photo Etching Workshop have developed a way of controlling the depth of photo etching on metal.
This means we can achieve a much higher definition even on the thicker gauges of metal, where over etching is an intrinsic problem.
The left & top is a traditional etching on 0.90mm brass whilst the right & bottom is an etching using the new Controlled Etching Technique. This level of definition was only achievable on the thinnest of metals before.
We can also produce etchings without the need for tabbing, especially useful for small and intricate elements.
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Infilling is an additional service offered by our workshop. Infilling is where we colour any half etched area on the metal etching. This is often required with name plates.
We can achieve this with a laser (black only) or by creating a vinyl stencil and spraypainting in any colour you choose. More details on our In-Filling page.
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The metal etching sheets are delivered to us pre-coated ready to receive the image from your artwork. This means we cannot see the surface of the metal. The surface of the metal may differ from sheet to sheet (this is particularly the case with nickel silver) and so the surface of the finished work may not be consistent, even with different sheets produced at the same time. The differences occur during the manufacture of the metal and this is not a fault.The main variations which occur are the reflective quality and marks created by the brushes used during the metal manufacture.
We can do work again - this is chargeable - although, unfortunately, the result may be the same because we can't see the surface until the work is finished.
Scratches and gouges are not acceptable surface variations and you will not receive work affected by these. Please call us if you would like to discuss this potential issue.
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.
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t: 020 7264 1295
9am – 5.45pm, Monday to Friday
Our guide to etching (2.2Mb PDF)